NUKE moms

Northwoodsmom and WLH - I agree with your comments too.  My son did ok in A school, struggled big time in Power school - even had to re-comp, and enjoyed Prototype - he loved the "hands on" aspect of it.  Different strokes for different folks lol!

Happy Thursday!

Happy Friday!!!  I took my car to be inspected and when I was checking out, the mechanic said, "It is RED Friday!"  I had forgotten that I was wearing my RED Friday sweatshirt.  :-)

Happy Friday. Just heard from my sailor and he's back from his last underway. Now the countdown to out begins! I will continue to wear red, but celebrating the coming reunion!

CSW - congratulations!!!  I know your heart is so happy!

CSW - It is good to hear from you!! I am glad that you have heard from your sailor. I have my RED on and now that they are actually out longer than a few days to a couple of weeks, wearing my shirts means even that much more. 

MomofJoseph - That is wonderful that someone else recognized it!

CSW - woohoo - let the countdown begin!

Happy Monday!

Happy Tuesday!

Hi everyone, My son just started his A-school classes last week, had his first exam and got a 2.57, so just barely passed. He’s so stressed, and exhausted.  Has any other mom’s sailors had the experience of having a rough start then improving once they are settled into the routine? Any advice for how to best support him? He did pretty well in boot camp with no set backs. 

SDNukeMom - it can be a little stressful in the beginning (and beyond).  There's a lot thrown at them and very quickly!  The Navy will teach him a whole new way to study lol!  My son said it was lots (and lots) of memorization.  He'll get into a rhythm and it will come together.  He can always ask for help too...they want him to succeed.  Tell him to make sure he's eating right and getting as much sleep as possible (might seem like an impossibility but he needs to figure out a schedule). 

And the saying is "2.5 to stay alive" - so he's fine.  It's only one exam, there will be many more where he will be able to improve his grade.

He's got this!

SDNukeMom, the Navy is very specific they want things done and it is tough breaking old habits from their school years but he will learn it. Takes a little time but like any job you learn the way your boss or teachers want it done. Remember they are there to make your Sailor better at his job. I know that they are extremely smart but when they get lumped up with nothing but extremely smart kids it is very intimidating for them. Tell him to shake it off, there will always be someone smarter than you but your there because they believe in him. Encourage him but also keep the communications open to the fact that you are proud of the young man he is becoming and whatever he chooses you will support him.

Northwoodsmom,  Canuka , B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN-  I am in tears right now so grateful to have somewhere to come for support. Thank you, your words were exactly what I needed to hear. I know that he will settle into a routine and come out on the other side alive with at least a 2.5!  He sent a text message last night after we talked that said, "Love you, I'll make it through this."   I just wanted to hug him.

He did tell me that he has been hungry because he hasn't had time to go the grocery store, and doesn't always make breakfast in the galley, so I sent him some healthy snacks. I also sent a comfy blanket and some new socks.  Sometimes it's those little things that can make a big difference. 

Thank you all for your support.

A very important thing to note is that nuke school exams are used to track progress and identify areas requiring more study. There is no permanent record. Once the particular school is completed, nobody will care about the grades. Likewise, in prototype and fleet, while there may be a deadline for completing qualifications it doesn't matter if a qualification is passed on the 1st attempt or the 5th.

It is kind of like the old joke: "What do you call someone who graduated medical school at the bottom of the class? Doctor."

So your Sailor should try to make the best grade they can, but don't worry about it too much.

Hi, SDNukeMom!  My son is at GC now and not quite a month into Power School.  I want to add to the encouragement that the Navy will work with your son and they WANT him to do well.  My son had some friends who struggled initially in A school and the Navy worked with them.  Some of them got into a routine and brought their grades up.  A couple of them got setback into another group, and then did better. 

One of his friends was studying nonstop and still having a hard time passing the tests.  The class lead brought that up to the SLPO because he felt like the Sailor was working too hard.  ("All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.")  They ordered him to not study so much.  :-)  He got rolled back into another group and is doing well now.

SDNukeMom - It is hard for me to believe that I wrote this discussion Nuke A school daily schedule just a little over 5 years ago this month!! It has been a long 5 years, a lot has changed, the biggest being my son will not be coming home next summer to live with us, since he is now married. I don't recall if I mention in that discussion, which I added to along the way, if my son mentioned about getting a certain kind of teacher help. I can't recall what it was called, but my son always wanted me to encourage anyone to tell their sailors to take advantage of it. 

There grades on tests will ebb and flow. My son disliked having required study hours, even if he was still planning to study that much. That is one of the benefits of doing well on a test, you don't have as much required study time. If you haven't read through the discussion, do so, it will help you understand some of the things your son shares with you and feel free to add any updates at the end. 

Also, their math was as someone else mentioned I think, done the Navy way, and having to learn a new system of how to do things can be difficult. The most important thing is to not fall behind, but it sounds like they are working even harder nowadays, to help the sailors succeed. After all, they have already invested a lot into them, just to get them where your son is at. 

Your care package sound like a lovely idea. Also, every time we Skyped with my son on Saturday's he seemed to always have a Poptart in his mouth. He knew what things he could get from the galley.

Well he got his orders! He will be separating soon.  Thank you all for your companionship and support during these last six years!

Looking forward to being a vet mom!

CSW - Congratulations!  (It sounds like he WANTS to be separated?)  Does this mean that he finished his initial commitment and didn't renew?  I'm sorry, but I'm still kinda new to this stuff.  ;-)

CSW - Congratulations!! Please tell your son thank you for his service!!

MomofJoseph - I am fairly certain that CSW's son did not reenlist. Neither did my son. He is on his first longer trip out to sea, than just the multitude of underways that he has been on since arriving there 3.5 years ago. 

