Parents on A Day

Yes! BUT.........it's short and sweet. Just enough time to eat and catch up. Most families bring food from outside the academy and do a picnic of some sort. We pushed our limits, ate really quickly and then carried supplies (printer, kettle, blanket etc) to our DS room. All in all you have about 2 hrs with them:)
 
Yes, but if they live far away (and if like us, it was $$$ to travel), better to save the money and spend a long time at Parents Weekend. Essentially, they'll be there for lunch and maybe a half hour visiting, along with your new Cadet friends whose parents couldn't make it. Lesson: bring LOTS of food, for LOTS of hungry cadets. And while Chick-fil-A is great, best to order and pick up VERY early.
 
The order of Academy events I would recommend attending, especially if money is a factor: 1) Parent's Weekend, 2) A-Day, 3) I-Day. I decided to attend A-Day the weekend before so airline prices weren't cheep (literally purchased them on Sunday and flew out on Monday). So if you do plan on attending, make sure to purchase them in advance when they are cheaper. I've posted other comments, tips and observations about A-Day here: https://www.serviceacademyforums.com/index.php?threads/times-for-a-day.54762/. Just my$0.02 worth.
 
fencersmother said:
Yes, but if they live far away (and if like us, it was $$$ to travel), better to save the money and spend a long time at Parents Weekend. Essentially, they'll be there for lunch and maybe a half hour visiting, along with your new Cadet friends whose parents couldn't make it. Lesson: bring LOTS of food, for LOTS of hungry cadets. And while Chick-fil-A is great, best to order and pick up VERY early.
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Be careful about bringing LOTS of food. In Summer '18 there were LOTS of garbage cans in the parking lot filling up with uneaten food. We and many others, planned on feeding many new cadets and upperclassmen and they just weren't there. Perhaps Mitch's was open in '18 but not other years? If you have extra, you can take it up to the dorms to give to upperclassmen but you'll probably have your kid's stuff to carry. Having been through it in '18, I would suggest having 2 or 3 extra sandwiches but not more than that.
 
We had a lot of food left over as well during A-Day since we coordinated lunch as BCT squadron parents. However, instead of wasting it or throwing it away, we took all of it to the dorms (CQ area) where hungry cadets finished it off.
 
When my boys celebrated A-Day, some kindly folks brought lots of food and they chowed down! I think they were on a 5000+ calorie per day diet then so maybe they just ate their way through the few hours. They had so much fun just being together during that time. We still have a picture on the refrigerator of their meet-up in the cadet store.

It's adorable. :)
 
A shout out to the Colorado Parents' Club. They provide a free lunch for all CO new cadets and families (there is a sign-up at some point) so as not to have to worry about bringing food. If you are from CO, keep an eye out for that message.
 
Can parent's actually enter the cadet area at AFA and enter barracks and their room?
 
jebdad said:
Can parent's actually enter the cadet area at AFA and enter barracks and their room?
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Yes, but you must be escorted by your cadet since it is a secured facility where entrance into the cadet area is limited to prox badge holders.
 
Again a reminder: Parents and girl/boyfriends who live outside of an easy driving distance may want to save their money and go to ALL events of Parents Weekend. Literally, A-Day is only a couple hours of visiting. Some cadets would prefer a long nap to visiting, some have to prepare for their athletic seasons, some just want to eat.

It used to be that some kindly parents would offer cell phones to those without. It's a new age now, but parents & loved ones: make sure you have some available time to talk to them if not going to A-day. And be prepared to talk to a different person than the one who left home six weeks ago. The change can be dramatic.
 
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