A move to Colorado Springs

FalconDad2026 said:
spend time with your own friends (and make new ones), spend time with your similar aged family and elderly parents, spend time doing your own hobbies (and explore new ones).
Click to expand...
^^^This^^^

Good advice to any parent.

P.S. DS is @ Ft. Carson. CS is beautiful. Would be a great place to retire.
 
My immediate reaction to the OP’s question for myself and my DS was that he would be horrified 😂. And not because he wouldn’t enjoy the benefits of not having to travel far for breaks, but because he would be like “bro, cut the cord.” He would be weirded out if we moved solely to be closer to him. That being said, he is at USMA, we are in Illinois, and our conversations are 10 times better than when he lived in my house. It would be different if the parents were already considering a move, and if the understanding was such that there were no expectations to visit more than the regular holidays. I’m so proud of the things that DS is taking care of on his own. That all being said, I do get a twinge of jealousy when, on the WP parents page, local parents post about an impromptu meetup for dinner on a Tuesday night, or dropping of a treat for their cadets and company mates. But in general, I think we have it pretty good. DS chooses to come home on breaks, and it’s definitely quality time vs quantity.
 
Only you know your family. We had two kids who went to a local university (25 minutes away), and we rarely had visits or phone calls. Being close made it not urgent. We see and hear from the kid that is far away at USAFA, more than we did the local ones. Being far away, we make seeing or hearing from each other more of a priority. It's not as urgent when they are a quick car ride away because it is always possible. We generally visit COS twice a year, Parents Weekend, and one other time. That seems to be a good balance for our family.

However, I do hear that COS parents are able to go to sports games so if your cadet plays a sport, that's a really fun possibility too. All families have different dynamics and cultures. For some, being able to get together more often is the norm. If I had a work-from-home job and a cadet in a D1 sport, would I have moved to COS for a few years? Maybe that could be an adventure. But I wouldn't expect the cadet to come home twice a month. Our experience as I have said before, we never really saw our local students because they were busy being college students with their own friends. And remember, USAFA students are even more busy than regular students.
 
Osprey123 said:
Only you know your family. We had two kids who went to a local university (25 minutes away), and we rarely had visits or phone calls. Being close made it not urgent. We see and hear from the kid that is far away at USAFA, more than we did the local ones. Being far away, we make seeing or hearing from each other more of a priority. It's not as urgent when they are a quick car ride away because it is always possible. We generally visit COS twice a year, Parents Weekend, and one other time. That seems to be a good balance for our family.

However, I do hear that COS parents are able to go to sports games so if your cadet plays a sport, that's a really fun possibility too. All families have different dynamics and cultures. For some, being able to get together more often is the norm. If I had a work-from-home job and a cadet in a D1 sport, would I have moved to COS for a few years? Maybe that could be an adventure. But I wouldn't expect the cadet to come home twice a month. Our experience as I have said before, we never really saw our local students because they were busy being college students with their own friends. And remember, USAFA students are even more busy than regular students.
Click to expand...
I talk to my USAFA cadet on the phone more now than I did when he was living in our house. We have always been really close, but because I was always around, that urgency wasn’t there. Now I don’t know anything about his life unless he calls me so he does. I am really enjoying this time in our relationship. He even called me last night when I was home all by myself and invited me to play a board game online. We played for about an hour and then off he went to hang out with his friends.

I always joke with DH that he didn’t really get the full SA experience when he was at West Point. His dad was stationed there so his parents lived on base. He could “go for a run” as a plebe and make a quick stop at home. It really changed his experience and caused him not to lean on his classmates. As a result, he barely knows his companymates from his first 2 years. Once his parents moved off base, he had to rely on his teammates and friends more. So different from my experience at USAFA. I was several states away from my parents and we could only call once a week Doolie year. I’m so glad they weren’t closer. Not only did it help me figure things out faster, it prepared me for life in the military moving every 3 years.
 