Q's Momma - I'm so sorry that your son has gone silent.  I have no insight because we are new to this, but I wanted to reach out and tell you that I will be praying for you.  I know that would be terribly hard.  (I struggle when my son doesn't respond to my text within a day.)  You are an amazingly strong Mom!!!

Q'sMom, my son is no longer in the Nuke program but I remember he suddenly went silent. He told me he didn't do well on a test and they gave him more mandatory study time which absolutely took everything out of him. He was disappointed in himself and couldn't face telling me. This young Sailors are the smartest of the smart and they aren't use to not being on top. I think it is extremely hard on them when they aren't living up to their own standards.  I finally reached out to the ombudsman there and he got in contact with me. I know no one want to go to those measures but worry was eating at me and affecting my sleep and health. Sometimes a mama has to do what a mama has to do. Prayers you hear from him soon. 

Q's Momma - First off, know you are not the only one who has gone without hearing from their sailor at Nuke school. Hopefully those who have experienced this more will chime in. Mine was really good about communicating, but we were also only an hour behind time zone. You have a much larger time frame and so that can be a factor. 

I had one mom who said her sailor, while he loved to hear from the family, calling home and such also made him sad. Their schedules can be pretty hectic. There is sweet spot between class time and chow time that you might reach him during the week, but if they are also doing PT that might not happen. My son generally would reach out on Saturday morning and do Skype calls with his brother on the computer, so I would stick my face in and wave. He a lot of times would be doing laundry as well during that time.  Sunday mornings, they have different breakfast times and then he would generally sleep in, I think and the afternoons he would go into study. 

If you haven't read my "A School daily schedule" in the discussion above, do so. It explains some of the study time and how that is required. My son said it was difficult for him to figure out going to church and when he was in A school, he only had a bicycle that he had bought there. Some of them were trying to do a Bible study but that became difficult. In Power School the assistant Chaplin would bring in pizza for lunch and they had a lunch time devotional, at least when my son was there. 

I don't have the ombudsman contact information handy, but you do need to connect with her. I will say, my son told me that they would be told often to call home and let Momma know they were okay, because the command did not like getting phone calls from worried Mommas. Some nights he would just text me "goodnight". You might suggest that to him. He might be reading your texts but not replying so keep them positive. 

A school is tough - It will kick their booty if they are not used to doing a lot of studying, memorizing, taking notes, and then taking the tests, especially the mathematics ones the way they are told to take them. There is a fine balance with the encouragement and making them feel like they will let you down if they don't perform to the expectations. 

Northwoodsmom - Thanks for sharing! I missed your post as I was typing mine. 

Q's Momma - here is the link to the Ombudsman information from the NNPTC official website.

Naval Sea Systems Command > Home > NNPTC > Ombudsman (navy...

Qi’s Mom- I feel your pain. I am more worried now, than I was when my son was in bootcamp-and that was torture. My son barely passed his first exam in A school last week, and he has another one today. I didn’t hear from him much in the last week. I am bracing myself for the loss of contact if he gets his study hours increased.  We just need to hang in there, and like I say to my son, keep our eyes in the prize which is graduation. They wouldn’t be there if the Navy didn’t think they were capable.  Being a Nuke mom is hard though! I will definitely be leaning on you all for support over the next year and a half.  Big hugs to you.

SDNukeMom - We are here for you all. If you don't post, we don't reply, but we are still here, so never be concerned about asking for information or support. 

These first few weeks especially are hard on your new sailors, and A school is tough!! It is a lot different than what they were used to in school, and the amount of information that is being poured into them, they will feel on overload. My son is an ETN2 now and I recall when he was in A school that they were doing one subject at a time, then in Power School they were doing 3 subjects at once as I recall. 

My son would always encourage me to encourage other sailors coming into the pipeline to be sure and reach out for any of the teacher assistance that they could get. 

SDNuke Mom and Q'sMomma, I should of mentioned all the help my son got from his command while he was struggling. As long as they are trying they will stick with them and try to get them over the hurdles they are going through. They want them to succeed and will do everything possible to see that happens. If it doesn't don't worry, they invested a lot in these Sailors and they will be offered a great different rate. The biggest thing is to keep them motivated to do their best wherever that takes them.

SDNukeMom, have you heard how your son did today on his test?  My son always asks me to pray for his tests, and I'm on pins and needles until I hear how he did.  :-)  I hope you get good news soon!  <3

SDNukeMom, As you can tell by now... many of us experience similar communication blackouts. For me... it comes and goes and I've just learned to be okay with it. He knows that I support him and that I'm here when he needs me. He is in the fleet now and I know that I am always his first call when he returns to port (somehow I even beat out his gf!). The men and women in this group are great and we are always here to help!

MomofJoseph, Thank you so much for checking in! I finally heard from my son, and he passed his math exam! :) He got a 2.63, but he was more than happy with it because the class is finished. I didn't realize how stressed and unfocused I was until I heard from him, and now realized I've gotten nothing productive done at work today. Lol! Oh well, I'll catch up tomorrow.  

SDNukeMom - Glad to hear that he passed!!

The Hammer - I laughed at your last about getting the call before his gf! I was the same, but now that he is married, I have to play 2nd fiddle. Thankfully, she calls me to keep me updated, or will remind my son when he gets home to call. In the meantime, when he is not home - My DIL calls me, just because. 

Q's  Momma - You got it!! He doesn't realize you all need that "proof of life". So, you will need to do some training and some guidance to help him realize that even just a "good night" is better than nothing!

Q's Momma - You are most welcome!! I am glad that you heard from your sailor!!

SDNukeMom and Q's Momma - I am crying tears of joy for you both!  I'm so happy that you heard from your sailors and my heart is so full for you!  That is such great news this morning!!!

Hooray for phone calls/texts/passing exams!

Have a good weekend!