1st time at the rodeo..panic rant

No1Fanof2

5-Year Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2015
Messages
263
So I am a parent of 2. Neither my husband or I have finished college. Past 5 years has been crazy in our house. This whole college process, adding in the layers of athlete, rotc, and service academy has me seriously stressed out. I often read the threads on here to find some relief. The kids plan C is pounding on the door. I think I need to give up coffee. :/ Rant over.
 
No1Fanof2 hang in there! Soon all this stress will be a blip in time and new stresses will take it's place. Just like we tell the kids, "thousands have made it through so shall you!"
 
Daughter had two great friends and roommates during High School. One went to Stanford and the other to University of Chicago. Their Parent's could not believe the procedure for admission to a SA. Hang in there. It will drive you crazy at times. Good Luck
 
1+ NavyHoops.
Wine is a great stress reliever. This is my first rodeo as well and I have already been bucked off the steer several times. I just pick myself up, dust myself off, jump back on and hang on for dear life. This time next year, this will all be over in one way or another and we will survive. Chin up! This cannot possibly be the hardest thing you have ever done in your life; as Yoda would say, "mmm piece of cake it is". :wiggle:
 
If SA then you get Service Selection! Open another bottle. Then you get graduation. Open another bottle. Then you get notice of CONUS or long overseas deployment. Open another bottle. Then get notice that son in law will be deployed for almost a year (I think they have seen each other for about twenty days during the last year). Open another bottle. Son in Law due back before Christmas. Open another bottle. Save the corks and you can make a great decoration under glass for your coffee table.
 
Daughter had two great friends and roommates during High School. One went to Stanford and the other to University of Chicago. Their Parent's could not believe the procedure for admission to a SA. Hang in there. It will drive you crazy at times. Good Luck
I 100% agree.

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
 
DS is a youngster--once in an entirely new set of stressors begins. Read it here often-"getting in is the easy part". Never realized how true that is. It's a heck of a roller coaster ride! Forget the coffee indulge in the wine! Best of luck!
 
Learn to live with stress!

Because assuming your child gets in (nom/apptment/3Qd), there's BCT, Academics, commitment, 100s night.... then on to the HUGE STRESS: pilot training (or other schooling).

Yowsers.

then they call you from some other continent and tell you they're getting married. :eek:
 
A few years ago I asked my parents what was the most stressful for them of all my school and service time. They said when I was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. They said it was a million times harder than the any school stuff or training. They said the minimal communication, seeing the news and knowing j was in harms way was very hard. I just give that little tid but to show that it is a different lifestyle and one that has its ups and downs. The stress never stops, it just changes. Hang in there to all those waiting. Good news... It's November! One month closer to mass mailings of BFEs!
 
A few years ago I asked my parents what was the most stressful for them of all my school and service time. They said when I was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. They said it was a million times harder than the any school stuff or training.

As a parent, I second this statement.

Stealth_81
 
My Mother was very stressed, which I didn't know when I was deployed SEA. Did not send them a letter for a couple of months. Some Sons are like that. Next thing I know there is a red cross officer (they are real but they look like a military officer with the uniform collar tabs and everything) . Mother had called them to contact me. I had also saluted one of these walking from the hooches to the NCO Club. I was so embarrassed. I have disliked them since my Grandfather died while I was stationed at Kessler. They told my Commander that I was not authorized leave since he was not a member of my immediate family. I have never donated to them since.
 
Invest in a winery or brewery now. You won't make a profit, but you will at lest not pay as much per drink ;)

My son's application process was stressful. Not just for all the bureaucratic hoops but for the emotional roller coaster ride that went with it.
BCT was brutal because there is no contact. Not knowing was hard, especially with all the information out there regarding injuries, illnesses (hand, foot and mouth was running rampant throughout BCT that year), etc.
Then comes doolie year which not only taught the kiddos to "embrace the suck" and the "struggle is real", it also taught the parents the same thing.
Now we are on C3C year. Which is definitely less stressful, but still filled with worries. (Anyone know how many times you have to tell a kid "the less I know, the more I worry? The less you contact me, the more I worry?" before they finally get the idea that just one phone call home a week is really a good thing and not beyond the realm of reasonable.)

