Advice needed

DS has been accepted and we are trying to anticipate what we need to do before we ship him off. We know we will get many instructions, but does anyone have advice on how crazy May or June get to be?

Also, since he has been going non stop for over a year in pursuit of an appointment, we thought we take him on a final, hopefully relaxing vacation in early June since it will be the final calm before the storm. Any advice on if that is a good idea? Thinking about a week at the beach where he can totally relax, except for his physical training to stay in shape. It is all very exciting, but nerve wracking. All advice is appreciated.

Congratulations!!! My experience was that after finals and prom and graduation, there are grad. parties - not just his own, but his friends as well, that your son may want to attend. I'd ask him his preference. We left for a short family vacation before R-Day so that we could build in a few days of relaxation.

Relax at the beach. He probably will not. Run in the water as one mile is probably equal to ten. Best of luck.

I agree ask him what he wants to do, because I am sure if you say this is our plan he is going to say great and smile . However, inside he might be saying great my last week of freedom and hanging with friends is now gone.

Some families make a vacation by going to the SA earlier and visiting the sites in that area. I don't know where he is going, but for example from Annapolis you could spend a day in Baltimore, a day in DC, a day at the beach.

It basically allows him that down time, right before he must report, but after all of the graduation parties have happened.

For sure allow him down time and time to do what HE wants to do. My DS turned off all the air conditioning, removed the window shades in his room, workout a few times a day in the heat, and seriously hydrated himself starting 3 weeks before R-day. It was his way to mentally and physically prepare himself.

Lakeland11: That was dedicated. Next buy some MRE and eat them for a month. Seriously, we went down a couple of days early before I Day. Hung around and just killed time. DD had been working out over the summer but getting acclimated to Annapolis weather was worth it. Still tough the first day and a few days thereafter. WP is not so much the humidity that kills you as AF is the altitude.

Find out what he wants to do

I agree with others. Find out what he wants to do... and he probably doesn't even know right now. If there is one thing I learned, spending time hanging with his friends is always very very important to my son. Spending time with Mom and Dad? Not so much. He fits us in for a few minutes at dinner, when he's home for dinner. I can usually catch him in the wee hours of the AM when he comes home but before he goes to bed. This was true especially towards the end of his high school years. we rank a very tiny bit higher now... he lingers at dinner long enough for dessert.

Your's probably hasn't even thought through what's going to be happening around graduation and doesn't realize how much he will miss his friends and that he will not see many of them for a very long time, if ever. And even if he's thought about it, I'm sure it hasn't really hit him yet.

We asked our DD....and she wanted her upcoming Spring Break to be the last hurrah with family, so we're beach bound to a top resort where she/we can celebrate her achievement. That gives her the final 2 1/2 months to get herself psyched. When we asked her about showing up a couple days before I-Day....no thanks. She reminded us she'll be there long enough and doesn't need extra time.

Our son was determined that he wanted to go on a family cruise right before I-day. We went the second week in June and he left for USAFA a week after we got back. He didn't seem to miss out on anything because of it. It is definitely up to each individual what they want to do.

Stealth_81

We are heading to USNA the weekend before so that our son can get a bit acclimated to the humidity. We live in Northern California so the weather is definitely different! We are letting him decide where he would like to go when we get there. Couple of days in Philly or Williamsburg are being tossed around but he says it's all about what there is to eat. Guess that's his way of preparing.

I Day

Hi
We are going to Colorado Springs a week early to let our DS get used to the altitude as he runs each day in preparation for BCT.
Regards
John

Hazqueen,

FYI, Williamsburg is not around the corner from USNA, it would be about a 6 hr car ride, and depending on the day of the week and hour it could be 8-9 hrs....Friday, Sat. or Sunday is not optimal to drive that direction because people are going to their beach week rentals. No joke...95 South bound can be a parking lot by 2 p.m. until 8/9 pm on a Friday. By 9 am Sat it is repeating the same thing. Sunday too, plus it is that way coming back northbound on Sat and Sun evening.

If you go to Philly make sure you go to South Street, and as far as food you will have to try Jim's, Genos and Pat's cheese steaks. Everyone has their favorite, and to some it is fighting words if you chose one over another.

Other food items that you need to try in Philly are:

Tastekakes, I believe they are still only an east coast product. Butterscotch Krimpets are what they are famous for, but I prefer the tandykakes though.

Road Pretzels...They sell them on corners of the street, you don't even need to get out of your car at the red light. They are big, cold soft pretzels that are even shaped weird...oblong twists.

There is a small Chinatown section in Philly also. Same with DC they have one too.

Baltimore has the Inner Harbor, and of course they are famous for their blue crabs.

If you want a day at the beach there are a ton of them to go to, Ocean CIty, MD is very popular. Reheboth's Beach is in DE and if you are going to go to Philly you can easily through that into the mix.

Enjoy the trip.

Pima said:

Hazqueen,

FYI, Williamsburg is not around the corner from USNA, it would be about a 6 hr car ride, and depending on the day of the week and hour it could be 8-9 hrs....Friday, Sat. or Sunday is not optimal to drive that direction because people are going to their beach week rentals. No joke...95 South bound can be a parking lot by 2 p.m. until 8/9 pm on a Friday. By 9 am Sat it is repeating the same thing. Sunday too, plus it is that way coming back northbound on Sat and Sun evening.

Click to expand...

Williamsburg is actually around 3 hours (180-190 miles) but as Pima mentions, traffic in Maryland/VA is usually a nightmare.

Concur with letting him drive the train on what he would like to do. Will be the last time for months where he gets to decide anything!

Williamsburg is a great place and about a 3 hour ride. Traffic can be a nightmare. Avoid weekends. Annapolis itself is a great place for food. Washington DC always has tons to see and do. Old Town Alexandria has great character and food also. Philly only takes around 2-3 hours to get to/from Annapolis. The history stuff there and food are definite hits.

I was from the beach in California and the heat and humidity hit me like a wall. They know this and watch the plebes carfefully during the acclimation periods. This is true for any training environment in the Armed Forces. Whatever you decide just keep him hydrated and he will be fine.

Thanks for all the tips. We went to Williamsburg several years ago but it was in the spring so the traffic wasn't too bad but I can see in summer it's probably crazy. We hadn't considered the beach either so maybe we'll check that out and hit Philly. He made it through NASS and didn't have any problems but the week he was there was mild. Better to be prepared, at least as much as you can be for Plebe Summer!