tough one

[ropndonkies]

k so just got back from dropping my oldest son off.he ships out today for the US ARMY!prolly the tuffest thing i have ever had to do!he is gonna be in oklahoma for 15 weeks for basic training and school thats a long frikin time to not see your boy!:( i always thought that the day your kids moved out would be a good day!how i was wrong!!is it because of the long time b4 i can see him again or what!its like i worked hard for 18years to mold him into a man and now in a SNAP of my fingers he's gone!!!!GONE!!! <<SIGHS>>:(IS IT NORMAL TO FEAL LIKE I DONT WANT TO BE A DAD ANYMORE JUST TO AVOID HAVING TO GO THREW THIS AGAIN?Anyway i just got smacked with reality and em dazed and confused!!!:confused::(:confused::(:confused::(

[babsone]

Very normal feeling I felt as if someone had died and I was in mourning:(

As the time goes by and you realise they are ok without us to look out for them it eases a little:wave:

[RobPalmer]

Being a father of 4 will teach you some things. Here is just a few things that I have experienced so far.

Milk will go bad. Its hard to believe, but it will.

When it gets really quite -- the world is not going to end and the sky is not falling

[FOURDEAD36]

he'll be fine m8!! as long as he remembers what ya taught him!!!

[1CanadianGirl]

Ropdonkies Quote>>> its like i worked hard for 18years to mold him into a man and now in a SNAP of my fingers he's gone!!!!<<<

You have done your Job and now he has made a mature decision as a man to fight for his beliefs..... Good Job Ropdonkies as you should be proud of your Son.... ;)

[ropndonkies]

OH YES I AM SO PROUD!!!!He is more of a man then i was at 18.its just that my son/best friend isnt here no more.so many great memories!just SO HARD to adjust atm.seems like forever and its only been a day:(

[ropndonkies]

oh and thankx for the encouragement!!!:wave:

[ropndonkies]

to day is my soldiers 18th bday!!kinda sucks!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEAR!! LOVE YA!

[fromafar]

OMG!!!! Congrats!!! My son is at Fort Sill, OK now and graduates from basic training on September 5th!!!

He left June 25th and the first 2 weeks were hard for me because I never heard a word from him. Finally they gave all the soldiers 3 minutes to call home and give their address. After that we wrote back and forth a lot. Plan on writing often and get all his friends and relatives to write as well. They love getting letters at mail call.

[Miklosik]

both fromafar and ropn should post their addresses here cuz I'd send them a thank you card and I'm sure many people from here would also. Or if you're not comfortable with that just pm me the address and they will get one from a little old lady in Illinois.

[fromafar]

both fromafar and ropn should post their addresses here cuz I'd send them a thank you card and I'm sure many people from here would also. Or if you're not comfortable with that just pm me the address and they will get one from a little old lady in Illinois.

PM sent...

[ropndonkies]

well when i hear from him (hopefully in a couple weeks thanks to the info from fromafar)ill def send the address he would def like that im sure!!so i guess him being able to call home today on his birthday is outta the picture..:(

[fromafar]

well when i hear from him (hopefully in a couple weeks thanks to the info from fromafar)ill def send the address he would def like that im sure!!so i guess him being able to call home today on his birthday is outta the picture..:(

You never know, they do have a heart...lol My son surprised me with a text message one afternoon all because one guy had a new baby born. They let the new dad have some cell phone time and he let a few use the phone to send out messages. :D

So far the coolest thing was getting the very first of a 5 emails from the First Lieutenant and it had a picture of my son on the ropes course.

[ropndonkies]

woohoo he just called <sighs> sounded good misses home he says only had a couple minutes says his basic starts monday graduation is oct 17th i cant wait!!man his mom is gonna be super bummed she just left for work!

[1CanadianGirl]

That's great news, must have been very happy to talk to him.... Happy Birthday to your Son!!!!!

[fromafar]

woohoo he just called <sighs> sounded good misses home he says only had a couple minutes says his basic starts monday graduation is oct 17th i cant wait!!man his mom is gonna be super bummed she just left for work!

