<p>still waiting!</p>
<p>Army2012 - Follow your dream!!!! </p>
<p>Your mom will come around, after all you are her son. It may take a month, maybe a year, but time does wonders. I am a high school counselor and have had so many fantastic kids walk away from ROTC scholarships to top notch schools because their parents won't allow it. I keep in touch with many of my former students, and I know two very well who sit around now in their 20's and say, "What if I went to Embry Riddle" or "I wonder what my life would be like had I gone to USC."</p>
<p>Go for it! You don't want to live with "What if's." </p>
<p>Good luck and remember we're all here rooting for you no matter what decision you make!</p>
<p>I just received my appointment to USMAPS today. The wait was definitely worth it. I had always wanted to go to West Point, but never really knew if I could. It feels good to have your dreams come true.</p>
<p>GO ARMY, BEAT NAVY!</p>
<p>Congratulations chad43!</p>
<p>Army 2012: Keep communicating with your mom. Try not to let this become a barrier between you. Let her know your hopes and dreams, and let her know why this decision is "right for you". Sometimes moms (and dads) have a hard time letting go of their own dreams that they have for their kids. It sounds as if your mom has done a great job of raising an independent young man who is willing to serve selflessly. Do you have anyone that can mediate between you? </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Army 2012:
"even to the prep school she is saying its a wasted year and that you not good enough to get into to the academy , they already showed you that."</p>
<p>You may want to explain to your mom that by offering you the prep school, USMA has effectively said that you have the qualities they are looking for and that they are willing to invest an additional year in your education to make sure that you will succeed at West Point. You see, the academies are different from civilian universities. Civilian universities often admit more students than they need to a particular program, and then "weed out" those who are not up to par. The academies do not do this. If they accept you, they believe that you have what it takes to succeed and will do everything in their power to make sure that you do (of course you have to do your bit too...). Rather than seeing the prep school offer as a rejection, your mom needs to understand that is a wonderful opportunity that is offered to a very select few.</p>
<p>army2012:</p>
<p>Mom3boys' words were eloquent and just what I wanted to say to you, too. Please know you have a whole bunch of other "moms" out here supporting your decision, and we could not be prouder of the young men and women who choose to serve, whether you be our own flesh and blood, or someone else's. If I had it all to do again, I am sure I would have gone the military service route after college, but I am too old for that now, so I will choose to serve by being supportive of those who are much younger and stronger (and in shape!) than I am. </p>
<p>As has been suggested in other threads, let her know there are other moms struggling with some of her concerns. Perhaps talking with other parents, even via internet forums, will give her some peace of mind and insight to your needs and desires.</p>
<p>thanks everyone ... i have given her a day or so to just relax and not even bring it up ( the house has been peaceful haha) but i told her to come up with a list of why she does not want me to go and we are going to discuss it, not that its going to change my decision one bit but i just want to show her that i have researched this and know what i am getting my self into . I will let you all know how that goes if i am still alive haha .. thanks for everyones thoughts and imput</p>
<p>Tell her to join the forum; we promise not to bite! I'm sure there are members here now who felt the way she does at one point. If nothing else, she can make some friends to vent with when she's missing you next year!</p>
<p>My first thought when my son was offered a foundation scholarship was "he is to good for that” he had offers from several good universities, full ride athletic and academic offers but his goal was to attend and graduate from a military academy. I was still unsure when we dropped him off at the place that he likes to refer to as "the place that God forgot" in Marion Alabama. But now I truly believe that it is the best thing that he could have done. He has received his appointment for the class of 2012; he knows what is expected of him when he gets to USMA. I am so proud that I cannot even express it in words.</p>
<p>I bawled my eyes out when I realized this was going to happen. I never ever thought he'd get in (sounds mean, I know -not that I don't think highly of him, I just know how competitive it is and there a lot of qualified kids out there). When he got early acceptance into two selective schools in December and then the nomination came, I knew it was going to happen and really started to freak out. I couldn't sleep at night because my mind was racing about what I could do to entice him to stay closer to home. I spent many sleepless nights worrying about the distance, the war, what if he gets hurt during beast then he's SOL because it'll too late to go to 2nd choice school. Blah blah blah - I was not a happy camper. </p>
