Parental Support...

Just thought i would share my own "coming out" of the military closet story ;)
My dad was an army brat and when i told him that i wanted to join the military he understood, and then promptly went and bought me a bunch of military-themed books in which everyone dies... but hey he's my dad. My mom on the other hand cried for a whole day and called in her super liberal hippie sister to come take me to her house for a week for some re-education with auntie... it sucked. Then my mom got into a huge fight with my boyfriend's former marine dad and she cried for another two days. but although she was super apposed to it in the beginning she has come around in light of the recent violence in the koreas. we live in shanghai and it was a very near miss. (many of my classmates evacuated as soon as the tension started) ... while i dont suggest that one should provoke an unstable dictator inorder to sway your parents opinions, it was very beneficial for my whole family to see what very real threats are out there. as much as anyone hates war it is a part of the human experience and as long as there are people there will need to be a military to protect them.
To your own personal situation, if you give it time im sure your parents will come to understand your desire to serve.

elds
 
It is not unusual for a prospect to encounter parental resistance upon revealing an interest in "going military". Lots of parents already are dreading the loss of a youngster to college, etc, and that is only exacerbated by the military taint. Do your best to introduce your parents to the academy by visiting the website, taking them to a congressional service academy event, college fair, or OPINFO event where they can get a live presentation on the academy (ies) and ask questions re their concerns. Go to the academy at a convenient opportunity and take your parents so they can see the grounds and the midshipmen and cadets. Contact a Blue and Gold Officer and ask for a meeting with you and your parents. It will be a big boost to you to have your parents' support as a midshipman or cadet, so give it an honest effort. Best wishes.
 
1964BGO said:
... Contact a Blue and Gold Officer and ask for a meeting with you and your parents. It will be a big boost to you to have your parents' support as a midshipman or cadet, so give it an honest effort. Best wishes.
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I've no desire to quibble nor contradict information offered from a BGO, but let me offer a very different perspective.

One BGO I've spoken to indicated he requires parents to participate in interviews, at least in part. And especially moms. His objective is to assess parental support for what their child is pursuing, recognizing the extreme importance of this variable in most Mid's successful completion.
 
Whistle Pig said:
One BGO I've spoken to indicated he requires parents to participate in interviews, at least in part. And especially moms. His objective is to assess parental support for what their child is pursuing, recognizing the extreme importance of this variable in most Mid's successful completion.
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Actually the CGO recommends that parents be available for the interview for this very reason. However, the primary reason for this is to ascertain whether the parents are attempting to place too much influence on the candidate attending, not the opposite.

With that said, BGOs should be factual. They only have an hour or so. Their purpose being there is not to appease mom. They are not psychologists. They do not know the history. I think it is asking too much to think that the BGO should be able to influence an opposition.

However, definitely let your BGO know of your parent's concerns. While undue influence could reflect negatively on the evaluation, concerns would, at least for me, be no worse than a neutral and may even be a positive. At least there is no question that the candidate is pursuing the military becasue he himself wants to, not his parents.
 
Good information.

And now OP and others are in better position to determine his action, knowing both sides of this one.
 
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