Advice to help parents cope with my decision...

[Tatom]

Lately my parents have been closing themselves up and becoming very emotional with my choice on the Marine Corps. When I made the choice to join it didn't go over smoothly as most parents don't dream about hearing their son say, "I am going to join the Marine Corps". Part of this I do believe is the media in constantly focusing on the negative points of the military. I originally enlisted with the mindset of becoming an 03, but due to the fact that the slots were filled I settled for a 1100/1300 contract in hopes to grab 1371 (Combat Engineer); however, I still felt the desire to become a grunt, and after speaking with my friend who is in the fleet I was convinced it was still what I truly want. I informed my SSgt that I still wanted the UH contract and said I wouldn't ship until I got the 03 open. He agreed and we're currently working on this, and for me it's going to be like Christmas when I get that contract, but for my parents they feel as though the world has ended. They're constantly focusing on the negatives and the 'what if?' scenarios and I just wanted to know if there were any grunts who went through this struggle and if they had advice to ease the pain of parents who are having difficulty coping and understanding...

[GyC]

I'm not a "grunt", but I am a Marine who's parents struggled with the decision of me joining the Marine Corps... I deal with Applicants, Poolees, Parents, Girlfriends, Uncles, Aunts, Grandparents, etc. on an almost daily basis... The one thing that I have said in the past, when up against the odds of making sense to anyone in this situation, is, you can "what if" every decision you contemplate or make in your life, and at the end of your life, you're still "what if" ??? Our lives are for the most part in someone else's hands all the time, in almost everything we do on a daily basis... Those that care about you, will always worry for you... Do what you feel you should do, and do it to the best of your ability, so you don't ask yourself years from now, "what if" ???... Good Luck!! S/F

[MicMarine]

My advice is this:

In 10, 20, 40, or 60 years from now you can say:

What if...? I wish I had...? How could I have...? If only I had...?

OR

I am glad that I gave it my best at...
I have no regrets about my life.

Something on my old SgtMaj's wall.

[ameriken]

I cant give you grunt advice (I was supply), nor did I have much trouble with my parents (I fought like hell to get them to sign the papers at 17 but after that they accept it and supported me), but I can give you some advice as a parent.....

Give them some time. This may really be very difficult for them to accept and they may need time. Dont force it down their throats. As for you, yourself, dont let their negativity dissuade you from your decision either. You are entering your own life, becoming your own man, and you have to be responsible for your decisions regardless of what your parents or anyone else thinks.

If you really want the Corps, then you need to stand on your own two feet and while being sensitive to your parents feelings, dont let their feelings guide your decisions.

Only you will have to live with the consequences of your decisions, be they good or bad. If this is what you want, go for it, but dont expect that your parents are going to like it. They may come to accept it and support you, and then again they may not. Just be sensitive to them, but be firm in your own decision.

[Tatom]

Thank you, Marines. I'm trying to be as open minded to them as possible knowing their struggle, but it's not easy for me to try and explain why I want to be a Marine. I don't really know if I will ever be able to express in words why I want it, but what I do know is that there are others who understand and I will just bite the bullet until they can see me at graduation. Thanks again, Marines.

[USCFIGHTONUSC]

They are your parents and this is scary for them. Nothing you say is gonna make them feel any better. Inside they are proud of you, but because we are involved in two combat missions overseas, they are gonna worry no matter what.

All you can do is to show them that you are serious about this and that you have thought it out. If they ask you "why infantry", then you better have a good answer and not some typical teenager answer.

[sparkie]

Simple facts of life,,,,, You choose, they honor,,,,,,,,,That's just the way it is,,,,,,,,