A Message to New Parents

mb1395

mb1395

5-Year Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2014
Messages
102
I-day has come and gone, and you've dropped off your special boys and girls for the first step in their journey. Watching you all today, I recognized the fear of the unknown my parents must have felt in your shoes. Be proud of your kids. They have done a lot of work to be exactly where they are. Be proud of yourselves as well. You did what you needed to ensure they could succeed. The morals, habits, and values you taught them will pay off here. Relax! As parents, you've done well.

Your sons and daughters had to leave home eventually. Their counterparts at this age are going places where they are free to do as they wish, with very little guidance or defined purpose. By contrast, your kids are in capable hands. Everyone on summer detail has a vested interest in teaching and mentoring them because they are training their future coworkers. When ships and aircraft start shooting, your sons and daughters will be coming to their rescue. There's a sense of importance surrounding this transition.

Take a breath and enjoy the peace. Every single one of your sons and daughters signed up for this. They knew what they were getting into. You may or may not understand, but be proud anyway. They aren't going to war. They're learning fundamentals that will serve them for the rest of their lives.

Send care packages. They help, a lot.
 
mb1395 said:
Send care packages. They help, a lot.
Click to expand...
Detailers were seen today at the post office, two for each company, with commercial size flatbed cart to haul away care packages. It has been less than 24 hours since swearing-in!:eek:
 
Wow, I guess parents thought their kids would need comfort snacks on day two. Although in fairness, I dropped several "Any Plebe" packages at the Chaplain's office last Friday while picking up DD from Block 1. No sense paying for shipping when I was going to be there.

I watched the live feed of the swearing in and it was awesome the second time ar0und. Good luck Class of 22'.
 
mb1395 said:
I-day has come and gone, and you've dropped off your special boys and girls for the first step in their journey. Watching you all today, I recognized the fear of the unknown my parents must have felt in your shoes. Be proud of your kids. They have done a lot of work to be exactly where they are. Be proud of yourselves as well. You did what you needed to ensure they could succeed. The morals, habits, and values you taught them will pay off here. Relax! As parents, you've done well.

Your sons and daughters had to leave home eventually. Their counterparts at this age are going places where they are free to do as they wish, with very little guidance or defined purpose. By contrast, your kids are in capable hands. Everyone on summer detail has a vested interest in teaching and mentoring them because they are training their future coworkers. When ships and aircraft start shooting, your sons and daughters will be coming to their rescue. There's a sense of importance surrounding this transition.

Take a breath and enjoy the peace. Every single one of your sons and daughters signed up for this. They knew what they were getting into. You may or may not understand, but be proud anyway. They aren't going to war. They're learning fundamentals that will serve them for the rest of their lives.

Send care packages. They help, a lot.
Click to expand...

Thank you for this note. My husband and I saw our Plebe off on I-day. USNA does put on a great show I must say.

When we met our son briefly after the oath, he still had a smile, though he was overwhelmed. He said he got yelled at already, but he wasn't alone. We met several families that were there for their second (or third) child, which is phenomenal and reflects an impressive commitment to service. Our plebe is our youngest son, and he is the first in our entire family to go to a military academy. So, this is a little unsettling for us, and I (as a mother) am definitely worried about how he is doing. We keep hearing that they are in good hands ... and that we should "trust the process".

I will try, but time is moving very slowly in this empty house for now.
 
Been there, done that...they are required to send you a letter the first week. Do not be surprised if it says..."I have to send this or else..." The call may be better. Your job is to be positive about everything. If they lament, you be up. Don't feed any negativity. I saw lots of post from parents that wanted to revel in their misery. This does not help your plebe. Be positive and encouraging. They can do this but some need an extra push from loved ones. Go Navy, Beat Army.
 
Remember that one size does not fit all. Some parents are totally cool with I Day and Plebe Summer. Others are a total wreck. Many fall in between. As I often say, your experience in the right experience.

Here's a blog post on how we helped our Plebe (and ourselves) survive Plebe Summer. Maybe it will help some.

A reminder: USNA has been doing this for many years. Tens of thousands of Plebes (and their families) have survived. Hang in there!
 
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