Please give me advice/input!!

[Wayne S.]

Dear all navy moms and other navyformoms.com members. I am in desperate need of some advice and all input is welcome. 

I am a 19 year old male that is currently thinking about joining the navy, I am interested in traveling the world and meeting new people and hopefully learning a lot of new skills. I do have a lot of doubts though. My mom (being like most moms) is very concerned and obviously doesn't want to see her last born leave and go into the navy so she doesn't give me a lot of decent input. 

What I am scared of is accepting a job, signing a 5 year commitment and then hating what I am doing. I also am scared of being too homesick and leaving my divorced mom home alone while I leave for the Navy. I don't see myself waking up everyday and going to the same place to do the same thing year after year and that is another reason why I am interested in the Navy. 

I don't have a father to talk to as he left years ago and obviously the recruiters sugar coat a lot of stuff. I really just need some encouraging words and someone to tell me that I am making a good decision for myself. 

[JstAmom]

I too as a mom wanted my youngest son to stay in college and not join the Navy but once he made up his mind I had to support him. It was very brave of him to realize it was his life and he had to do what was best for him and I was very proud of him for it. I remember when he gave me this website I was so hurt and angry I wanted nothing to do with it but now I am a very proud mom and I think your mom will too. You joining the Navy is not nececerly leaving your mom behind think of it as way of helping her in the future. She might cry, be upset like I was but I promise she will one day say "my son is in the Navy" with pride! Think big when looking for a job talk to other navy guys on advise, you will get lots of different opinions some negative some positive, my son is In EOD school and he loving it. I wish you luck!

[My2kidz]

My son was in his final year of college when he called me to say he was going to enlist. It caught me off guard but I just told him as long as he finished is degree, I would support him. He fluctuated wildly in college, he is very smart but nothing really grabbed his interest so he never really applies himself. He signed his contract a week before he graduated and shipped out to GL last fall. He LOVES his Navy life and I am so happy he has found a focus and a purpose. The military is hard on families and I am sure it will be difficult for you and your Mom but if this is something you truly want, you should pursue it. Just be sure you look at all the available jobs and study for the ASVAB. Give your Mom a game plan for what you want to do in the future. At 19 you have so many years to find your niche. Good luck!

[Bus mama]

Hi Wayne...My youngest (18) is finishing boot camp THIS WEEK and I couldn't be more proud of him.  I miss him terribly but know he is doing his thing and I did mine.  If you haven't yet taken the ASVAB test, DO IT.  The recruiter can arrange for that to happen.  It is like an ACT only more encompassing.  That test will show what your strengths are and what type of job would suit you.  The NAVY will not put you in a job you won't be happy with.  They WANT their Sailors to be happy.  The other branches put you were they need you.  There in no commitment for you in taking that test.  It opens discussions on what would make a good fit for you.  When you have that conversation, then think about it more. 

Know that you will be homesick and your mom will miss you like crazy.  In the Navy, you will see the world, you will meet people that will become "brothers and sisters" for life, you will be given education for a job that will fit your likes/personality.  AND you will get paid for it.  You will become a strong, self-confident young man.  I would think and hope your mother will be very proud of you.  GOOD LUCK!

[Shelli *Bohdy's Mom*]

My son is graduating Friday from boot camp...He loved it!  The distance from our family was the hardest with no communication, but honestly the time has flown by...we are a busy family though so that helps.  My son is one of 7 and is just about in the middle...so we have done the college thing, and honestly it isn't for everyone.  My son I feel made a good decision for himself...he wanted to wait til he was 18 to sign so he knew it was his decision only (even though he has talked about doing this since he was a little guy). His senior year of high school he couldn't think of anything he rather do than enlist...to go to college would have only been to play soccer, because he wasn't focused on what he would want to do to beyond college to know what he wanted to go to college for.  

Yesterday, I got my phone call that he is now a SAILOR!  What more could a mother want than to see their child accomplish such a great thing!  If you feel that this is the right thing for you...than do it.  Your mother will miss you, just as all of us mothers do. But the accomplishments she will see you do will be worth every minute she doesn't get to hear your voice or every tear she sheds.

You will travel, make several new friends from all over the world, learn so much, be able to get all the schooling you would desire, and serve our country in what I feel is in the safest branch of the military. You will be self rewarded...and your mother will be so proud.  

I miss my son tremendously...but it is a good miss, cuz I feel so good about what path he chose to take on his own...that to me makes me feel as I did something right as a mother.

Maybe you should talk to some Sailors...I am sure my son would love to share his story and could answer any questions you might have.

Best wishes to you and your mother...Hope to check back on here and see you posted you signed up! It's a great thing!!

[myboymyheart]

As a Mother it was very hard to hear my only son say he wanted to go Navy. I cried and cried and cried. However I stood by him because I knew he wanted this.  I knew deep down that college was not for him because the navy was in his heart.  He signed the summer before his senior of high school, so I thought I had a year to prepare. That wasn't the case. Boot camp was long (to me)  and I was so heartbroken without my boy but once he graduated it got so much easier.  The pride I feel compares to nothing else.  He is happy with his choice and has no regrets. He stands taller, walks straighter and is ready for life. My point is, if this is what you want, your mom will adjust and be so proud. Proud like nothing else. It will not be easy for you or her...but she will adjust and so will you. 

[WestPacific]

I know at this point in life, everything feels like you have to do it NOW- make career decisions, make schooling decisions, make military decisions. The real life truth is- you don't have to make these big decisions now, and many times it is better if you don't. Get a job for at least a year, and use that time to get information, get input from your family, make some great memories, and then start making some decisions. My best advice is not to make the decision right now- it probably won't be your best decision.

[Buckeyebill]

Wayne, you and only you can make the decision to join the Navy. Only you can research the jobs the Navy offers.  Here's a start google these:  AG, IT, IS................good luck.

[Hello2u]

hi Wayne as a mom I would never want them to stop their life for me I lived mine now go live yours your mom is the parent and you are the child not her husband hate to say it that way but it's the fact it's the same thing if you were going off to college yes she lol be sad but deep inside she knows you gotta FLY!

[petrojax]

Hi Wayne, I am a mother of 2 sons who made the choice to serve. One is in boot camp now, and the other is a Petty Officer on an aircraft carrier. I cannot tell you what is right for you, but I can tell you that my older son is loving life, and enlisting and a college education are not mutually exclusive in today's Navy. Many enlisted take classes at community colleges, universities, online, and aboard ships. Also, there is diversity among the different facets of a job in the Navy. My Petty Officer has worked in admin, legal, and supply, and each department offered different opportunities and learning experiences. His love of what he is doing inspired his younger brother to follow in his footsteps, and in a few short weeks, I will travel to his PIR, hug him goodbye again as he leaves for "A" school, miss him terribly, and be proud of him for building a future while serving his country. My advice to you would be to talk to people who are serving or have served (and do not limit this to a recruiter). Research jobs that match your strengths and skills, and if your mother is anything like me, she will be happy if she knows that you are happy and working on building a bright future.