Alright, so my parents and I had 'the talk' a few days ago and it didnt go so well. My dad, who is a doctor, says he has a bunch of patients who are in the military and he has a bunch of patients who have kids in the military, and that they are all screwed up physically and mentally, and they cant take care of their problems because their insurance is horrible. My Mom is saying "if you talk to anyone in the military, they will tell you to go to college and become an officer", and I told her that I'm not interested in making a career out of the military and that I want to become an enlisted member rather than an officer, and go to college after my 4 years and start my civilian career from there. She says that because of my high ACT score and GPA, I am wasting my life. She and my Dad kept on saying how this is the worst decision in the entire world and that everyone is only telling me the good and not the bad. I responded by saying that I have friends in the military that have no interest in recruiting me, and they have a s**tload more good to say about it than the bad, and all they say is "There just telling you the good". We havnt talked about the military since. They simply refuse to acknowledge the facts and that includes the fact that it is MY decision. I have another year until I turn 18, and their is a lot of tension in the house now, and I have a feeling that it is only going to get worse as time goes on. I talked to some of my friends, and they all say that the exact same thing happened to them, but things actually got better. Is this true? Any advice?
You have the final decision. You do what you want to do.Parents like yours think only the uneducated, poor and desperate serve and should serve in the military. Nice boys like you shouldn't waste your life with a bunch of no good azz holes like us.You know what I say to your parents. Fark you. Your parents wouldn't be saying that crap if your mom was about to be azz raped by some 3rd world ******* with your dad on his knees begging for his life. I'm sure then they would be begging for that poor uneducated Marine to come save their azz. Felt good to get that off my chest.I actually wrote you a nice long post that gave you advice on how to handle your parents. Then I said fark it, deleted it and wrote this. Fark your parents and you do what you want.
Oh and by the way just because you dad's a doctor doesn't mean he has some moralistic knowledge over everyone else. He's probably azz banging some nurse.I know from personal experiance.My bro-in-laws a doctor and he was banging every thing that wore a skirt. Tell him fark off.
Originally posted by Deanosaur: Congradulations on raising a person who is not afraid to work hard at achieving their goals. That not only speaks well of your son or daughter, it also speaks well of you. At this point you have two choices: you can either embrace their desire to make something of themselves or reject their notion of personal growth.
For those of you who don't know us, we're not the stereotypes you've seen in the movies. Quite actually, we're really not all that different from you. We just wanted to face great challenges to earn the Title of Marine and then live a lifestyle based on unity in dedication to great cause. What more noble act can any human being ever give to another than putting themselves on the line in defense of another's cause for freedom?
Do you realize how much we Marines actually hate war or how much we detest pulling the trigger to take another human being's life? While no rational person ever likes that insanity, someone has to step up otherwise any tyrant who can put a group of armed thugs together can dictate their will over families who just want to live in peace as they raise their children and grow old gracefully with their grand children.
Sound corny? Maybe foolish when there are less risky ways to live? How about stupid because a lot of people are making a lot of money while we endure hardships trying to live our beliefs? Not to us. We believe we're moral people of good conscious who'd rather do something rather than sit back and do nothing which is why we make the six o'clock news instead of watching it.
This is why I'm congradulating you on raising someone who feels cause is infintely more important than comfort or personal gain. So the next time you question why your son or daughter is enlisting to earn the Title of United States Marine, look in the mirror and you'll see why because "Oz never gave anything to the Tinman that he didn't already have."
For anyone who still disagrees, keep an open mind and don't be surprised when your attitude changes when you see your son or daughter graduate from boot camp. And if you ever feel worried while they're serving, join the club because we Marines ALWAYS worry too until our last American Servicemember comes home. You see, we're not just a Service, we're a family. Thats why we're The Marines.
O.K. Long day I've had. I second what Hollywood Marine posted. I'm just get mad at parents when they don't realize what a good citizen you are and want to be. My point was sometimes their is nothing you can do to justify what you want to do to your parents. Heck I'm proud of you just for considering joining and I don't even know you.
