Im joining the Corps. My mom knows Ive been thinking about joining a military branch but I wasnt sure, I just decided Im going marine reserves while in school(I'd miss one semester) and shes most likely going to flip her ****. Ive gotta get my birth cert. and stuff faxed over, I doubt she'll even do that.My Grandfather was a Capitan in WWII but way before she was born, didnt have much to say about it. Any tips on telling momma I'm gonna be a marine?
Just clean the table after dinner, do the dishes without being told, etc. She'll know somethings up from the buttering up she's getting.
Mom's don't always respond well in the start. Just find a way to bring the subject up and let her know you have made a decision. Expect any possible response including objects flying.
Or just set up a time for the recruiter to come talk to her, and after you clean the table and do the dishes you nonchalantly mention there is a guest coming over. When she asks who. You say "oh , just the Marine Recruiter."
Dear Mom, Just to let you know I'm not really on a field trip with the college communist party like you hoped I would be, I'm actually writing to you from Parris Island.......
Just told her, she said shed be absolutely sick for 8 years.Freaked out that Im going that Im going 0311, thinks Im gonna die.Many other huge negitives she pointed out . A valid point she had was that I could be deployed right as I start a family and career. Id be going into an infantry unit that "I was told" deploys on a 5 year cycle for 6 months at a time and theyre in Iraq now. Does that sound right? I desperately need "good" reasons to convice my mom why I wanna join the Corps other than what Ive come up with. I know that sounds ridiculous. I cant in my right mind go knowing my family doesnt support me at all and make comments to make me feel like ****
Don't sweat it.You'll find as you get older you'll care less and less what mom or dad thinks. Like choice of job, spouse etc.. I know it does'nt feel good you don't have approval but you'll get over it. You have to do what feels right for you. Besides just tell her someone has to pay the rent here right?
If the relatively simple matter of your family's personal opposition is enough to make you this indecisive on whether you should join up, you probably shouldn't. Being a Marine, and even moreso in the infantry, is a choice and a permanent life decision that you should not be making with any kind of underlying reluctance or baggage. If you are totally sure that being a Marine means enough to you that you can handle some disgruntlement from the family, then do it. You're an adult and fully capable of making your own life decisions.
I'm not advocating this, but there was a Vietnamese guy in my platoon with a very similar situation to you. He was your typical grunt, but his parents were both devout Buddhists and objected to him being in the Marines, let alone going to war. So when we deployed, he just kept them out of the key volunteers grapevine and told them he was doing training in California the whole time. (Wasn't too hard since they were 1st generation immigrants and didn't speak much English.) Thats out of his mouth, I don't know if they ever found out, but the point is not what he did but the fact that he was able to do it. If he had been emotionally torn up and conflicted during training and Iraq about the fact that his parents opposed what he was doing, that's at best a constant distraction and at worst it can make him a liability.
I'll put it like this: if you're deployed, thousands of miles from home in the middle of nowhere, already worrying about snipers and VBIED's, already hating life, is that lack of support from your parents going to be the straw that breaks your back? If you seriously believe it would affect you enough that you couldn't do your job, then don't enlist until you can come to terms with that.
I had the same problem when I told my mom, she flipped out, and started crying and saying I was gonna go die for nothing, and that she was sick and threw up, and then she started calling me non stop from her work, telling me how her clients would tell her horror stories of people that joined the Marine Corps etc.
She even still bashes my recruiter even though he's kool, and tries to help me out as much as possible. She met him for less than 5 minutes 1 time and was nice to him then. But now has a list of abunch of reasons why I shouldn't trust him just from meeting him that one time, and why I should go join the Air Force because they won't lie to me, and all that bullshit.
I straight up just exploded one day, and told her "look this is what I am gonna do, you either support it or don't, if you keep it up your not getting an invite to my graduation day, and I'll invite everyone else in the family. I am not gonna be a cute coasty or Chair Force. Now cut the attachment string and the bullshit".
After that she quit it with bashing the Corps and pullin all the dramatic ****. THAT DAY she went out and bought a huge American flag, and yellow bow ribbon thing to put in the front of the house. LOL.
My recruiter told me, the most staunch moms are the most supportive ones after graduation. What he said is already becomming true and I havn't even gone to boot yet.
Just stand up for yourself. Plain and simple, spread your wings and leave the nest.
Originally posted by jay34219: Im joining the Corps. My mom knows Ive been thinking about joining a military branch but I wasnt sure, I just decided Im going marine reserves while in school(I'd miss one semester) and shes most likely going to flip her ****. Ive gotta get my birth cert. and stuff faxed over, I doubt she'll even do that.My Grandfather was a Capitan in WWII but way before she was born, didnt have much to say about it. Any tips on telling momma I'm gonna be a marine?
Can't empathize with ya pal, my mom told everyone she knew I was gonna be a Marine, by the time I started walking. Said by the time I was two she'd have signed the papers for me. Good ole Ma. She didn't like me gettin tatooed, I hid that one for years.
Before ya step on the yellow footprints, you need to let go of Mom and be a man. Face the facts, being a Marine you will have to face your fears and deal with them. Say, Mom, I'm joining the Marines because I want to be the best and be with the best.
I am going through almost the exact same thing with my parents. I haven't yet signed the papers and if they don't support me after that I will be spending most of my time staying at friends and whatnot till I ship out for Boot Camp.
What you heard about the 5 year rotation is probably right. The unit I am going into just got shipped a few weeks ago, before that their last deployment was 4 years ago. Those are the only two times they have been to Iraq.
Your family is going thru growing pains is what I'll call it.
The biggest thing is when they think of the service at this moment in time is war and that can make people make all kindsa different accusations.
If its what you wanna do they will respect you later no matter what your decision is and believe me they will also be proud.
But as a parent I must say I thought young teenagers would give me grey hairs but in reality no matter what a parents child is doing they are always gonna worry and stress criticise etc.
It is a normal response from someone that loves you and believe me you joining the service is just the beginning of their roller coaster ride.
You will later on in life understand what you put your parents thru as have I.
And thats called growing up and learning to respect your parents for everything you put them thru but also everything they have done for you.
Life is full of difficult decisions and you will never be able to make everyone happy.
My best advice is make yourself happy and in the end that will make the rest of em happy.
