Am I the only one here who's totally relaxed about sending my child to boot camp?

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Permalink Reply by alison n. on October 24, 2009 at 10:08am

my son has been in for 3 years now. i remember boot camp like it was yesterday. he went right out of high school. he did have 4 yrs of ROTC. he was more than well prepared. of course i cried the day he left, but i knew this is what he wanted and was ready. because of ROTC he breezed thur boot camp. he actually said it was boring. but-today he on the USS Harry S Truman and loving it. he has already been on a 7 month deployment and are preparing to head out again in a few months. i wouldn't trade any of this experience for the world. it was the best thing we could have done. of course you worry-- is he safe, happy, does he like his job, the people he works and lives with. is he eating ok---things like that. but fortunely my son calls almost everyday. and can email too. when hes in port. and close enought that he can come home for weekends sometimes. he's in Norfolk, we are in Florida. i'm hoping he makes a lifetime career out of it. because of ROTC, he went in as a E-3 and is now an E-5. yes you will worry--thats only natural, but your child will be fine. if there's anything i can do--let me know--good luck

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Permalink Reply by bonnie on October 24, 2009 at 11:40am

Hi to Alison and everyone interested:
It is amazing that our kids know from an early age what it is that they like or want. I sure didn't. I struggled along trying to find out what path to take. My daughter joined the Navy Sea Cadet Corp- (-like an ROTC--but not considered ROTC) in high school just on a casual invitation from a classmate to check it out..next thing we both knew, she was off to Fort lewis, Wash. for "boot camp".. during the summer when the Marines were gone. She loved the discipline and the activities associated with it. She stayed with the NSC corp for 3 years, graduated from high school and enlisted. She then decided against going in too soon or even at all and went away to college for a year..found that lacking in structure and direction. Decided then to re-enlist and off she went. She, too, entered as an E-3 and after a yr 1/2, (A school/ C school, move to E-4 she is taking the next step in March, 2010. to become and E-5. She loves her field! Meets many people and is experiencing so many more things than she could ever if she stayed in our town. I am so proud of her. I see her as a very sensible, reliable, grounded person with wings to fly. She has her sights set on becoming 'chief' one day! Wow!

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Permalink Reply by Carla Street on October 24, 2009 at 2:06pm

It's been 7 years now and my daughter is considered a "disabled vet" with chemical induced asthma and I still don't regret it. She was what I called "lost" when she was at home. She moved 10 times in a year. The thing that kept her going was she's bullheaded and had decided when she was 15 she wanted to be in the Navy. If she hadn't done that, I'm not sure where she would be. We've grown closer and closer and I'm not sure we could've done it without the distance and her getting her self esteem built and not floundering.

I'm a moderator for a navymoms on yahoo site and it's been quite the deal sometimes because everyone has different reactions. We're there for support but man, some moms REALLY go nuts. Bless their hearts. We have especially one mom who used to come in and go "get over it!" HA! I had to do some fancy footwork sometimes and a few moms left.

We've had discussions and I've worked with the "recruit" mom and finally we've gotten so we help some moms make the transition from the young person being their "whole life" to being a friend and a supporter and, yes mom. We work on them feeling they have a life without completely living it for someone else. Some just need help with that process. There is less of that with the formation of this forum but it's quite the process sometimes. Pretty tender people out there! Having support like our groups helps a lot.

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Permalink Reply by bonnie on October 24, 2009 at 3:05pm

Carla, How are you a moderator for N4Ms? how is the moderator job on Yahoo? hmmm. Is there something I can do to pitch in to help out?

How is your daughter a chemically induced asthmatic? That sounds horrible,. Is she still in the Navy or discharged as disabled?

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Permalink Reply by Arwen on October 24, 2009 at 5:13pm

I'm a moderator on several Yahoo sites. There are two ways of becoming a moderator; start a Yahoo group of your own, or volunteer to be a moderator when the owner asks for help.

One of my groups is my own creations, I started it 11 years ago (dang, how did that happen) and has 700 members and averages a few hundred posts each month (no spam!) , but the one I took over (in 2003) for an owner who was leaving is the most active, 340 members but over 1,000 posts each month (no spam there either).

It doesn't pay at all, it's totally a volunteer position.

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Permalink Reply by Carla Street on October 25, 2009 at 6:18pm

Oh, no, I'm not a moderator here. It's a yahoo group and they formed it in 2000. Nope, nothing to do, just what you are doing in here and supporting others.

Julie was on the Lincoln in 2003 and worked with the Prowler jets. She got asthma from the jet fuels. She could have stayed in and do office work but if she couldn't work with "her jets" she didn't want to. So, she's been out since '05. She's doing the mom trick now, HA! Thank you for your concern.

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Permalink Reply by Bernadette on October 25, 2009 at 8:02pm

I'm with you. From the time my son joined in April I wasn't worried. We were the only family there when the recruits were sworn in so he knew I wasn't worried. My son is so prepared that when it's time to go to PT he irons his clothes the night before. He even wanted to shop at the base in order to get sweats to go with there 1 issued t-shirt. He just wants to make it better for him self. Yesterday they had their winter olympics in order to compete with other recruiting offices. He took 1st in every event. I'm ready for him to go because I'm tired of doing the push ups and sit ups with him.

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Permalink Reply by bonnie on October 25, 2009 at 11:04pm

Bernadette, your last line was so funny! How ready you are for him to go because you're tired of doing push ups and sit ups with him! You rock mom!

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Permalink Reply by AJsMom on October 26, 2009 at 12:37am

You are not alone. My daughter is leaving in 12 days. We have no worries. First, I believe that the Navy is dedicated to training our children to do their jobs safely. Second, I believe my daughter has made an educated decision to join the Navy. When I view a lot of the comments here, I also feel that I am in the minority of being excited for my child to begin a new career that she can be proud of.

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Permalink Reply by speedymlh on October 26, 2009 at 9:00pm

While I will miss my son and the adjustment of having him gone will be difficult at first, I am so proud of him. He is finally going out to start his life. I helped him to walk and now he will spread his wings and fly on his own. I am a proud Navy mom.

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Permalink Reply by Laura on October 27, 2009 at 10:36pm

I have always had a lot of pride and satisfaction of watching my sons grow us and become men. I was very proud when he left home for boot camp. Nomy son being in boot camp didn't bother me. I feel that even so, being sad or crying when your child leaves home for the first time is a time for grieving of sorts, lost life that we had. I now have my second son who will be leaving next summer for boot camp. Will I miss him, be sad and cry? Probably but that won't make me any less proud of him. I will be going on to a new phase of my life as an empty nester, only I won't be able to see my sons as ofetn as I would like. I am good with that as well. Both of my boys have grown and matured. I can't wait to see the changes that will occur in my youngest son. I look forward to the phone calls, tests and emails telling me about what he is doing, what new things he has discovered (in and outsidethe Navy) and abouthe girls he has met. I think this is/was great for both of them and it is what they want to do.

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Permalink Reply by bonnie on October 29, 2009 at 12:40am

laura,
congratulations for raising independent young men.

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