This weekend I had to say goodbye to my 16-year-old son. He was off to a military encampment which is part of the Civil Air Patrol program that he belongs to. This is his second summer participating.
It is very hard for me as a parent to see him off. First, this is not your average summer camping trip. He stays on an active military base where he goes through the rigors of boot camp. Second, I have absolutely no access to him. There is no contact allowed. The best I can hope for is a picture of him. Someone takes pictures throughout the week and posts them online.
It is seven days of missing him and wondering what he is doing and how he is doing. Last year was very grueling for him and quite honestly, I am surprised he wanted to do it again.
However I think all teens could learn some valuable lessons through this type of experience. He had to leave behind all of his modern conveniences. You can’t take your cell phone, an iPod, or a game system.
You have no access to your family and friends. You learn how to live with and work with other people.
You don’t get to sleep in but instead are woken up at 4:30 a.m. by the sound of someone screaming. My son also mentioned that on some mornings it was to the sound of heavy metal music.
You don’t get to take all morning to get ready. As soon as your feet hit the floor you have just a few minutes to accomplish a certain number of tasks. You don’t get to laze around. You spend all day either in classes, doing drill exercises or participating in obstacle courses.
Probably the most difficult thing for him to deal with was the lack of sleep. Not only do you wake up at 4:30 a.m. but you end up serving guard duty at least once during the week. It can happen at any time during the middle of the night. Last year he had to do it twice.
Then because you are so tired you find yourself falling asleep in class. If they catch you doing that, you have to stand. Now do you see why I had a hard time sending him off?
Now some might consider this cruel and unusual punishment and wonder how in the world I could allow my child to go through that. You wouldn’t be alone. My mother thinks it’s terrible. But I can’t seem to get her to understand that despite how challenging it is, he chooses to go. He wants to join the Air Force so he is being prepared.
But like I said, I think some of what he goes through teaches some valuable lessons. When he comes back from this he has a greater appreciation for his life. I remember last year he said he felt like kissing the ground in front of our house when he got back.
To be honest, I think this is also good preparation for me. I will have to let him go one day. All of this has started to prepare me for that day. I have also learned that it’s okay for my child to face challenges, yes, even those that seem impossible. I learned that my child is stronger than I thought. I would like to think that I can take some credit for that.
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