<p>For me, it was more of a feeling of losing him. I always thought he'd go to a So Cal school which is hop skip and a jump from here. The thought of not being able to hop a plane at the last minute and take him out for dinner, or having him come home and hang out on weekends for birthdays, mother/father's day etc. is what I'm really sad about. </p>
<p>But now that I've had a month to deal with it, I'm fine. I just woke up one day and was excited for him. I can't wait to see the man he's going to be in a few short years. I'm very proud and can't wait to watch him grow as he embarks on this incredible journey!</p>
<p>Army 2012, your mom will come around. Just give her some time.</p>
<p>Still waiting!</p>
<p>PointMom2012 .... well said. I think a lot of us have gone through the same range of emotions. R-Day will be incredibly difficult, but we will all get through it with the support of our families and one another. I count on many sleepless nights but I take comfort in the fact that I am giving my child the greatest gift of all .... his wings.</p>
<p>Army2012...Your mother fears about West Point are the fears that many parents of cadets have experieinced over the years. I, for one, was in the group of parents that did not want my son to go to West Point, didn't want him to "waste a year" at a prep school and wanted him to stay fairly close to home. As parents, we ultimately realize that we have to let go and let our sons and daughters make their own "life decisions." That is a tough thing to do and many of us realize that once the decision to go to West Point is made, we are effectively out of the decision making process. We are still parents, we still love our children, but the ability to make decisions for our children has been usurped by the Army. The thing that we have to understand as parents is that is not necessarily a bad thing. It's just part of life...we are just getting there earlier than parents of kids that are going away to a civilian college. Your Mom will ultimately come around and be as proud of you and your decision as I am of my son.</p>
<p>One of the ways I got more comfortable with the idea of West Point was to follow the West Point site at College Confidential. I think your mother would benefit from following it as well. If she wants to talk to some parents that have been there before she can post a thread, or contact by way of private message many of the folks that have replied to your post. One of the great things about West Point for parents is that you don't have to go through it alone. There is always someone there that has been there before who can answer questions and give advice. Whether the help comes from College Confidential, Prospective Plebe Net, Plebe Net or WP Parent's Net, a parent can always find an answer for the fear or question du jour. Good luck and congratulations!</p>
<p>"... but I take comfort in the fact that I am giving my child the greatest gift of all .... his wings."</p>
<p>I love that! </p>
<p>I feel so selfish after that last post - I admit I didn't think about what he wanted, only myself. I feel better now knowing that he didn't settle on a college that wasn't a good fit just to stay close to home and please me. Boy this is cathartic!</p>
<p>I have been the wife of an officer for the AF for many yrs. He did a jt tour with the 82nd when Haiti was being invaded. My mother-in-law still didn't get it about him, even after 8 yrs of AD, I think she still doesn't get it. I will never forget the day when he was to jump into Haiti with the 82nd, our youngest was 4 mos. old, she could not bring herself to go and hug him goodby, stayed in bed as he left. I berated her for this. Asking her how dare she allow him to leave with him worrying about her left behind? She told me I would feel differently when it is my DS...I responded no, I won't I will hug him, kiss him and tell him I will see you when you get home. Our DS has now decided that the military is what he wants. I have been fortunate enough to experience the joys of this life. I will cry when I get the 90 sec goodby call (I'll be wearing sunglasses on purpose to hide my tears), but I will tell him that I love him and I will hug him and let him know I will see him soon.</p>
<p>IMHO these kids will be facing more than the avg freshman, it is important that they know, we respect them as adults and as parents it is our job to see their dreams come true. Our ALO said it best, the cadets he worries about our the ones whose parents won't cut the apron strings. I told him I cut them already, but I left one a little longer just in case :D</p>
<p>still waiting!</p>
<p>I got appointed to USMAPS, and congrats on everyone else! I hope I get to see you guys there!</p>
<p>Can everyone that is going to USMAPS send me their social networking information, I wish to get to know you guys better before going (making early friendships). If you don't want to thats fine, its just for the people that want to know each other before we go. Thanks!</p>
<p>Congratulations snackxmachine!</p>
<p>JPUSMA,</p>
<p>Keep waiting. It's tough when you're the type of person who likes to make things happen. Good luck.</p>
<p>snacksmachine,</p>
<p>Congratulations to you! And you have a great idea to start talking to your future classmates. The former USMAPS cadets I know who are at WP now are a very close group.</p>