Letting go

[ClickMini]

Well here I sit at 2:45 a.m., been up for quite a while now. I am so proud of my son but so sad too. He is leaving this weekend for basic training for the US Air Force. He will be training for explosive ordnance disposal. I tell you that part is a mother's nightmare.

He is my oldest child and I am going to miss him so much. I just can't believe that it came so fast.

Tell me moms how you got through this because I am a wreck, never thought I would be like this.

Thank goodness for my horses if I didn't have them I would be completely lost!!!

 

[C & C Farms]

I feel for you Amy because my son, who is a Junior in High School wants to join the Army after graduation. He has already talked to the recruiters they even tried to get him to do some basic training over this summer...I said NO WAY! LOL

I still have awhile to wait but I still worry now. My thoughts and prayers are with you!

Take care....

 

[shortymisty]

My son went through basic training a few years back, it was hard, but when I went to Great Lakes to see him graduate, it was one of the proudest moments and I realized he was all grown up. Of course, now he's living out in Iowa

guess he needed to get far away from momma too

 

[USMCshamusmom]

Amy I sent you a looong IM....

General musings about our service men and women. Who is braver than those who volunteer for this kind of service to all of us and our country?( even though their moms and dads might cry and pray and worry they may be deployed) Who is going to do these things if somebody isn't willing to step up to the plate and serve? Who makes it possible for all the others in our country to go to school, pray, work, play,laugh and cry, raise families in safety, grow food, manufacture and produce? Who provides security and peace of mind for salaries far below the national average in terms of hours spent for cash return? Who risks their lives so we can be safe, who helps with emergency crisis situations such as hurricanes and floods, and emergency transport? Who would do it if they don't? Our military service fields are all volunteer!

As moms we raise our kids hoping they will be healthy, strong, successful, and good citizens. Isn't this proof that Amy has succeeded? Serving our country is honorable, constructive, patriotic, and all of us should hold in high esteem those who have volunteered to serve in any capacity in the military of the USA.... We would not be here but for the service of them and those who have gone before. Nothing shameful in that! God Bless our military service men and women!

 

[Marty]

OH my gosh I can't believe you just posted this.

My oldest, Michael has wanted to join the service now for a very long time. He's so very brave and patriotic and is now 18. He just spoke to another recuiter two days ago and I am an absolute basket case. I don't know what's going to happen but I can't even let him go to Walmart alone without me pacing the floors waiting for him to call to check in with me.

Believe me, I understand your fears and your concerns and how sad this day is for you to have to let him go. These boys are just so darn YOUNG!

Your son is very honorable and I will put him on the prayer list so please post his name for us ok?

God Bless him and a huge hug for Y O U.

 

[Sanny]

First off, I can't imagine going through what you must be going through. I would be so sad and you are right, what a nightmare, but you should be very proud of him. I would be worrying about him constantly though about being in danger. Best of luck and I hope he stays safe.

Having said that, I am going through something similar right now that I haven't been able to discuss on the forum as much as I would like too. We've had two very young foster children (3 and 5 years old) for nearly a year now that will be leaving our family next week. The younger one, a three year old girl, doesn't even remember living anywhere else besides in our home and with our family and she looks like my own child - in fact - people think her and my own three year old boy are twins when we go places as a family. I've become very attached to them and they are very much a part of our family and I've always wished I could share more info about them and include them in family photos (for privacy reasons we are not allowed to).

Their case is very complicated and we just completed a trial regarding them and their biological parents rights have been terminated and their grandmother and step grandfather are working on getting approved to adopt them and in the meantime will start fostering them. I am so worried about the kids and hope what has been decided all works out ok. We were identified as possible adoptive parents for them but preference went to a blood relative (as it should).

 

[runamuk]

Well here I sit at 2:45 a.m., been up for quite a while now. I am so proud of my son but so sad too. He is leaving this weekend for basic training for the US Air Force. He will be training for explosive ordnance disposal. I tell you that part is a mother's nightmare.
He is my oldest child and I am going to miss him so much. I just can't believe that it came so fast.

Tell me moms how you got through this because I am a wreck, never thought I would be like this.

Thank goodness for my horses if I didn't have them I would be completely lost!!!

516806[/snapback]

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You remember how proud you are of him. Remember that you raised a son who wants to serve his country....how good of a mom are you

My 14 yr old is determined to join the Navy. scary as it is I am proud of him and support him.

 

[Gini]

Amy

I've been there and it's hard.. My son at 18 decided he didn't want to go

on to college. He joined the A.F. Was stationed in Alaska, went to Iraq

under the former Pres. Bush. Worry? You bet I did. He's now 36 and

is a State trooper in Alaska with a wonderful family. All we can do

is pray for a safe country and be proud that your son wants to join.

Please tell him we are all proud of him... and I'll pray that you will

be strong thru this time... {{{HUGS}}}

 

[Equuisize]

Your pride in your son will carry you thru this.

You will weep tears of sadness (it's normal) and many tears of joy, for what

he is doing.

My son went into Marine Corp boot camp. He wanted to be an officer and turned down a scholarship out of high school. He felt that if he were going to be a good officer he had to walk a mile in their boots and know what they went thru on a daily basis.

I cried. I cried at the drop of a hat every day I didn't get a note from him.

The mail man hated coming to our maibox, I think. I greeted him there daily and tears would roll down my face if there wasn't a note........ Our mailman was a former Marine and he'd explain to me how boot camp went those first few weeks....what a dear man!!! Once those 12 weeks were over and he called and wrote all the time, and told me what was happening, I was much better.

Watching him graduate was a highlight of my life......as was her career with the Corp.

It may seem at times you'll never get thru it but you will and with much pride in your son.......

You've done a great job raising your son that he willing to stand up for the country and rights, we've all come to expect.

 

[minimama]

I was just going to say something very similar to a few others. I have a 19 year old daughter who is looking into joining the American REd Cross and going as an aid to iraq to help teh soldiers over there.

As a mom, I of course worry about her and her well being. But, I am so filled with pride of her choices in life and the goals she has set that I do not feel one bit bad or even sad that she is going. I of course will miss her but I am so happy for her that she has this opportunity to fulfill a deisre to help like this, there are just not words to describe how good I feel that this is a choice she might make.

And if something were to happen to her over there, I would be devastated but, I believe that there is a plan and she will only go if it is part of the bigger plan, and only be taken from us if that is also part of the bigger plan. I will still be so proud of her choices and so glad she had the chance to do what she wanted to like that.

But this is me, I am weird!

 

[Miniv]

Amy,

What mixed feelings you must be having!

Just know that there are other folks out here that are proud of your son and other young people like him that are making such important choices for their life......especially in this day and age......

Blessings,

MA

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Amy, I didn't even know you HAD kids besides the 4-legged ones!

Seriously, my sorta-boyfriend left for the Army just after we got back together almost two years ago now. I worried the whole time, freaked out about him changing into someone I wouldn't know or getting blown up or something. I don't even know exactly what I was afraid of. My grandfather was career Air Force but was out long before I came along and no one I knew was in the Armed Services. It was a foreign idea to me.

No, I didn't hear from him by phone more than three times during the 13 weeks of basic training. I kept my cell phone LOCKED on my hip even at jobs that forebade it and got an adrenaline rush every time it rang. My hands got shaky if it was actually him. And then I cried after he hung up because there was never enough time in those five minute or less phone calls to reassure me. He tried to write, but he writes HORRIBLE letters.

AIT (advanced individual training) wasn't much better after basic, but I did hear from him a little more often. And now that he's permanent party and stationed I hear from him every day.

Air Force is not only my personal favorite branch but also one of the least risky in this kind of combat. His particular MOS (job) does sound like a scary one but they will train him well and at least he'll be doing what he's supposed to when he blows something up instead of making one of the other guys do a job he isn't trained for! He will be saving lives that way. I hope that came out right.

I understand where you're coming from. There are some great and supportive websites out there for family, but I wouldn't worry about him too much. Be proud, and know in advance that you probably won't hear from him during Basic and that it doesn't mean he's in trouble. It's actually a good sign- half the time if they call it's because they're stressing out and want to come home.

They do tend to grow up in the service- Matt was very mature about drinking, etc., but bad about impulsive decisions and money management. The army has forced him to consider his decisions and become a more responsible leader.

Your son will be fine and so will you- you have to with this many people praying for you both! God bless you and keep you. You have my sympathy.

Leia

 

[ClickMini]

Thank you so much to everyone for your caring and support. My son's name is Chris. I have a 17 year old daughter as well, but Chris is the one that has been so close with me his whole life. What a wonderful young man he is, and has always been.

I and Chris's father encouraged him to make this choice. Both of us are USAF veterans. I was only in for four years, but my husband was in for eight, so I kind of was too, half of it as a military wife, and half active duty as a Air Traffic Control Radar Repair and Maintenance Technician. Chris was born at Seymour Johnson AFB in North Carolina, and my daughter at Homestead AFB in Florida. Chris wanted to follow in our footsteps, and we are just so proud of him.

Which makes it all the more puzzling as to why I was (am?) having this reaction. I feel that joining the air force was the best thing that ever happened to me! I know it is for him, too. But the loss of having him around is something I am feeling so strongly. I'm sure I will be fine once he is gone and safe away at training. It is just this transition time that is so terribly hard.

My daughter moved out this week too, for different reasons entirely. She has always been quite rebellious and is convinced I am the devil's servant herself. So she went to go live with her boss, a wonderful woman who runs a local coffee stand. She will be very tough on Jess, but for some reason Jess can take it from her and not me.

So I have gone from a mother of two living here at home to none in one week. It is hard. Also my husband was out of town on business and I have three sick minis, so I had really just reached the end of the rope last night and was desperately trying to tie a knot before going off the end!

Thanks for listening and sharing your own stories, it does mean so much to me. I ended up taking the day off today and went to the recruiters with Chris for his final briefing. They told me about a group called Blue Star Mothers that I may look into after thinking about it for a while.

(((((HUGS))))) to all who took the time to write, you are so great!