I-Day: Alone or with Family?

A

AFDAD2010

10-Year Member
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This has been touched on in other threads in CC but I would be curiousabout the following: For 2010 AFA class to be, will you be going alone or with family on I-day? Was your family content to let you choose?
 
I'd recommend having family there. I-Day is a big deal, and it sucks to be alone there.

I dunno. I can't think of my parents NOT having been there that day.

My .223....
 
Agreed...from the parental perspective...I wouldn't have missed it for the world...my son liked having us there even though the "women-folk" kind of lost it at the end when we had to say goodbye.
Good luck to you and def. bring the 'rents.
 
I agree that, if it's financially feasible, it's worth doing. However, it you have to choose between I-Day and Parents' Weekend (I assume USAFA has those), definitely be there for the latter.

A lot of kids will attend I-Day alone. My USNA roommate did it. It's a bit lonely when everyone greets his/her relatives at the end of the day, but other than that there isn't much difference in the day. I wonder if, today, they allow those w/o families present to make a cell call home during the time for family visitation?
 
I'll be there alone. It was a hard choice. It would have been difficult to work in I-day and Parents Weekend. Plus, I wanted some time to think without my mother crying all the time. That said, I will be very happy at Parents Weekend.
 
I'm going with my parents. I wanted to go alone but alas, I did not get the chioce. I want to be as unemotional as possible that morning because I think it would make it just a little bit easier. My mom will be crying and that's why I did not want my parents there, but they are coming along regardless.
 
I like how ya'll are bringing the Moms into this. We're a bunch of crying wussies huh? Don't you hurt Jamzmom's feelings. I'll have to go on a chocolate binge again. Let me tell you a little bit of it from a Mom's perspective. There is a reason for the crying. This isn't all about you. Dropping you off and being there is the last thing we can do in letting you go and it hits us like a ton of bricks. We will have you no more. You will now be young men & women of the military. So its kinda our last oorah & your beginning. We don't mean to put more stress on you, trust me. It's just that through a parent's eyes, we still see a 10 year old boy/girl with a scraped knee who is not going to be in his/her room that night. Not a soldier or sailor going off to serve their country. You can't imagine our pride in you. You are going to do harder things than we ever thought possible. You're going to hurt, struggle, and question yourself. We feel that pain. This is why we cry so much.... We're sorry. We try not to. There will be many crying parents at parent's week-end as well. Again, its not all about you. Parents will see you in this new light. As an adult, going to do big things in the world. They will see a different kid from your time in Indoc, Beast or Basics, ect. Again, the pride is overwhelming that we'd raised such fine young people. Just bear with us a little. Its a hard time so just hug your Mom a little extra right now. She needs it BAD. When you go in, don't leave regrets. Now, why do ya'll never bring up Dads. They are just as bad. :confused:
 
Jeez, Mom. Thanks for making me have to think about that for the next 13 years. :frown:
 
texas_falcon said:
I want to be as unemotional as possible that morning because I think it would make it just a little bit easier.
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I'm sorry, but are you applying to Starfleet Academy as a Vulcan? :confused:

Just be yourself, because you won't have much time to be afterwards.

My mom will be crying and that's why I did not want my parents there, but they are coming along regardless.
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She'll have tears in her eyes, out of pride as well as what Mom mentioned.

But she'll CRY after you've entered the barracks (or whatever the Zoomies call it) and she and your dad walk home alone.

Oh, and she won't be alone.

Let them go, and be glad they're there. Later in life, you'll understand why. Trust me.
 
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When I said I wanted to be as unemotional as possible, I meant I didn't want to be the blubbering buffoon sitting in the fetal position on the floor in a corner sucking my thumb.:wink:

It just fits my personality more to say my goodbyes at the airport and get the last hugs and kisses there and then have the time to clear my mind and "get over it" so to speak. That's just me though.
 
texas_falcon said:
When I said I wanted to be as unemotional as possible, I meant I didn't want to be the blubbering buffoon sitting in the fetal position on the floor in a corner sucking my thumb.:wink:
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You won't be. You're better than that, and you know it. Suckers and wimps generally don't get into USxA unless they are uber geeks. You'll be fine.

It just fits my personality more to say my goodbyes at the airport and get the last hugs and kisses there and then have the time to clear my mind and "get over it" so to speak. That's just me though.
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Well, there's more here than just you. Your parents have brought you to where you are now. They have a right to see you off into adulthood, especially with you entering USAFA. Don't make them feel bad for being there.

Besides, you can't "prepare" for Plebe Summer (or whatever you guys call it). You show up, and away you go. :wink:
 
I didn't mean to be such a dragger-downer. Just a few more thoughts tho:
Steps to prepare your Mom's for your departure:
#1 replace her coffee with decaf when she isn't looking
#2 set bowls of M&Ms in the bathroom so she can lock herself in & have a good cry with some friends
#3 Still throw your clothes in the bedroom floor. As much as she gripes at you about it, its one of the things she loves to yell at you about & if she's mad at you, she can't cry more
#4 HUG. Even if your not a hugger, just hug. She'll go lock herself in the bathroom again & leave you alone awhile.
#5 If she asked you if you have everything on the list and is it packed yet, just say "yes mom". Don't rant that she's asked you 100 times. That'll leave her crying in your room where you don't want her.
#6 Go buy a rose or a pretty bracelet and give it to her the night before you leave. She will have something to focus on and will probably sleep with it in her room & not with you.

