Taking non-members to scout meetings

What is your opinion?

My wife and I take our first grader to weekly scout meetings.

Our boys are friends with a 3rd grade female and she comes over fairly often and wants to go to the scout meetings with us about half the time.

I personally have no problem letting her go. But I feel a bit rude.

Here is the question.

Is it rude to the other members of our den? We take turns providing snacks and activities for the kids. It is not the other parents responsibility to provide these things for a non-member.

At the risk of sounding a bit sexist, it would be slightly different if the friend was a male and was going to the meetings as a potential recruit.

 

I've been outta scouting for a bit, but I would not make that a regular occurrence.
Your son is there to develop a set of skills - social, mental, and physical - that doesn't really mesh well with having a friend hanging around.
I would bring friends to meetings, but only as potential recruits and only for a couple meetings tops.

 

As an Eagle Scout and former ASM for my local Troop I agree.

 

Thank you for your responses. This is exactly what I was leaning toward. I dont have anything against the girl at all, and have told my wife before that she should not be going to our meetings.

I walked in the house this evening and she was here and my wife told me she was going. She had made the decision without me and already told the girl she could go.

 

Take Jimmy Johnson, take Tommy Thompson, take my best friend Bo. Take anybody that you want as long as she don't go.

 

Also an Eagle Scout here, and I agree with this statement as well. Building social skills is part of scouting, but it should take place in a fairly disciplined environment and with others who are working toward the same goals. Having a friend there who's not participating is a distraction.

 

Thank you all for helping me build my argument. I knew that just saying, "She can't go with us anymore", was not going to sit well with the wife if I did not give valid reasons.