If I have come across as harsh and condescending, I wish to offer my heartfelt apologies. I don't find it amusing to belittle your concerns. I remember having them as the mom of a plebe. I wanted to understand what she was going through and connect with her, to help her through it. She would call and vent and I took the concerns seriously only to ask her about the situation the next time I talked to her and have her tell me that it was nothing. She had only been venting and that allowed her to let it go. But being on the outside, I didn't see that. She finally told me point blank to just let it go because I could never understand what it was like. My role is to let her vent. All of that complaining is venting. Then they can move on and deal with whatever is next. It was a hard thing for me to learn to do. I now commiserate and listen and leave it at that. It saves me a great deal of stress and many new gray hairs. 
Understand that well-meaning parents can cause unforeseen consequences on campus. At one point, we had been trying unsuccessfully for months to get the billing address corrected. After multiple attempts through the appropriate offices, my husband, a good Army officer, did what was for him the next logical thing - he moved up the chain of command. The address was fixed. But DD also got an unexpected audience with the Superintendent. We needed to do what we did. But we learned to warn DD before making any contact with KP admin. There are times when parents do have to act. But think carefully before you react. We don't understand all of the circumstances. Our kids don't have the full picture.
I sincerely hope that for most of you the biggest concern remains issuing of cold weather gear. Our experience has been that that concern wouldn't even be noticed as a speed bump on the roller coaster in hindsight. Best of luck to all of you and your mids. I hope you are able to find the support and answers you need on the Facebook page. For me, while the tone of some of those "old-timers" (and possibly myself) may seem a bit harsh at times, there is a lot wisdom in what they have to say, whether it's what I want to hear or not.
Understand that well-meaning parents can cause unforeseen consequences on campus. At one point, we had been trying unsuccessfully for months to get the billing address corrected. After multiple attempts through the appropriate offices, my husband, a good Army officer, did what was for him the next logical thing - he moved up the chain of command. The address was fixed. But DD also got an unexpected audience with the Superintendent. We needed to do what we did. But we learned to warn DD before making any contact with KP admin. There are times when parents do have to act. But think carefully before you react. We don't understand all of the circumstances. Our kids don't have the full picture.
I sincerely hope that for most of you the biggest concern remains issuing of cold weather gear. Our experience has been that that concern wouldn't even be noticed as a speed bump on the roller coaster in hindsight. Best of luck to all of you and your mids. I hope you are able to find the support and answers you need on the Facebook page. For me, while the tone of some of those "old-timers" (and possibly myself) may seem a bit harsh at times, there is a lot wisdom in what they have to say, whether it's what I want to hear or not.
