NSI - support for parents

Mom_SZ said:
My DD leaves Thursday for NSI cycle 2 (we're west coast, so early morning flight). She's been going to gym for past few weeks, trying to be ready because she's a good swimmer but not so fast at running.

I think my DD will be fine, with experience at several Sea Cadet trainings, including a cross-country trip where she flew alone. I had to get comfortable with her being gone, which was a challenge as a single mom. But every time, she returned more confident and resilient.

We can trust that our kids were selected for their scholarships because they're smart and resourceful. They'll probably bond with other candidates very quickly as they rely on each other for teamwork. I believe our kids will be surrounded by people who want them to do well at NSI, beginning their journey to future years of service to our country.
(I'll have tissues ready for the graduation live-stream.)
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Hang in there. If your daughter is a Sea Cadet, then she should be fine at NSI. Probably harder for you since Sea Cadet trainings are only one week.

We were empty nesters last week with daughter at HOSA and son at Sea Cadet AT. Next month we have daughter at basketball camp and son at POLA, again the same week. I am curious if NSI posts pictures daily like Sea Cadets does for the training commands.
 
BJD16 said:
I am curious if NSI posts pictures daily like Sea Cadets does for the training commands.
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NSI 1 had some photos posted on NROTC FB and DVIDS websites, but they came sporadically and not a lot of photos. Something is better than nothing I guess.
 
If your kid is going to NSI this year, be prepared for DD/DS to come home sick. I think they all got sick during iteration 1. Took DD to ear nose throat doc yesterday … sore throat , laryngitis , bronchitis . Check for strep was negative. She didn’t have pink eye , but some other kids had it . In other words… THE CRUD.
 
Outofmyelement said:
If your kid is going to NSI this year, be prepared for DD/DS to come home sick. I think they all got sick during iteration 1. Took DD to ear nose throat doc yesterday … sore throat , laryngitis , bronchitis . Check for strep was negative. She didn’t have pink eye , but some other kids had it . In other words… THE CRUD.
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I wonder if it has anything to do with the air quality there right now. The Canadian wildfire smoke has caused very hazy conditions with air quality alerts.
 
JSmoeT2636 said:
I wonder if it has anything to do with the air quality there right now. The Canadian wildfire smoke has caused very hazy conditions with air quality alerts.
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I'm sure it doesn't help, but the Crud likely happens every year. Hundreds of people from all over the country brought together in a confined space for several weeks creates a perfect petri dish for virus' and bacteria to spread. All just part of the fun.
 
My son is there for session 2 now. Wildfire smoke is bad but we dealt with it a month ago (east coast) — and during lacrosse practice and games. 😂 He was fine then and it was way worse than it is there today. I’m sure they’ll all be alright.
 
JSmoeT2636 said:
I wonder if it has anything to do with the air quality there right now. The Canadian wildfire smoke has caused very hazy conditions with air quality alerts.
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Our DS developed sinusitis as well. My guess is 2.5 weeks with a little less than 4 hrs of sleep/night and a lot of stress did the trick. (he slept 'til 1300 hrs the day after coming home 😅). Sick bay hooked him up with OTC stuff and made it more tolerable. He had an absolute blast. Said it was the hardest thing he's ever done...but smiles about every aspect of it when he talks about it. I will say that he sure does move around the house at a quicker pace and with more purpose than a month ago 😉
 
NavyHopefulMom said:
Our son left early this morning for NSI phase 1. We're very excited for him and proud of him, but it's also a bit hard to let him go for nearly three weeks without any contact or sense of how things are going. I know that "no news is good news" but, oof, 18 days is a long time. I've talked to a few other parents who were struggling a bit so I thought I would start a thread so that we could support each other, and also perhaps hear from parents who have been through this already. I have a sense that this is training for parents as much as for our midshipmen since they're going to be away for much longer stretches of time when they serve. Letting go is never easy...
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No worries mom! Your son will have the best experience of his lifetime that he will share with his parents, family, friends, his children for the rest of his life.

NSI is meant to be a reset! To break you down and to build you up again to be ready for service in the Navy. NSI will help expel all the good bad ugly habits accumulated as a child. Now, as an adult, the Navy will help your son build his ways the Navy way.