This is the first year a winery investment would have broken even after all my quality reassurance sampling ;)
 
My Mother was very stressed, which I didn't know when I was deployed SEA. Did not send them a letter for a couple of months. Some Sons are like that. Next thing I know there is a red cross officer (they are real but they look like a military officer with the uniform collar tabs and everything) . Mother had called them to contact me. I had also saluted one of these walking from the hooches to the NCO Club. I was so embarrassed. I have disliked them since my Grandfather died while I was stationed at Kessler. They told my Commander that I was not authorized leave since he was not a member of my immediate family. I have never donated to them since.
When my brother was deployed to the middle east our family did not know he was there. We were told he was out in the field while in Germany. Mom had her 2nd stroke. So my brother made sure to not let her or any of us know.
 
Learn to live with stress!

Because assuming your child gets in (nom/apptment/3Qd), there's BCT, Academics, commitment, 100s night.... then on to the HUGE STRESS: pilot training (or other schooling).

Yowsers.

then they call you from some other continent and tell you they're getting married. :eek:
See now this doesn't bother me. My dad actually did this, so did my brother. I would have done it to if it were not for the PIL... I don't see my parents every year. It is more like every 3 years. I never met my dad's parents because dad was always stationed so far. I dont remember aunts uncles and gp on my moms side and never had a chance to go back and see them. I just get panicking over stupid stuff. Actually more irritated over stupid stuff and the caffeine just puts me right at the edge of popping my cork, because there is no reason for the stupid stuff to be a factor. LOL.. Unfortunately not a wine cork... when all the dust settles I hope to make things better for other kids at my DD's high school so they don't have the same hiccups as we did. If it wasn't for this site and the helpful information we would be lost.
 
My son was hospitalized after BCT, shortly after the academic year started if memory serves, and of course, as an adult, he had not signed for anyone to be notified should such a thing occur. That was irksome, but boy! did Mom and Dad grow up in a very big hurry. We truly realized that little Junior was a full-fledged adult, totally responsible for himself. Of course, we loved him (still do!), but the change was in US more than in him. WE had to do the growing up & letting go. For him, it was just a natural transition, for us, it was a total change in how we viewed out "boy."
 
:bang: <---This is her right now over some good news (at least I think it is good news)...safety school/in state choice accepted her. She might not have gotten rid of us just yet...
 
OK!

This reminds me of my daughter's dear friend who went to a VERY swanky boarding school, who had all 700+ on her SATs, school plays, choir, band, volleyball, blah blah blah...

Well, this young lady applies to all Ivy Leagues, and is turned down by every one (even though a full payer). She applies to a slew of 2nd tier (and other 1st tier colleges, too) and ONE local college with a good rep, good stats, but primarily a local college. When she finally got accepted (at first) to Local LAC, her comment to her parents was "Well, I am going to college. Somewhere." She wound up an Engineering student at MIT and loved it, but it was an EXTREMELY stress-filled time, especially for her parents who figured if they would foot the entire bill, their daughter was an "automatic."

Things are more complicated for kids applying to SAs.
 
OK!

This reminds me of my daughter's dear friend who went to a VERY swanky boarding school, who had all 700+ on her SATs, school plays, choir, band, volleyball, blah blah blah...

Well, this young lady applies to all Ivy Leagues, and is turned down by every one (even though a full payer). She applies to a slew of 2nd tier (and other 1st tier colleges, too) and ONE local college with a good rep, good stats, but primarily a local college. When she finally got accepted (at first) to Local LAC, her comment to her parents was "Well, I am going to college. Somewhere." She wound up an Engineering student at MIT and loved it, but it was an EXTREMELY stress-filled time, especially for her parents who figured if they would foot the entire bill, their daughter was an "automatic."

Things are more complicated for kids applying to SAs.
Yes it is. She threw a curve ball at us on her selection for SAs. I am happy for where ever she goes. As her class mates are getting their acceptance letters and scholarship packages our kids jump through many hoops and all we all can do is wait. I think all of our kids who choose this path are pretty exceptional. Some classmates are in the dark and think getting into a SAs or trying to get a ROTC scholarship is easy. I had a good laugh over the thread about your kid goes where...:)

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
 
Back
Top