[kbennkc]

I you mess up your chance to earn your Eagle , like I did you can always get degrees , awards , medals , trophies , but there is no going back , I will never be an Eagle Scout . You and your parents have my respect , I am informed the Eagle is not often earned alone .
When I learn an acquaintance earned Eagle , I always tease them by acting I am surprised , but I never fail to earnestly congratulate them .

[Myrddin]

My dad was an Eagle Scout as well. He earned 42 merit badges...for no other reason than the minimum was 21. The skills I learned in scouts serve me daily. The skills I learned in college serve me as necessary. While you can't go back, you can participate in helping a few more young men succeed down that path. As you noted, it doesn't get done alone. Parents provide much support. Transportation to merit badge councilors. Frequent trips to scout camp to earn a lifesaving merit badge. Patience through creation of plaster of paris molds of animal tracks. That's not to say that the scouts don't do much on their own. I rode my 3-speed bicycle to merit badge councilors at distances up to 15 miles from my home.