My son leaves for boot camp tuesday the 14th of june and its killing me!!!!!!!!!!

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Permalink Reply by Fred Stansbury on June 13, 2011 at 11:08am

Tony,

Its clear that you and your son have a close bond together. Him leaving for the Navy is a big step in his life and yours. I can understand emotions right now....we have all gone through it... I am writing this on the 13th and understand that time is getting closer to your son leaving. But think of it this way....you have raised him to be a man...a man who knows what he wants to do....A man who has stepped up and wants to protect our freedom and our way of life. Your right the next few weeks are going to be long and you will wake up each day asking yourself how is he doing ?  you will hear from him a few times.  Make sure you send him letters, he'll be looking for them.  Believe me, because you raised him into a  man he will be just fine.  When those doors open a graduation you will be over come by so many emotions. Give him a hug , tell him him you are proud of him. At graduation you will see the man you helped raised plus a man that he became during this time...then you get to see him develope further inhis Navy Career.

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Permalink Reply by Tony L. Davis on June 14, 2011 at 1:29pm

Still really hard for me been crying for a while he just got sworn in at 10:30 this mornin and in the van right now heading to basic!

 

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Permalink Reply by NavyDads Admin (Paul) on June 14, 2011 at 1:36pm

it seem s like it will take forever until PIR, but the eight weeks go by much faster than you think they will.  Stay active on the site and read as much as you can so you get a feel for bootcamp, A-school days, and then on to the fleet....

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Permalink Reply by Fred Stansbury on June 14, 2011 at 3:25pm

Tony,

 

Pauls right...read as much as you can on this site...read about boot camp and what they do each week ...at the end of the 8-9 weeks you have so much more to talk about....just stay close to this site the Admins are great...have a ton of knowledge and just wait it will be over before you know it....email anytime...

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Permalink Reply by Tim Harris on June 14, 2011 at 9:04pm

Tony, I soooo know what you are going through. The days leading up to my son leaving was getting harder and harder for me the closer it got. The day he left all most did me in. I was heartbroken. I wanted to go there with him and wanted to take care of him and protect him. But I had to realize that this is something he wanted and needed to do. I wanted him to be that little boy playing power rangers in the back yard but he wanted to be a sailor. I know you find yourself wondering what is he doing right now, is he ok, is he missing home. Please know,he is so busy right now he does not have time to think about being home sick. You will find you yourself rushing to the mailbox everyday and when you do get a letter from him you will not be able to get the letter open fast enough. I will warn you it will be short and you will be left wanting to know more. Don’t worry its normal and we all have been there. Try and focus on the graduation day coming and you will be amazed at how your son has grown in to the man you always knew he was going to be when you see him. If you ever need advice or have questions on what’s coming next please feel free to ask. God Bless!!

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Permalink Reply by Tony L. Davis on June 15, 2011 at 8:27am

Ty u for all the info and support i really need it<Ill take any help that i can get and if i can help in any way plz let me know>

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Permalink Reply by Tony L. Davis on June 15, 2011 at 8:32am

Dont seem like it i know hes in gd hands the navy wont kill him just hard to deal with him not being here, he will be a man when its over,It will b hard on him because of his grandfathers  passing anniversary thats July the 20 My sons b-day is July 19 so it will be really hard on him.

NavyDads Co-Admin, Jim said:

Tony it will get a bit easier. We as parents will always worry about our children. I certainly feel your pain. When we dropped my son off and to see him get in the van for MEPS was the hardest part of it. Over time, it got better as we were able to communicate with him. As soon as you get his address, write to him often as it's about the only outside contact he will have. Like everyone else has said here, stick with us, join the boot camp group and PIR group and ask any questions you may have. We are one big support group. Hang in there!

Jim

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Permalink Reply by Timothy Conway on June 15, 2011 at 9:22am

What Cheri wrote is so very true.  As a parent (I believe) it's your job, no your responsibility to stay positive for him.  It may seem like you're too far apart and there is nothing you do but that's just not true.  If you haven't already, start writing letters that are positive, upbeat and full of encouragement.  They will mean more to you son that you could possible imagine and focusing on helping him will help you as well.

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Permalink Reply by Robert L. Babcock on June 15, 2011 at 4:33pm

Tony,take it from experience Boot Camp will go faster then you think.In about 4 weeks there going to send you Graduation info from Great lakes,your Son will Also call you  on how he is doing.It was the hardest thing I had to go through,but trust me when you see graduation,You will have be the most proud Dad in the World.My Son Nick went on to become A Navy Seabee Builder,he served in Iraq and Afganistan He is currently in the Naval reserve serving in California He Graduated from Basic training in October of 2005.Congrats to you and your Boy!

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Permalink Reply by Ray Clark on June 15, 2011 at 6:31pm

Tony trust me it WILL get easier and the time will fly.  My daughter just graduated on 10 June and it really went by fast.  Key is to write to your son but realize that he will not have a lot of time to write back so do not get discouraged or worried if you do not get many letters back.  Those letters from you will help him get thru the challenges ahead.

I say this both as a Navy dad AND Former Marine. 

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Permalink Reply by Ray Norberto on June 17, 2011 at 5:07pm

When my wife and I dropped our son Chris off at the recruiting station to take the ride to MEPS in Fort Hamilton and get sworn in, I thought I would be fine too. The minute we stepped foot inside, and were greeted by the recruiting officers, my throat closed up. When Chris hugged me, I broke down so completely and unabashedly, that my son looked at with great irritation and said, "Shit, are you crying?!" I cried on and off for most of the first week. But it will ease, I guarantee it. We never stop worrying about our children, whether they are serving our country, or just going out with friends.

Just remember, at this point, no news is good news. That means the recruits are adjusting and getting on with the business of learning to be sailors in the greatest naval force on the planet. That first call in a few weeks will seem like heaven. Once they're in A School, they are afforded more access to the outside world. They can get back their phones, and computers. The first couple or weeks, Chris and his mates became FB buddies, and exchanged information, and rude jokes and of course wrote in that strange language that is NavySpeak. You will be checking the link here at NavyDads for the glossary, and still being lost most of the time.

The pain you feel now is proof that you did some things absolutely right in raising your son. Congratulations, and enjoy the ride. And welcome to the neighborhood!

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Permalink Reply by keith chambers on June 17, 2011 at 6:14pm

its so very hard to watch your child go but it must happen. there are so many bad ways they can leave home so be thankful. for your son it is important to write. i wrote every day. somedays letters somedays i sent funny cards with notes inside. its important for them to know that the life they know (home) is still there and ok. my sailor got more mail than anyother and was proud of that. some pictures of family are appreciated too. you can look on my page we tryed to be creative with our pictures. did i mention that my sailor is my daughter? she was daddys girl (tearing up a little). missing our kids is our job.

if ya need to talk thats what we are all here for

send a regular email if you want phone number

stay strong for our sailors

      scincerly  keith

 

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