It's wonderful that you were able to talk to your son! Happy Birthday to him and congrats to you!!! :win:

[ropndonkies]

so in 7 days i finally get to see him!!its been a long 7 weeks but i am so very proud of him!he called last night and said "It's official dad im a soldier in the united states army!kinda gave me goosebumbs:P

[xTENSEx]

sounds awsome dude.

where is he gunna b based at?

i got a buddy in the navy. saids japan is the place to be.

[babsone]

Wow how time passes great news Ropon :win::wave:

[ropndonkies]

so i got to see my boy today!!woohoo!today was family day!so they had a little ceromony then they released him to us for the day!im so proud of my boy!he looked really good!and it was great just hanging out with him!today is graduation!then its gonna be a great weekend!:):wave:

[fritzson]

Nice, that he will be back. Do something fun... and have a nice home evening. :D


However, I think 15 weeks feel harder when you cannot call or visit any time you want.

If you have the opportunity to make a call or a visit, it is easier to relax - because you know you can do it.

[ropndonkies]

:wave:just got home from the graduation.was so nice to see my son!!the good bye sucked as usual :( so now he has 5 weeks of training and hopefully get to come home just in time for turkey day b4 he gets stationed sumwhere. oklahoma is def sumwhere i wouldnt want to live but i did take him to his 1st casino where he turned his 500 pennies into about 15000 at the slots :win:

[hdfree]

Hoping EVERTHING your son does turns 30 fold to his favor ! Best of all to you both !!!! :wave:

[1CanadianGirl]

Glad you had a great time with your son.... Proud Parents you must have been to see him graduate.... Any Pics yet lol...

[Kimmiejo]

So happy you got to spend some time with your son:) It must be very hard to be away from him. I dread the day my kids leave me.:( I joke with them now saying "aren't you 18 yet?" And we laugh about it.But I know when that day comes it is going to be really hard and I am going to miss seeing them every day. I told them if they go to college here in town they wont have to worry about expenses cause they can just stay here with me:D Of course my daughter doesn't like that idea.:rolleyes:. I guess ya gotta let them grow up. It's a part of life as much as it sucks.Just be proud of them and cherish the time spent together with them.:)

[ropndonkies]

ya i used to say the same thing!until the day came!it mighta been ok if he was close but having him far away and not being able to see or talk to him is really hard!3663

[fromafar]

Congratulations to your son!!! I'm glad you had a chance to see him before his next training!!! :win:

[ropndonkies]

just a little update so 3 days till he gets to come home!woot woot!he will be home wed morning for about a month and then he gets stationed in graffen germany for a year!man i wasnt expecting that..sighs....but anyways all i can do know is enjoy the time i get to spend with him!

[boysmom]

ropndonkies, i gotta say thank you...to you and your son...the sacrifice must be enormous for you. I am so proud of the young men and women that volunteer to keep our country the greatest. But I also gotta say, Oklahoma is a GREAT place to live...lol...;)

[ropndonkies]

so the last 32 days were great!just got back from the airport.hes headed to germany for a year :( was sad having to say good bye again...but he seems excited...but i also sinced he is a little scared ,but i would be too if i was 18 and headed to a different country.....:wave:

[DangerMouse420]

so the last 32 days were great!just got back from the airport.hes headed to germany for a year :( was sad having to say good bye again...but he seems excited...but i also sinced he is a little scared ,but i would be too if i was 18 and headed to a different country.....:wave:

He should have a good time over there. I spent a couple of weeks working at the UK/US army bases in Germany and we had a blast. The locals were friendly and didn`t seem to bear any animosity to the soldiers.

If he likes driving he just went to heaven. Unrestricted speedlimits on the autobahn :D

Oh yeah and he`ll be legal to drink :win:

[Dori113]

My Dad still looks back on the times he spent in the service in Germany as his favorite times. He loved it so much so I was almost German, lol. He almost talked Mom into moving. I hope your son enjoys it almost as much as my Dad did ~ minus the wanting to relocate there forever part :)

The second hardest day of my life was sending my brother off on the plane when he joined the Air Force (I missed the start of this thread). He loved the Military and if he hadn't gotten sick he would have been career. Now he's a postal worker :eek:

My son leaves September 1st (could end up being September 9th) but they are fairly certain its the 1st ~ he joined the Navy. One of his very close friends leaves in 48 days ~ not looking forward to either one of them going only because Good~Byes are so hard, but I do think both are going to enjoy it tremendously.