It is 3 weeks that will seem eternal first 3 days. Then he will find a way to learn to teach and to work with others. He will learn Fidelity and Obedience. Two very important attributes he should take away at NSI. At the Naval Academy, they do two sets of NSI equivalent for 7 weeks. First set is like NSI.

My DD will be in NSI Cycle 3 on July 6 as a Detailer. She’s one of 2 attending as Detailers from UCLA NROTC.

GO NAVY!
 
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DD is currently at NSI 2.
I thought I saw an address to send a letter but can’t find it anywhere now. Does anyone have that info? Thx.
 
mcfamilyof4 said:
@PAmomNJnative
if you are interested in the parents private face book group let me know and i can provide the name
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I would be interested. I think I can get a private msg (I’m new here.). Also - we’re an east coast family w/DD heading to Tx for NROTC this August. (Sharing that info due to usernames)
 
Jabor3 said:
My son is there for session 2 now. Wildfire smoke is bad but we dealt with it a month ago (east coast) — and during lacrosse practice and games. 😂 He was fine then and it was way worse than it is there today. I’m sure they’ll all be alright.
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Same. We’ve had camp and sport experiences where everyone comes home sick. Probably goes hand in hand with the exhaustion of the program.
 
As a mom who went through this last summer, I can empathize! Great advice from Capt MJ. I would highly encourage you to connect with other NROTC parents at your child's school. Mine has a large unit, but it's nice to be able to share pictures with parents, etc. when we are on campus. We live close, so we're able to attend events. Especially if NROTC is new to you, there's a great MIDN parents group that helps understand the Navy way. A few veteran parents are admin and very helpful. It's also fun to see what other units and older students are doing.

If there are any TAMU parents, please reach out. I've already talked to a few '27 NROTC moms and they are forming a group chat. Our '26 chat has been a great way to connect.

Thank you for raising amazing humans who are willing and ready to serve!
 
MamaPajama said:
Same. We’ve had camp and sport experiences where everyone comes home sick. Probably goes hand in hand with the exhaustion of the program.
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NSI crud is no joke...most of our kids came home and coughed for weeks. Some with diagnosable sicknesses, some just sick.
 
CrewDad said:
No worries mom! Your son will have the best experience of his lifetime that he will share with his parents, family, friends, his children for the rest of his life.

NSI is meant to be a reset! To break you down and to build you up again to be ready for service in the Navy. NSI will help expel all the good bad ugly habits accumulated as a child. Now, as an adult, the Navy will help your son build his ways the Navy way.

It is 3 weeks that will seem eternal first 3 days. Then he will find a way to learn to teach and to work with others. He will learn Fidelity and Obedience. Two very important attributes he should take away at NSI. At the Naval Academy, they do two sets of NSI equivalent for 7 weeks. First set is like NSI.

My DD will be in NSI Cycle 3 on July 6 as a Detailer. She’s one of 2 attending as Detailers from UCLA NROTC.

GO NAVY!
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Thank you! He's home now. What an experience! He's more committed than ever to the Navy, but yes had a pretty bad cough for the first few days as others have said.
 
I would also be interested in the private parents group.

My son is currently attending NSI 2. Our family does not have a military background and we are really struggling with the whole process- the lack of ability to contact him, see him, even just text him- all of it. I have no doubt he will do great and he is very excited about his future. But from the parent perspective, it has been incredibly difficult to let go. It broke my heart to walk away from the drop off at Great Lakes. I feel like the next two weeks will be an eternity. I greatly appreciate all the positive and supportive messages on this forum.
 
carrie76 said:
I would also be interested in the private parents group.

My son is currently attending NSI 2. Our family does not have a military background and we are really struggling with the whole process- the lack of ability to contact him, see him, even just text him- all of it. I have no doubt he will do great and he is very excited about his future. But from the parent perspective, it has been incredibly difficult to let go. It broke my heart to walk away from the drop off at Great Lakes. I feel like the next two weeks will be an eternity. I greatly appreciate all the positive and supportive messages on this forum.
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Ours is at NSI 2 as well. The general parents page is on Facebook as NROTC MIDN PARENTS. His college also has a parents page.
 
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