**heartbroken - My son is joining the Marines **vent

[GiddyMoon]

I feel for you. We came home a few mths ago to find our 19 year old daughter gone, moved to another state to be with her "friend" and married him last week. Why marriage? Because his Mormon father refused to help them unless they were married..so now both kids have severe ADD, are more like 13 year olds, married, no car, working fast food and living with his dad. My daughter knew better and this blew up in her face and now she is picking up the pieces...but..God gave me free will and I am passing it onto her. While peer pressure is not a reason to join the military...having a degree is no way a guarantee of a good job either. Your family has my prayers.

 

[zoo357]

Chillin I so understand where you are coming from. While my son's dad and I are divorced and he stayed with his dad (he was 15) he wasn't doing anything much and then he joined the National Guard Army. I was glad because he has wanted to do this forever. He came back last year from Iraq. Now I hear through the grapevine he's going to Afghanistan in October but he hasn't called me or said a word to me. Where did I hear it but from his friend's mom FB page!!! It breaks my heart because he is one of those kids I never thought would be like that...sending you hugs from NW Indiana

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

Oh Mama. This could truly be SO much worse. Perhaps he could consider ROTC instead, but again, like others I have seen (as a college teacher) many, many kids wasting time and money and getting into worse stuff because they weren't ready for the college life and its freedoms. They still needed more structure and direction and the military will give them that. There is nothing I love more in a classroom than a vet! They bring such a valuable perspective and even if they're the same age as many of the students they are SO much more mature.

Yeah, you'd rather they did things differently, but you need to trust that you raised him right and while peer pressure is incredibly strong, you laid the foundation and it still seems strong. The gang he's joining beats the daylights out of some of his other options!!

 

[theghostandmrchicken]

"The Few, The Proud, The Marines"


Sorry, but I'm looking foreward to the day that I may serve.

 

[zengrrl]

Thanks for the words everyone, life is never stagnant that is for sure. My son took his AVSEB (?) on Thursday and signed in. He's officially a poolee and is set to ship out in February. Alot further than I thought and I'm grateful for the time til then. I let him know I'm proud of him, so proud. Maybe I'll have to get some more chickens or dogs or something to break up this empty nest!