New Mom

[HatfieldsMom]

My son just left today for Paris Island. I feel so clueless. HELP!

[0231Marine]

What can we help you with ma'am? Do you have any specific questions or are you just looking for some support? Trust me when I say that your son will be fine and you should be hearing from him in the next day or two letting you know he's ok.

[awbrown1462]

he is in good hands and you will hear from him soon, Remeber he is getting the best training there is there are alot of Moms on here who have gone though this one of them I am sure will talk with you and help you feel better. Good Luck to your son soon he will be a Marine one of the best

[SGT7477]

He's in good hands ma'am, no need to worry all kinds of fine Marines on board to help you. Semper FI.

[HatfieldsMom]

I guess I need support! I haven't quit crying, I've been sick. I guess maybe him being my first born and my only son. I hope this gets easier.

[SGT7477]

That is natural to do, keep him in your heart and before you know it one fine Marine will be there to hold you.

[0231Marine]

I promise that it will get easier. Just take it day to day and once the letters start rolling in and you can read about what he's going through from his persepective, it will be a lot easier. You will be amazed at the transformation that you'll notice when he writes home and once you see him on Family Day, you won't even recognize him!

[Petz]

your thread title says it all.... he's got a new mom now... hahaha, sorry I'm just trying to lighten up the mood.

I've made a recommendation to another mom, go and get a subscription to Marine Corps Times and they'll get you up to speed on everything Marine Corps... and your boy will be shocked by the kind of intel you have when you start talking to him.


edit: oh, and they publish who has graduated from Boot Camp in the back as well... so you'll have his name in the paper.... if you care about that kind of thing.

[DAMNPROUD]

HM, not long ago my wife and i were in your shoes.its tough you have been looking after and checking on your son all his life and now you dont know anything.its a helpless feeling.know that what these Marines say is true he is being well cared for (maybe not the way you cared for him lol).i wondered what was going on more than worried .the one time i did worry dvblay from this site straightened me out which made myself and my wife feel much better.write him letters every day and it will go by faster than you think.
keith

there are some other sites for recruit parents that also can offer support.

beleive me its worth all of this

[davblay]

I guess I need support! I haven't quit crying, I've been sick. I guess maybe him being my first born and my only son. I hope this gets easier.

Rhonda....may I call you that? My mother went thru this 4 times! She had 5 sons, 4 that went into the military, 3 of us in the Marines, during the Viet Nam War, plus we all volunteered! I guess you'd say we are either patriotic, or idiots. But we all survived to complete our tours in Nam and three of us retired!

Now please know that your son is in the care of the best People the Marine Corps has, the Drill Instructors! These fine NCOs have the training to make Marines out of our "BOYS" and will do everything in thier power to see to it they succeed.

What you are doing and feeling is normal, just don't let him detect it in your letters to him. When you start writing to him, make it upbeat, send him clips from the local paper that he'd enjoy seeing, maybe a Card every once in a while just to cheer him up. But never let it show that you are worried sick about him, that has a negative impact on his mentallity, and believe me he needs to stay focused on his training!

As some of my learned Marine brothers have already said, "it does get easier, and time will soon pass"! Please be prepared for his first few letters, he may be very sad and homesick, and want to quit! But assure him that all is well and he needs to know he has your support, not having to worry about your health because of him! His letters will change over the weeks that he is there, he will start to sound excited about it and want to share the events as they happen to him. Brag on him, make him feel good, if he feels like he may fail, provide him with the crutch he needs to accomplish his mission, to become a Marine!

Rhonda, I have written to 100s of these guys, and trust me, I have seen and heard it all. But the bottom line is they always seem to get it together and are very proud when they send me that last letter, bacause they know they are soon gonna be Marines. Please understand that you haven't lost your son, by no means, you will gain a proud Marine that will always be a member of our brotherhood!

If at anytime you have any questions about him, or his letters, PM me and I will try to give you the answers you may have about his mail, his problems, what he's enduring, whatever. I am here for you, as are any of the Fine Marines on this site.

Semper Fi Rhonda, Be proud!

Dave

[HatfieldsMom]

Thanks, he told me before he left I would be crying because I was proud! And I Know I will be!

[marinemama]

My son just left today for Paris Island. I feel so clueless. HELP!

Hi there and welcome! I am sorry you are having a hard time. I promise it will get easier, once you hear from him and you start getting excited for graduation. If you need a shoulder, please don't hesitate to contact me. Been there, done that and have loads of moto t-shirts

[quillhill]

I know a tool I have found to be informative and a good starting point is information provided on the Parris Island Web site. There is an interactive training matrix that gives detailed information when you click on each training day about what the recruits are doing. There is also a printable training matrix. I printed one out and crossed out the days on the matrix when my friend Josh left in September. There's something quite satisfying about crossing off the days.

Here is the link to the Web site.

http://www.mcrdpi.usmc.mil/training/

And Cpl. Blaylock is an excellent resource. Take advantage of his knowledge as well as that of the Marines on this board as well as the other parents who have been there, done that, gotten the T-shirt, written the book and were featured in a documentary.

I could also point you to a couple other parent/family/friend Web sites if you're interested and suggestions for a couple of DVDs you may want to watch that follow recruits through boot camp. I can imagine that may set your mind at ease when you can actually see what he's probably doing.

Congratulations on raising a son who wants to serve his country. That in and of itself is something to be proud of, in my humble opinion.

[hrscowboy]

yelp ole davblay the bootcamp raider hes still in bootcamp even after 40 years he never graduated hes still learning how to get the irish pinnets off his uniforms, he got out there and seen them mountains at Camp Penelton, and they reminded him so much of home he just stayed..

[Quinbo]

I looked for a boot camp one but couldn't find one.



Used to be able to get them from the USO with anything from ships to maps to the cover from the cars album candy-O, and jet planes . Use a cammie stick and mark off the days. Makes the days pass. Before you know it you're coloring in the one with the star at the top.