I just don't get it!

I admit it.  I surrender.  White flag waving in the wind.  I do not get it!  I think it is the girl in me, which quite honestly, I am surprised by.  As I have never really pegged myself as a girly girl - more tomboy.  But I don't get it.
Last Friday Trevor and the deacons went on a scout camp out for their Survival Badge.  I think with my other two boys, they actually did this as part of scout camp, so as not to totally freak the moms out.  And I thank the leaders for that.  What I didn't know, didn't wake me up in a panic at 4:30am.
So Trev didn't tell me much about this campout before hand.  I don't know if he didn't listen so he wasn't aware (which very well may have been the case), or what.  But we received the following email:

This weekend is our survival trek campout. We will be meeting at my house at 4:00pm tomorrow to leave for the West Clear Creek Trail outside of Camp Verde for our trek. Your Scout needs to bring the following (no additional items please):

 - Long pants (worn)

- Shirt (wool, polyester or other synthetic fiber - NO COTTON)

- Wool Cap or Beanie

- Pocket Knife

- Flashlight (preferably a headlamp)

- Wool socks (or two pairs of dress socks - again NO COTTON)

- Tennis Shoes or Hiking Boots

 They can bring small salt packets if they want also.

Being the oblivious scout mom that I am, I found the stuff on the list so he would be able to quickly change and head out as soon as he got home.  But I wasn't sure if that list was supposed to be "in addition" to normal camp stuff or not.  So I brought along the sleeping bag in case.  I made Trevor scarf down a few granola bars on the way over.  Had I known what was really going on, I would have carb loaded with a huge plate of spaghetti and a couple of hamburger patties.

Anyway, this did end up being a true Survival Trek.  No tents.  No sleeping bags.  No coolers full of easy to make food.  They broke into two patrols.  They had to kill a chicken and clean it for dinner (or they had the option of rabbit I guess, but no one actually did that one.) Trevor said it was very good.  They set snares to capture food.  They started a fire with flint and stone and each took 2 hour shifts keeping the fire going throughout the night.  They slept without blankets.  They all tried ant larva for breakfast - seriously gross!  They roughed it.  (Except Trev's patrol leader got up really early and put a package of hormel sausage in their snare - a man after my own heart.) They all survived and earned their badge.

I am very grateful for gracious patient leaders that help my boys have these cool experiences. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! You guys are awesome beyond belief!  (Trevor said Brother Anthony is the coolest guy he knows - he let them pick something off the value menu at Wendy's on the way home - and apparently, it beat the heck out of ant larva!)

As I pondered the experience today, I couldn't help but think "WTH???"  If my husband and I fed our kids ant larva, made them kill a chicken with their bare hands or had them sleep outside without blankets or a tent, we would likely get reported to Child Protective Services, but when it's done for a merit badge, it's ok.   Seriously?  I just don't get it... :)