In the past several days our family has been on a rollercoaster ride. It started with a phone call from my son’s recruiter asking what day he graduates. I received the call on a Tuesday and I told him that my son graduates Thursday. They had a job for him and wanted him to leave Wednesday morning. I was in shock. Really? We could actually be facing a last minute send off like this? I was so grateful that he wasn’t going to graduate in time for this job. My emotions were all over the place. This wasn’t the way … Continue reading →

It has taken nearly a week to finally get in touch with the only Air Force recruiter in our area. Before you can even schedule an appointment to meet with the recruiter, you are asked a series of questions over the phone. Apparently the process of joining the military could be stopped just in that phone interview. My son had the speakerphone on, so that I could hear as well. At one point the recruiter asked my son if he had ever had a run-in with the law. My son responded, “Never.” His next question, “Never? You were never even … Continue reading →

Sometimes as a mom you just have to stay strong for your child. That is how I have been feeling lately as we prepare to see our firstborn son leave the nest. While I would love to spend every moment I can crying about the fact that he will be gone, missing the old days and cherishing everything about him…I have to remember that his departure isn’t just about me. It is about him. Whenever a child leaves home, no matter what their destination, they are bound to have their own fears or worries. I imagine that for my son … Continue reading →

In my last blog I shared how I had procrastinated on planning my son’s graduation party. I will be having it in July but it’s really not a big deal because now I’m not in competition with all of the parties being held in June. Since I have no experience with planning a graduation party, it worked out great this past week when my husband’s entire softball team and their families went out to dinner. I was able to talk with one mom who had hosted a graduation party a couple of years ago and another mom who has gone … Continue reading →

I’m not normally a procrastinator. In fact, I am a planner and organizer at heart. But as of last week I had already received three graduation party invites, yet hadn’t even started planning one for my son. This just wasn’t like me. But I eventually realized there were a couple of things going on. The first is that the idea of planning a large party was stressful. And the second is that a part of me was trying to deny the reality of what is ahead. It is one thing to plan and prepare for your child’s high school graduation. … Continue reading →

I am always talking about the necessity of learning to let go as our children get older. It’s funny how some things are easier to let go of than others. Take my 18-year-old son, who is beginning to get impatient that a job in the Air Force hasn’t opened up yet. In case you are curious how this all works, after enlisting and being sworn in the first time (there is a more official time you are sworn in, right before you leave), you apply for a job. The job you get will determine the technical school you go to … Continue reading →

Its funny how as a parent something you wish for can end up coming back to bite you. As any regular reader of mine knows, my 17-year-old son is going through the process of enlisting in the Air Force. It has been a journey that has taken me up and brought me down. There are so many emotions involved. My latest hope was that my son would do well on his ASVAB test. That stands for “Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery.” The higher you score on this test, the more opportunities that are available. So as most parents hope for, … Continue reading →

As I have been blogging about my son joining the Air Force, I have been expressing my mother heart. That part of me feeling pained about the idea of him leaving and just the uncertainty of enlisting in the military. However, there is another side of this that I almost feel guilty about. It’s the planning we have already been doing with the extra room we will have. As the little birdies begin to leave the nest, it opens up more space. And although I chastised my youngest for his first question being, “Can I get Daniel’s room?” I couldn’t … Continue reading →

Maybe I’m just being sensitive but I have been struggling lately with the reaction I have been getting from others concerning my son joining the Air Force. It has been very surprising to me that mothers in particular don’t seem to understand the deeper feelings that are involved. Out of all the women I know who have learned about my son’s decision to join; only one has acknowledged the difficulty of this as his mother. Every single other person has said things like, “Oh that’s great,” “You should be proud,” or something along those lines. Although I totally agree it’s … Continue reading →