Many parents cannot wait to ship their kids off to college or USAFA or USMA or wherever they will go to college. Many families, have a horrible relationship with their children. Not my case fortunately. Whoever is giving you advice is not on your shoes and does not know your family situation. If you can move to Co. Springs, why not? It is a beautiful place and so many things to do. Now, if you are moving there to make your horrible relationship with your child better, I do not recommend it. I see many cadets not calling or texting their parents even once a week. They do not even go back home to visit their family. That tells you the kind of relationship that they had long before going to USAFA. To each, their own. Good luck with your decision!
 
I'll take a stab from a cadet. I personally wouldn't mind either way. I grew up in a one parent house hold but military brat ( for anyone confused yes I had two military parents doesn't mean one stayed around). For their sake I wouldn't mind them moving closer. I would have access to a car, if my sibling comes here it'll be easier on travel etc. Yet I would still go to my sponsors. I'm very lucky and blessed to have sponsors who were graduates. They get it. If I want to go down stairs sleep, work, and eat food then they don't take offense. I love spending time with them but especially freshman year I was tired. I'm lucky to have a military parent who could kinda understand yet it's just not the same. I heard all the time from my civilian roommate's parents about how she should just try harder, how she wasn't using her "free" time effectively and that's why she got only an A-. I hear that a lot from parents and it really doesn't help if they are closer constantly nagging "why don't you come over. Why don't you do this" blah blah. Not saying your relationship is like that but cadets don't want to come home to chores after a lovely sliver Saturday only to go back to a ktest the next day. I do chores around my sponsors house but both they and my family understand I may only have a few hours to decompress till I'm back at school. Something to keep in mind, it maybe easier for you to move but is it easier for them?
 
Ive got a kick out of reading the replies here. I won’t lie, my wife and I would love to get a place out there. It’s beautiful! Your post can come off cringe-worthy, but I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. If you have a job that lets you work anywhere you want AND you aren’t going to hand-hold your cadet, then I say, why not?! Medium cost of living, great outdoor activities, skiing in the winter with an epic pass. I’m bullish on any real estate you’d buy out there being a decent investment. Only you know your family dynamics…would your cadet use you as a crutch and spend too much time with you and not their peers? Or would you offer a sanctuary for your cadet to de-stress and get a nice meal/emotional support? Could go either way, I guess. Please get a big enough place that we could crash at if our son gets in next year, please!
 
I think it depends on your own situation and reasons for moving. Would you have done it if your cadet went to a civilian college? What if they went abroad? Are you worried they might not have the comforts of home? There are sponsor families for that. Are you wanting to be close to them for fear you'll miss them? What if your cadet gets so involved with activities that they don't have time to go home? What if they don't want to go home? What will you do when they graduate, relocate, and/or deploy?
 
What’s better than your parents moving out to CS while at USAFA? Your girlfriend! Well that’s what my DS girlfriend did. She studying nursing at a college out there. Can’t tell you how much of a blessing it is. Allows him to escape and refresh pretty much every weekend. They plan on getting married immediately after graduation.
 
Your cadet may NOT have two weekend passes a month. When my cadet was a doolie, there were months that went by that they were not allowed past the black iron gates. It is squadron and sometimes class dependent.
 
TLR2025 said:
Your cadet may NOT have two weekend passes a month. When my cadet was a doolie, there were months that went by that they were not allowed past the black iron gates. It is squadron and sometimes class dependent.
Click to expand...
Also probation dependent.
 
TLR2025 said:
Yep. I thought that was implied. lol I didn't want to point out my doolie's class was "bad". lol
Click to expand...
LOL. My class was considered "bad" by certain permanent party back in the day. Thankfully our football team was really good so it balanced out the punishments. We were and still are deemed amazing in our own minds.

I was also thinking more about individual probations like acpro and recondo. Pretty easy to get on those doolie year. Ds hasn't struggled in either, but did tell me that it was "so hard" to get to the gym from Sijan Tower doolie year.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top