Do you have words of advice for a mom whose son/daughter is considering joining the Navy?

[Navy for Moms Admin]

What tips or advice would you give to moms whose son or daughter is joining the Navy? What did you do when your child told you they were considering the Navy?

[trish1178]

What are the ways to earn E-2 and E-3? Sorry I didn't want to call and hassle recruiter again!

[MonkeyBoysMom]

Are you asking about earning E-2 and E-3 before boot camp, during BC or after graduating BC?

[trish1178]

Before and During I guess! 

[trish1178]

Great Thank you so much! I wasn't with her at the recruiters so I didnt get to hear all of this info! 

[MonkeyBoysMom]

If you need anymore information don't be afraid to ask. My husband just retired after 26 years (did a tour as a recruiter) so he's a mountain of information :) NHMom49 posted that awesome link with great information. I have to admit, having the internet/goggle/youtube/NavyForMoms is such a wonderful help.

[trish1178]

Thank you I'm sure there will be many more questions! Glad to know we've all been there! 

[BADma]

Well said NHMom49 !

My son came home from school and old me "We are meeting with he recruiter tomorrow after school."  At that time, he was 18, so who was I to say "HECK no!!"?

Our recruiters were very open and honest. I trusted my son enough to let him go.

[Leach73]

My daughter, 3 months left of her Senior year in HS - Mom, I want to join the Navy. Me - What?! Why?! No! How?! OMG! You are going to college in the Fall. What'chu talkin'bout Willis?

Then she poured her heart out to me. This is something she has wanted since 8th grade and she couldn't keep it bottled up inside anymore. (Naturally I thought that the recruiters that visited the HS told her something to brainwash her) So, I took a deep breath and let her talk. Then I said to her, if you are serious about this, I want you to set up an appt with the recruiter so that your dad and I can go with you and meet with him and LEARN about this military life because we were clueless. So I left it all in her hands to see just how serious she was about it.
Next thing I know, we are in the recruiter's office with a gazillion questions. We were there for 4 hours and the recruiter didn't let us leave until we felt satisfied with the questions and answers. I left that meeting feeling an admiration for my daughter that I would have missed out on, had she not spoken up.
This was March 2012 - my daugther shipped out for BC in February of this year. She finished her first year of college, all the while getting paperwork and medical records submitted to the recruiter, going to weigh ins and meetings, and even talking with a female recruiter about life in the Navy as a female. Each time, her feelings were reinforced by all the she spoke to about joining and the more I learned the better I felt too. It wasn't easy letting her go, but now she is halfway thru bootcamp and I am SO PROUD of her...i admire her courage, bravery, commitment, to serve selflessly for our great nation. Never in a million years did I think i'd be a military mom...I feel honored. We only get once chance to raise our kids and we have to support their dreams. God blessed us with them and we did our best and now it is their turn to leave the nest and fly with their own wings, just the way we did when we left our parents. Bootcamp isn't easy, but they will make it and so will we!

[Leach73]

Hello NHMom49

I'm sorry if you took my comment as 'anti-military' but never did I address the Navy as that or a dead end job either. I never opposed my daughter's decision to want to join. I was just surprised at the time that she told me because all along, the plan was for her to go to college but like I explained in  my comment, she said what she had to say because she needed to say it towards the end of her Senior year. It just totally surprised me.  I learned as I went along but because she told me just a couple of months before she graduated and because we discovered we were going to have to submit a bunch of medical records, we were given the impression that it would take a while for her to get approval. I told her that I wanted her to begin the course at college while she waited for all the paperwork with the Navy to be processed. She was ok with this and actually embraced the opportunity to live on a college campus for her first year of college as this would present her a new experience for her next stage in life being away from home. All the while, she never waivered, nor did we, from her pursuing her future in the Navy. She worked hard during her college courses so that her credits could be applied towards her entrance rate. I am so proud of her for speaking up and pursuing her dream. I would never discourage anyone from joining the military, on the contrary, I would encourage them to consider it and learn as much as they can so that they can see for themselves that it is a great opportunity.

 

[BunkerQB]

I do see periodically moms who think joining the military as a "last resort" - funny thing is the military is looking better and better everyday in this economy.  Even kids with college options are considering the military because of the training, security and educational opportunities. These same moms often get extremely upset when her son/daughter does not fly thru the recruiting/paperwork process.  In my observation (since I am Medicare age, I have had many opportunities to observe), we have a generation of young adults who have been cuddled and protected and can not step away from the comforts of home to find their own way in the world. I am a terrific helicopter mom, so I understand 100% the need to be mama bear.  It has taken me a number of years to lose the tendency to enable.  Our older son (former sailor) at an early age of 15 made up his mind that he would do things his way. He launched himself as soon as he finished college. Our younger son has more wonderlust and has come home a few times to regroup, much to his older brother's chagrin. 
It just takes some moms longer to get the picture.  But that is OK. 

[mav715]

She'll be just fine - bootcamp is 80% mental. My daughter is a Marine and her bootcamp was pretty tough and physical - but most of the women graduated. Navy boot isn't that demanding. It's all about committment and how bad you really want it. All you can do is pray for them every day and know that if you did your job well as a parent they are ready and confident to fly on their own and it sounds like a job well done from your end. Just enjoy the journey with her and be there to celebrate the victories and be support for the disappointments - nothing you haven't done already up to this point. My son is on the USS Mahan so the last few days have been stressful, but he is well thank God. Prayer and Support goes a long way...

[MonkeyBoysMom]

I was actually very excited and honored when my son told us he was joining, but I come from a military back ground (grandfather Navy, father Marines, husband Navy Senior Chief and just retired after 26 years). I can truly relate to having some fears, my husband was on the first ship to launch missiles at the beginning of the war and I've been through work ups, late nights, deployments, TRATS, etc. 

During high school my son had expressed the pull towards the Navy, we listened, gave him all the information we could and allowed him to spread his wings. After HS he decided he'd like to pursue his college degree so we followed his lead. Last year my son turned 23 in July, got married in August, graduated from OU in December and last week he left for the Navy....many changes to absorb in just 8 short months. But they're his dreams so I choose to do what I could for him and be there whenever he needs me through out all of his choices and honestly...I could not be prouder of him.

I'm very familiar and a custom to being a Navy "spouse", but being a Navy "Mom" has an entirely new feeling to it, but we are mom's which stands for "Master of Miracles" in my book because we can juggle so many hats at one time, but never miss a beat when it comes to our children. The best advice I can give is...Be There for your son or daughter no matter what and support them in what ever choices he or she makes because remember it is their life and they're doing what makes them feel good, makes them feel special, makes them feel as though they're giving back. To serve in the US Navy is a very proud honor as only .5% of our US population receive this honor. 

Be strong. Be proud. Be supportive always.

I truly hope I've maybe helped in some way. If you need someone to talk to please feel free to message me, if I can help I will.