Easy cheesey stuff to do. These things work.
 
I will be the only one accompanying our son on I-day. Dad will be working and cannot take off for both I-day and Parents Weekend, so he chose to wait until Parents Weekend to come to USAFA.

Our son "said" he didn't want us to come to I-day, but I can tell he's glad I'm going. Mom's can tell these type of things:wink:

Dad wants me to take the camcorder and capture as much as possible of this day I don't want to embarrass him or make him stand out in the eyes of the cadre, but I do want record as much as possible of his departure. (He doesn't know I'm bringing the camcorder yet... )
 
LOL!

"...replace her coffee with decaf when she isn't looking"

Love that entire post Jamzmom..
 
I'm going alone. For me, I can get pretty emotional, so I think having a crying mother won't help me. ;) I figure it will be a good chance to buddy up with others in the same situation. I have my B&B plans, I will be with two other appointees then, so we can all hang around. Or, I can find people I met at orientation, from the CC and SA forums, or people that live around me.

Depends on the person as well. I'm extremely independent (in the spirit of being self-sufficient and only going to my parents once I have exhausted my abilities). When I say this, I don't mean anyone having a parent along isn't independent or can't be off by themselves. I say that in the sense that I have the sense my parents are right there anyways. I'm sure most everyone here, parents or appointee or alum or cadet can agree that their family connection is solid and support is unwavering. I'm having trouble verbalizing what I mean, but I have that invisible connection of having them by me the entire time.
 
hornetguy, I think you said it perfectly well. The kids that go in by themselves are totally fine and parents should not worry about that part. There is truly no right or wrong way to do this. And sometimes circumstances don't allow for parents to go. Its all good. I'd say most of the incoming class to SA's has said to their parents that they didn't want them to go at one time or another during this process. And you're right in that you will meet up with guys/gals to hang out with. Ya'll can sit around and be freaked out together. :)

Looking back, I found the going in was the easy part. Staying is the hard part. Indoc, beast, ect. are hard but my kid said its the easiest thing he's done since he got there. But I did not know that at the time. Physics I & II all in one year was pretty much a killjoy. :stretcher: I'm glad he's still alive. He's officially done for his first year this morning with his last exam. Now to await the grades. Wonder if its too early to start drinking....

MarathonMom, record away! You'll be one of many many many with camcorders &/or cameras that day so no worries about drawing attention. And you & hubby can cherish the video you take! Hope you get good stuff!
 
Just another observation...

The goodbyes on I-Day are easy compared to those after Parent's Weekend.

As such, if you're going alone so as not to be emotional, you'll need to rethink the reason, IMO.

Just my .223....
 
Parent Info Briefing on I-Day

I recieved a letter yesterday from AFA discussing I-Day. It stated that there will be a Parent breifing on BCT at 13:00 in Clune Arena. I be there with the tissues (for the other parents) and sunglasses.:cool:
 
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I wouldn't have missed my son's I-Day for the world but only for the sea story that resulted. He was going to drive up with his girlfriend because he knew I would want to get there a lot earlier than he would. Well, sure enough I showed up about an hour and a half before mandatory reporting time, which I think was 10:00. The Commandant was a classmate so we were just hanging around shooting the breeze. Additionally, both the outgoing and incoming Directors of Admission were company classmates. They too showed up and were waiting so they could say hi to my son when he arrived. Well, about 9:45 they all started getting nervous, since about 99.9% of the class had already checked in. One of them, I can't remember which, was absolutely positive that any on-the-ball- son -of- a- class- of- '69 candidate would have already checked in unless something was drastically wrong so the Commandant was dispatched to go look for him. After checking at the check-in desks he came back to report what I already knew, that he hadn't checked in yet. Well, about 9:59, he comes screaming in, parks in a restricted parking place, jumps out, and starts to say "hi" to all of us but is greeted by a collective eleven gold stripes saying, "where the hell have you been". If I remember correctly, he got a personal escort from the Commandant to check in which began his four years of unsuccessfully trying to fade into the woodwork and stay low key. The Deputy Commandant was also a friend and the succeeding Commandant was a fellow H-46 driver, so for the four years he was there he had way more than his share of impromptu room visits.
 
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I am bringing up this old thread to use for the class of 2011. I would like more opinions, especially from the 2010 cadets who went it alone. Our son wants to go alone, and we are undecided. We are going for Parents Weekend, and my wife will be going with him to orientation April 8-9. Airfare isn't cheap, and we won't go if there isn't a good reason. I think son will be fine alone (he went to Europe for 3 weeks a couple years ago and only called home once). I would like some input from those who have been there. Would you have liked your parents to be there on I-Day?
 
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