Plebe parents....time is short!

[Maui1]

Hi everyone,

As a mom, and I know there are 1200 parents out there feeling like me, I am (more than ever) really feeling time slip away rapidly. I-day is just around the corner and our babes are gone. Keep thinking about all the mothers and fathers before us that have had to go through this tough period. Heavy sigh! Thinking about you all.....

 

[peskemom]

Maui...to use an oft-quoted and way overused phrase: "we share your pain!"
One thing I can say that will only add MORE to process is that these poignant moments just keep coming!! It's part of being a mother, I've come to realize.

It did NOT make it one iota easier for me to say goodbye to my mid 3 years ago...even if I'd put a child away from home straight from high school into college 4 times previously!!

The fact is - we moms are wired to hold our children within our hearts.When my husband and I were newlyweds, everytime we visited his mother, ( we lived in CA and she all her life in MN) she would cry as we left. I thought it was quaint and odd. Now, in the proverbial expression: "I AM ONE!" I now understand what those tears from my mother-in-law were: tears of joy and pain, of rememberance and loss, of acceptance and hope....which happen every single time you hug your grown child goodbye.

Putting my 17 year old girl on a plane 3 days before I-Day, 2006
Waiting in the airport to pick her up Christmas week 2006
Cleaning up her bedroom everytime she comes and goes
Packing for storage childhood mementos
Hugs in T-court at Plebe Parent Weekend

each of these moments are baptized in my tears...

and the times just keep rolling through the milestones of Youngster and Second Class Year....

I cried alot while she was overseas this past semester....many times just because I would realize the enormous distances that separated us and the fact that the few times she called me she asked for a long-distance hug....

So Maui-mom....hang in there and keep posting. Get involved in your local USNA parent-stuff. They will be a huge help to you. And let your tears fall from your face with an acceptance that they come as a mark of mother's-honor.

I have found that volunteering on my local military base has been the best thing I've ever done! Serving those families who bear the full burden of a military life/separations/struggles/sadness/disappointments has kept things in true perspective for me and my mother's heart. THOSE young families bear so much more of our nation's call to service that it helps me not feel sorry for myself.

welcome to the family!!

 

[Maui1]

Peskemom,

Thanks so much for the wonderful post and the welcome.

 

[GoNavyMom]

Time is Short

Exactly three weeks from this moment in time our children will be inducted into the US Naval Academy. In our family, we still have prom, graduation and a going away party before heading to Annapolis and I plan to treasure every moment of it.

My daughter has warned me that she is bringing lots of CDs for the drive and wants to listen to all them because it will be the last time she is able too for a long time.

These kids are sacrificing so much of what we take for granted. I give each and everyone of them (and their parents) credit and heartfelt acknowledgement for the path they are walking.

God Bless the Class of 2013!!

 

[xchefmike]

Yeah But think of all the cool friends you will make

Diane is one of the best! You will make some great friend Mom's/Dad's that will really be able to help you get through the separation anxiety. I have met many and we seem to be able to spot eachother at a crowded Mall. The Facebook page for USNA parents is cool too.

 

[2012mom?]

Another great post, Peskemom!

One of the things that has helped me through this first year has been keeping front and center in my mind that my daughter is doing what she struggled for over two years to attain, the right to be a USNA MIDN. The fact that she is highly satisfied with her career choice (not always happy, at least not before being a "Plebe-no-more" ) makes it so much easier for me to accept our being separated.

I have also been fortunate to "meet" a number of other USNA parents online, and I have made some great friends in our local USNA parents club. It's so nice to share stories (and sometimes, frustrations) with others who have faced the same situations. Everyone has been so willing to provide moral support, it really does feel like joining a new family.

So, Class of 2013 parents and appointees, welcome to the family!

 

[kamajama]

Awww. Thanks. I am hoping to meet some of you back there real soon. I am sure we will be able to spot the families who are in town to drop off their plebes.

 

[AF6872]

Good Luck To All. The ride is about to begin. Parent's Clubs are not a family. We are a below the radar Cult not yet recognised as such by Homeland Security or the FBI.