Mike, don't be mad at your parents because they love you enough not to want anything bad to happen to you. Kind of speaks well of them, don't you think? After all, they've invested a lot of time and effort into raising you so their reaction is quite normal. Why not invite them to come here and talk with us?
Just remember that while you do have the right to pick and choose your own destiny, they're the ones who are going to have to live with your decision and it can be really rough on parents depending on where you're sent. How would you feel if you were them right now?
When is the last time you simply gave them both a hug, told them how much you love them and thanked them for being your parents? This isn't about getting them to accept your decision. It's about you showing how much you really care for them as much as they're obviously showing how much they really care for you. Actions always speak louder than words and they're showing you volumes right now.
Think about it. You've raised someone for seventeen years and suddenly your "child" is telling you they want to be a gun packin' Marine during a shooting war where people are getting maimed and killed. What the heck did you expect them to say??? Your Dad saves lives and now you're talking about taking them? Ha ha ha, keep it real now Tiger.
Save your allowance or part time job pay and take your folks out to dinner. If you don't have the money, volunteer and cook for them. Even if it's only spaghetti out of a can and they laugh, they'll appreciate the heck out of your effort because your actions will speak volumes of how much you really feel about them too. It goes both ways.
Thanks alot guys, this really helped me see things from their point of view. The problem is (well, for them, not for me) is that they have recently been throwing a million college brochures and websites at me, and I really cannot see myself doing anything except what I truly want to be - a United States Marine.
I'll try and talk with them more about the subject and maybe get them on this website as Deanosaur suggested. Thanks alot guys. I'll see you soon.
my mother had lost a brother to Vietnam. He was a Marine, so she just wasn't having it for me to join.
my father was under the impression that i wasn't tough enough and didn't support it. he used to always say i couldn't even stand up straight, so how could i be a Marine?
however, after constantly bringing up the topic, as well as the alternatives i had, (very few) plus the cost of college (which they couldn't really afford) i was able to win them over.
for every argument they have, present a counter argument.
your parents talk about your ACT and GPA as reasons not to go. are these items going to pay for school for you? if not, your Uncle Sam will.
college will always be there. if you're a smart kid now, you'll be a smarter adult in 4 years. more focused and a better student. (disciplined and better at time management)
also, what kind of MOS are you looking at? find a way to pitch it to them. if it's infantry or some kind of combat arms MOS, pitch it to them that you are defending our country and learning discipline you'll need for the future. if it's a more technical MOS, pitch it to them that you are gaining valuable job experience and training.
if you want their approval, you must keep the dialogue open. don't let it go quiet.
Mike ~ My father was Air Force. I was Air Force. And when the time came, I hoped my eldest would follow the family tradition. At 16, he said "I want to be a Marine." The instant fear was shocking for me. Marines are first in, first to die, I thought to myself.
So, I told him to shop around. He didn't want to go in the Navy. And I knew he'd rather be a Marine than a soldier. When we went to the Air Force recruiter, even I was stunned at the arrogance of that putz. "Well, this is my Air Force. He'd better sign up now, or I may not want him later." See ya.
When we went to the Marine Recruiter, he was very aware of my insecurity, but didn't handle me with kids gloves. Up front and honest. I repected that. And, in turn, began to respect my son's wishes. We signed his DEP and gave parental consent when he was 17.
Now, here's the kicker. Five days before my son was to ship out to boot camp, he attended the funeral of our town's first Marine to fall in the Iraq War. The LCpl was 3 years ahead of my son in high school. So, when my son returned from the funeral, I asked him if he wanted me to recend my parental permission. He quietly said "No, sir."
Scared as Hell? You bet I was. But on that day, my son became my hero.
Mike, follow your dreams. But do the best you can not to alienate your parents with your decision.
I feel you Corpspapa. I've always wanted my Son to stay out of it all but I always figured he'd be a Marine if he ever did sign on. Low and behold he joined the Navy's Fleet Air and while it still seems weird looking at him in their uniform I totally respect that he followed his own direction. He's my Hero too. Semper Fi!
