My oldest son is an amazing man that I am proud of. He is 25 years old and he serves in the United States Air Force. His birthday was this month and once again we are not together to celebrate it. In fact, I have not seen him since May 2008 and it looks like it will be December 201o before I see him again. My youngest daughter, Kyrie, misses him more than almost anyone else. She was not even a year old when he left.
Chris Audet, USAF
Chris is overseas. He has been in Northern Japan, Kuwait, Iraq, and other places. He is, as of this writing, headed for a more dangerous area in a few months. He loves what he does, and I love him… so I am happy that he is happy and fulfilled. It isn’t easy when your children leave home, no matter how many you have. When one goes in the military it is even harder because you don’t often know when you will see them again. And then there are the people who ask you if you are afraid your child will be killed. How you feel about wars and skirmishes, and ultimately those people who tell you how THEY feel about the military (usually not complimentary) until you want to experiment with waterboarding techniques to see if it will shut them up.
It is sad. Maybe it is just me but doesn’t it occur to anyone else that having a child in the military is something that is a source of combined pride and fear? While I do try to be nice, sometimes I have to wrestle with sarcastic thoughts.
- Yes, I know he could be killed. I only thought about that ten times in the past 24 hours. Thank you for bringing my mind back to that thought.
- Hello, yes he is defending your butt so you have the freedom to whine about how much the government is spending on protecting him while he protects you. Geez.
- No, I didn’t let him watch violent movies as a child, he developed the desire to kill people all on his own.
- Do I miss him? Umm… no, not at all. Seeing your child 3 times in 6 years is enough for any parent, isn’t it?
- Proud? Yes I am proud of him. And there is no sarcasm in that.
You have a whole new set of guilt patterns when your kid is in the military. You don’t send cookies enough, you don’t email enough, you should be praying for them more… You realize that you know very little about their every day life, you know none of their friends, and when you see pictures of them you realize that you wouldn’t recognize your child at a grocery store should you accidentally run into them.
Parenting is tough. Parenting a son or daughter in the military is very tough. It doesn’t get easier as time goes on, it just gets more normal.I know parents that try to talk their kids out of the military when they mention that want to join. I understand the desire to hold on to your child but when you keep them from what they feel called to do you hold them back from their destiny. Best thing you can do if you have a friend whose child is going into the military is be there for support. Best thing you can do if your child is going in the military is… be there for support.
image: marye audet
Post from: Blisstree