This site is for mothers of kids in the U.S. Navy and for Moms who have questions about Navy life for their kids.

FIRST TIME HERE?

FOLLOW THESE STEPS TO GET STARTED:

Choose your Username.  For the privacy and safety of you and/or your sailor, NO LAST NAMES ARE ALLOWED, even if your last name differs from that of your sailor (please make sure your URL address does not include your last name either).  Also, please do not include your email address in your user name. Go to "Settings" above to set your Username.  While there, complete your Profile so you can post and share photos and videos of your Sailor and share stories with other moms!

Make sure to read our Community Guidelines and this Navy Operations Security (OPSEC) checklist - loose lips sink ships!

Join groups!  Browse for groups for your PIR date, your sailor's occupational specialty, "A" school, assigned ship, homeport city, your own city or state, and a myriad of other interests. Jump in and introduce yourself!  Start making friends that can last a lifetime.

Link to Navy Speak - Navy Terms & Acronyms: Navy Speak

All Hands Magazine's full length documentary "Making a Sailor": This video follows four recruits through Boot Camp in the spring of 2018 who were assigned to DIV 229, an integrated division, which had PIR on 05/25/2018. 

Boot Camp: Making a Sailor (Full Length Documentary - 2018)

Boot Camp: Behind the Scenes at RTC

...and visit Navy.com - America's Navy and Navy.mil also Navy Live - The Official Blog of the Navy to learn more.

OPSEC - Navy Operations Security

Always keep Navy Operations Security in mind.  In the Navy, it's essential to remember that "loose lips sink ships."  OPSEC is everyone's responsibility. 

DON'T post critical information including future destinations or ports of call; future operations, exercises or missions; deployment or homecoming dates.  

DO be smart, use your head, always think OPSEC when using texts, email, phone, and social media, and watch this video: "Importance of Navy OPSEC."

Follow this link for OPSEC Guidelines:

OPSEC GUIDELINES

Events

**UPDATE 4/26/2022** Effective with the May 6, 2022 PIR 4 guests will be allowed.  Still must be fully vaccinated to attend.

**UPDATE as of 11/10/2022 PIR vaccination is no longer required.

**UPDATE 7/29/2021** You now must be fully vaccinated in order to attend PIR:

In light of observed changes and impact of the Coronavirus Delta Variant and out of an abundance of caution for our recruits, Sailors, staff, and guests, Recruit Training Command is restricting Pass-in-Review (recruit graduation) to ONLY fully immunized guests (14-days post final COVID vaccination dose).  

FOLLOW THIS LINK FOR UP TO DATE INFO:

RTC Graduation

**UPDATE 8/25/2022 - MASK MANDATE IS LIFTED.  Vaccinations still required.

**UPDATE 11/10/22 PIR - Vaccinations no longer required.

RESUMING LIVE PIR - 8/13/2021

Please note! Changes to this guide happened in October 2017. Tickets are now issued for all guests, and all guests must have a ticket to enter base. A separate parking pass is no longer needed to drive on to base for parking.

Please see changes to attending PIR in the PAGES column. The PAGES are located under the member icons on the right side.

Format Downloads:

Latest Activity

Navy Speak

Click here to learn common Navy terms and acronyms!  (Hint:  When you can speak an entire sentence using only acronyms and one verb, you're truly a Navy mom.)

N4M Merchandise


Shirts, caps, mugs and more can be found at CafePress.

Please note: Profits generated in the production of this merchandise are not being awarded to the Navy or any of its suppliers. Any profit made is retained by CafePress.

Navy.com Para Familias

Visite esta página para explorar en su idioma las oportunidades de educación y carreras para sus hijos en el Navy. Navy.com

Badge

Loading…

My son is at his first duty station. He has been there since October. At first he seemed to be doing well but not so much now. He sounds so depressed when I talk to him. This really concerns me. He's always been very social and easy going but now he's become withdrawn and he's isolating himself. He is having a hard time connecting with people and is already counting down the days to get out of the military.

I've encouraged him to talk to someone like a chaplain about what he's feeling but he doesn't think it'll help. He also says he thinks they'll think he's weak and a punk. I guess it's a male ego thing.

I know he has to grow up and life can be difficult but it breaks my heart. I don't know what to do, how to help. Since he won't talk to anyone else I've told him to call me when he is feeling down but I don't know what to say when he calls. 

I tell him to hang in there but I'm sure that's not what he wants to hear. And I know it doesn't help.

Can any of you relate? Perhaps you could offer some sound advice for me or him

Views: 196

Replies to This Discussion

I'm sorry your son is going through this. I really don't have any advice for you, other than to keep offering him your support and reminding him it won't be for forever. Maybe encourage him to look around at his crewmates and see if there is someone else who looks like they could use a friend and reach out to them? Helping someone else,in my experience, helps to pull you out of your own negative thoughts and focus on something else. Remind him why he joined in the first place and help him set mini goals that align with that. If you are in contact with his friends before he left, suggest they text him to remind him he matters to a lot of people. Do you have any relatives that were in the military? Maybe they could share their experiences.
It's so hard not being there. When my sailors girlfriend broke up with him long distance, I barely slept until he came out of the worst of it. You hang in there too.

Oh I am sorry to hear this too.  anasazigypsy offered some good advice - keep encouraging him to reach out to fellow shipmates.  There are probably others there feeling just like he is - they need to reach out to each other.  It does take time and with just having the holidays that probably made it harder.  Remind him that this is only temporary - he'll make friends and things will improve.  It's still hard on a momma's heart.  Hang in there - hugs to both of you.

Plan a visit! See when he can get liberty leave. Even if it's a few months, it's something to look forward to and we all need that when times are tough. In the meantime  hopefully  he'll  make friends  and things will start looking up. Hang in there. 

Hugs!

I read this when you first posted it, and I couldn't figure out how to reply.

I'm wondering how your son is doing, and how are you?

My son has been in for two years, and his attitude changes from time to time.  He got depressed when he was deployed, and I encouraged him to talk to a chap.  He didn't want to at first, because he said people will see it as a sign of weakness.  But he did eventually go see the chap.  I'm pretty sure they have to keep things confidential except for situations when someone is in danger.  Anyway, my son was really glad that he went to see the chap.

I know it's hard to be encouraging sometimes, and you might have felt that you weren't saying the right things.  The most important part of this is that you are talking to him about it and hopefully it makes him feel better, if only for a little while.

I agree with a lot of what the other moms have said - it makes one feel better when they help someone else.  Hopefully your son has found someone he can help and/or talk to.

Another thing I thought of is this:  does he like his job?  If he doesn't, maybe he can switch to something that suits him better.

In the other posts, I read where someone suggested that family and friends text him.  Better yet, have them write an actual letter.  Having mail is HUGE!  And the letters can be read again and again.  My son told me the care packages I sent him were much appreciated.  If you haven't done so, maybe send him some boxes of his favorite things, and things made in your state or hometown.  I sent my son the pillowcase from his bed.  He was so happy about that!  He said Navy pillowcases are scratchy.

Are you involved in a church?  My church puts out addresses of those who are in the military so members of the congregation can write to them.

I hope all is well.

Keep us posted!

RSS

© 2024   Created by Navy for Moms Admin.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service