I hope its an amazing experience for all of our family and friends who are serving. And will be sure to keep everyone in my thoughts :)

[babsone]

Lots of marines and soldiers in my family

I am so pleased he is heading for Germany and not where it is really bad for all service men at the moment

The autoban though tell him to take care I wont go into a story of my cousins friend when they were all stationed there many years ago

May they all keep safe in there job to keep us all as safe as they can God bless them all xx

[ropndonkies]

just got the phone call we didnt want to get.....my son will be headed to iraq on the 17th of feb.have some mixed emotions about this.....i just ask that the higher powers please keep my boy safe!! :(

[fromafar]

My prayers are with your son and your family. :wave:

[Survivor777]

My prayers are with your son and your family. :wave:

Yes mine too, absolutely http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r295/Survivor777_photo/Cross.gif

[doorgod2]

we will all pray with you keep him safe,be proud of the boy for taking the big step in becoming a HERO.anyone who fights for our freedoms is a hero in my eyes.

[ropndonkies]

my boy arrived in kuwait last night.the reality of my 18 yr old going to war is really getting to me!i understand the fighting isn't as intense as it was a few years back,but its still a war.i know he is scared inside i just hope his angel stays with him and protects him!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT5wPFx_8G4&feature=related

[Dori113]

He will be kept in the thoughts of many ~ will promise you to keep him in mine. I didn't watch the video was afraid it might be sad and I have to be careful about that kind of thing... but did want to say I appreciate very much what he is doing & I know it has to be just terrifying for him and you all, I remember what it was like for our family when my brother was in the Air Force during 911. We will be thinking of you all :hearts:

[Fireman2x]

k so just got back from dropping my oldest son off.he ships out today for the US ARMY!prolly the tuffest thing i have ever had to do!he is gonna be in oklahoma for 15 weeks for basic training and school thats a long frikin time to not see your boy!:( i always thought that the day your kids moved out would be a good day!how i was wrong!!is it because of the long time b4 i can see him again or what!its like i worked hard for 18years to mold him into a man and now in a SNAP of my fingers he's gone!!!!GONE!!! <<SIGHS>>:(IS IT NORMAL TO FEAL LIKE I DONT WANT TO BE A DAD ANYMORE JUST TO AVOID HAVING TO GO THREW THIS AGAIN?Anyway i just got smacked with reality and em dazed and confused!!!:confused::(:confused::(:confused::(

Wow Bro, that is deep. I hope your son has a safe adventure protecting our country and I will pray for his well being. I felt the same way when my son moved out last year and miss him everyday but much easier for me, he is just on the other side of town. THe bond you have with children is so deep and you never know how much you love them until they are gone. If we did not have people in our society like your son, it is hard telling how much freedom we would have. You have me email address if you ever need some one to talk with, tell your son to stand proud and be extremely safe. Thank him for protecting us!!!

[ropndonkies]

just a quick update b4 i head to work.....my son finished his 1st tour in iraq 3 weeks ago and is back in germany where he should be safe!! AND HE WILL BE HOME ON THURSDAY NIGHT FOR THE HOLIDAYS!!!!!!WOO HOO!!!!!!!!

[Miklosik]

finished his first tour. Will there be a second? Congrats on having your boy home for the holidays! It's sure to be a Merry Christmas at your house.

[Snoggler]

I am so happy Tim! Merry Xmas buddy. Salute Ropn Jr! Enjoy your time home!

[DJHarmon]

congrats on having him home safe and in one piece.........give hima hug from me, a vet..................

[Survivor777]

just a quick update b4 i head to work.....my son finished his 1st tour in iraq 3 weeks ago and is back in germany where he should be safe!! AND HE WILL BE HOME ON THURSDAY NIGHT FOR THE HOLIDAYS!!!!!!WOO HOO!!!!!!!!

Yay :) What a wonderful holiday this will be :wave: