How do you support their decisions and act like you are not dying inside

Comment

Comment by George Pacheco on August 21, 2009 at 9:00pm

Cotysmom what your son is doing is admirable to say the least. He is keeping with a long standing tradition of great warriors who have volunteered since the beginning. I wouldnt worry to much though, my son who is serving in the Army was on deployement in Kuwait for 15 months and did his time with out hesitation. The only thing we as parents can do is to pray. Pray that this whole thing will end soon but until then we must have faith in God and in our military. Take care.

Comment by cotysmom on August 15, 2009 at 8:40pm

Thank You guys so much for your support and I will never stop praying for Coty nor will I stop praying for your children as well.

Comment by Rex on August 15, 2009 at 12:48pm

cotysmom don't get to up set about your son serving in byrain if he decides to do , our son spent some time there . josh said its not too bad there a little dirty meaning the streets , shops ect. but his over all stay wasn't real bad, i guess most of the people who live there are use to a lot of our sailors stopping by for liberty. there are a lot of other places in that area that are are a lot worse according to our son.
So keep your chin up ! and never stop praying for him. Coty will be just fine !

Comment by NavyDads Admin (Paul) on August 15, 2009 at 11:00am

You've got a lot of support here on NavyDads....a lot of us have been through this journey and continue to see the maturity our kids display when they step up and do their duty......HooYah! Go Navy!!

Comment by cotysmom on August 15, 2009 at 10:30am

You are exactly right and being new to the navy as a parent is something that I am going to adapt to and I thank God that my kid as well as others have the heart to go out and fight for people that they know, have heard of and those that they will never meet in their lifetime. I commend them and have the up most respect for everyone of them. I am proud of these kids, oh so proud and if Coty does volunteer, I know that with God that these boys will take care of one another. I know that none of them set out to die but is willing to for the sake of protecting their country and I will be praying everyday not only for my kid but for others all well that God will protect them and keep them safe but if it is his time to go I know that he could go driving down the street or eating at McDonalds and that is what I will have to hang on to. Coty once told me that if he went to war and died that I just had to look at it as if he was protecting us from heaven instead of on the ground. Just in the short time that he has been there, he has already developed that brotherhood with his graduating class. I know they will take care of them and I am just going to have to realize that I can't go and protect him..Like you said, you learned to suck it up and I am just going to have to put my big girl pants on and do the same.

Comment by NavyDads Admin (Paul) on August 15, 2009 at 9:49am

Welcome to parenthood and being a Navy parent. There are an awful lot of perants that seem to think that being in the Navy is like being in a summer camp....it isn't. The purpose of the Navy is to protect the seas and defend the interests of the United States.....and if needed to kill the bad guys. This is a serious task...and a dangerous task as well. You have to learn to accept his training and to accept the trust he places in his shipmates. The night before eric deployed he sent me this: "As in the rich naval tradition since October 13th 1775 I sacrifice my time and being to put my life in the hands of my fellow shipmates who in turn puts those same trusts into mine. To cast off and set sail to cross the seas in something bigger than what it is we can understand. To help those who need it is what we do, although we may be the cold forged steel harvesters of death in the modern age, we supply hope and change to those who need it most". You need to wrap your mind around those words and let faith in Our Lord, your son's training and in his shipmates take over. We all worry about our sons and daughters...especially when overseas....but I've learned to suck it up and realize that worrying about what might happen promotes negativity....our children cannot afford that.