How to get family on board

[Manimal]

man, NEVER feel sorry for me for that.

she married a guy less then a year later, he was very sick with cancer, and because i'm a nurse on the oncology unit in town, when he was admitted, i had to take care of him. we broke the ice with the 3 hour trip to London in the back of the ambulance. we even became friends to a point. but the whole time he was in hospital, on repeated visits, she sat around getting fat, she never left to shower, and rarely changed clothing. he passed away in January, she asked me for some favours, then when i didn't product started dating another guy.....she's been without a job for over two years..... it was a heart brake for the best! now i get to blow shit up in the army lol
it was lesson, but one worth living thru. i'd feel sorry for me if i did marry her.

 

[rmc_wannabe]

man, NEVER feel sorry for me for that.

she married a guy less then a year later, he was very sick with cancer, and because i'm a nurse on the oncology unit in town, when he was admitted, i had to take care of him. we broke the ice with the 3 hour trip to London in the back of the ambulance. we even became friends to a point. but the whole time he was in hospital, on repeated visits, she sat around getting fat, she never left to shower, and rarely changed clothing. he passed away in January, she asked me for some favours, then when i didn't product started dating another guy.....she's been without a job for over two years..... it was a heart brake for the best! now i get to blow crap up in the army lol
it was lesson, but one worth living thru. i'd feel sorry for me if i did marry her.

It's sad that her husband did pass on...however i think it's quite fitting that her life went downhill after doin that to you. lol, karma's a biotch eh

 

[Gouki]

your father is from a generation where the army did not have a good rep, they were paid crap and lived horrible.   I am going through this right now with my father, I did not ask permission, but wanted his advice.   I had to sit down with all the facts and show him that this is not the same army of yesteryear.   I have been in high tech for the last 11 years, I have seen the ups and downs, and I am going back to the army.   After I showed him the pay scale and the benifits his attitude changed.

There is something I want to throw in here, especially after reading this in particular. Everyone, take it for what you will but I think it's a great story of what the military can do for someone:

My father joined back in the late 70's back when it didn't pay the greatest and rights and stuff were pretty much nonexistant and getting pissed drunk in the field was perfectly acceptable. He came from a very poor area of North Sydney, Cape Breton and was no exception. For example, one winter he once woke up with snow in his bed - not enough money to fix his roof. He made the decision to join the forces and it's been great to him. He went from that poor neighborhood, supported a family (wife and two children-one being me obviously) and is now a Warrant and has great hopes to get his MWO's. This "crappy" military took him from nowhere to here. He put everything into the military and it gave him everything back.

I mean really think about that. When he first signed up he couldn't afford his own pair of shoes, and now he has a car, place to live, computer - well, everything that a regular person would have that most take for granted. And it's still giving him more and will continue even after he retires.

On top of that, the military helped my mother earn her Nursing Degree. It trained her, is teaching her french, and paid for her 4 years of university. She is in her 4th year now (well, will be in Sept) and when she earns that and her commission, the military is going to really give her even more (promotion to Captain in short time, etc).

Everything that I have and my sister has stems from the military giving back to my parents as much as they gave to it. I can't describe how much it pisses me off when even in this day and age, people slam the military has a crappy career that offers nothing. After all it gave my father I will never - ever, believe or listen to these ignorant people.

And fast foward to 2005. Privates, the lowest on the totem pole, got it pretty good. It's not friggen glamourous but in my opinion it gives you one hell of a starting point in your life. Check the Private pay (for those who don't know) after the recent pay increase. Some of my friends who got their degrees still aren't making that much and are lost with nowhere to go.

And now here I am, at almost the same age as my father when he first joined, ready to head out and start my own military career. If it took my father out of the depths of poverty and elevated him to where he is now, then I can't wait to see what I can accomplish in it.

Screw anyone who thinks the military is a bad career choice.

 

[rmc_wannabe]

Steve, you bring up a very good point. My father never had jobsecurity in his life, he was a self employed musician. My Family has had it's ups and down throughout the years with money, and i respect him for the life he has provided for me and my sister. I don't however think this is the road i will take in life, and he thinks that the only option to get out of self employment is university, then highpaying job, etc. Hearing what you've said about your father now gives me confidence in that the army is an equal, if not better career option. Thanks for the advice

 

[Manimal]

well of course your musician of a dad is not going to want you in the army...... those are polar opposites. but it comes down to, living your life. good or bad, follow your dreams, stick it out, cause it's never all roses.

 

[rmc_wannabe]

well of course your musician of a dad is not going to want you in the army...... those are polar opposites. but it comes down to, living your life. good or bad, follow your dreams, stick it out, cause it's never all roses.

Thats the plan

 

[Second Chance]

You must live and for plan for yourself.  

I'm 32 and applying for Regular Armoured. Every day my father tells me to rethink my plans. (By the way I own my own house) He tells me this over the phone.

I use to be in the Reserves back in the 90's and have missed it greatly since I left. Dam Civie job wouldn't give me the time needed.

My wife is all for me joining up, and is proud that I want to make something out of myself.
For in this day an age, job security doesn't exist. My many past layoff notices tells me that.

So no matter how old you are, parents worry. But you must do what makes you happy. If not, you are living someone else's life and not your own.

You only live once, live it.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Thats the plan

I'm glad after almost three pages and 20 some odd responses, you've finally made up your mind

I'm going to lock this now. If you start having second thoughts, PM me and we'll consider reopening it, or you can just read it all again. ;D

Good luck.

 

[Fry]

Time to wake this thread from it's slumber and get back on topic.


I understand how many who want to join feel when it comes to everyone else wanting/not wanting you to go through with it. My dad's semi for it, but he doesn't say much about it. Mom's against it, but she doesn't say much against it, other than the fact that I'll end up on the news as a casualty.

My grandparents are happy as pigs in sh*t.

I just tell em all that not only is it going to be a career, it's something that I want to do... that I feel I have to do.

 

[TheMachine]

The times when my head starts to get filled up is at work when I have 5 different people asking me questions at once while having time constraints to complete tasks at hand. Solution: deal with each person one by one ask quiclk and effectively as I can. Thats the key. Its much easier to deal with one person at a time. If 2 people try to talk to you at once say he was first, please wait, im answering his question right now. But I make sure you have prepared before hand so the explanation can go as effectively and smoothly as possible without having to re explain the same thing to the same person, or having to deal with certain doubts that person may have. Anticipate in a way to make sure you cover all aspects of there doubts, questions and concerns. This is great practice for your mind to deal with any leadership roles you may incur in the future. Good luck.

 

[ThatsLife]

lol, it seems that alot of mothers are the ones giving full support. When I told my mom, she was so proud of me, she was telling all of her friends that i'm joining the army and everyone said I was going to get shot and what not. But my mom was proud...but I guess deep down she thought it was just a phase I was going throuhj untill last Thursday when I took her down to this information orientation in New Wesminster. I brought my girlfriend, my girlfriends mother and my mom and they were all sitting huddled up close on a bench smiling at me unsure how to feel. But anyways, the Master Corporal asked everyone to go upstairs to watch the recruiting video...I watched it, had all my questions answered. When it was all over, I walked downstairs and I was telling them that on the video the soldiers were knocking down doors, blowing stuff up, shooting machine guns, walking through the arctic and what not. And my mom immediately was like.."Oh my little boy! I don't want him blowing his hands off! I want him just the way he is!"    

You could just imagine how I felt infront of a guy in cadpat.   :blotto:

edit:  due to being tired and making spelling mistakes

 

[Fry]

Yeah, a lot of my family are all goin on with "Ohh that's dangerous, let someone else do it". I just reply, well if everyone had that attitude, we wouldn't have anyone to protect against foreign and domestic threats. You would live in fear. It's just something that I want to do, and like it or not, I'm going.

Like I said, my Pop Fry couldn't be anymore proud, and that makes me feel good. He talks for hours about WW2 (the big one ... LOL) and about stories he had from italy and stuff... real inspiring indeed.

 

[BDTyre]

A few years back when I first brought the subject up, my parents weren't too keen.

So I left it and didn't tell them anything until I knew for sure I was in.  When they found out I had a new "part-time job" that involved "working with" the Seaforths, they took it a little differently.

My father didn't show much concern and my mother's first two comments were "I thought you wanted to work for CSIS" and "How can you afford gas and parking?"

 

[Seamus449]

Hahaha my mom is trying her damndest to get me to go reg force and get a "free education", she always says "if I could do it over again..." my dad thinks its a great part-time job but he doesn't like me going away during the summer even though I'm only an hour and a half away, but I gotta say, I don't like leaving much myself 

 

[Fry]

I hardly think it's a free education.

 

[NavComm]

Families, God love em. But as Gen. Romeo Dallaire said: if the military had wanted you to have a family, they would have issued you one. (or something to that effect).

Stick with what you want. If it's what you want to do, others will get used the idea. This is your life. Live it. Good luck!

 

[Kat Stevens]

Families, God love em. But as Gen. Romeo Dallaire said: if the military had wanted you to have a family, they would have issued you one. (or something to that effect).

Stick with what you want. If it's what you want to do, others will get used the idea. This is your life. Live it. Good luck!

No, but I was issued a housewife, and it was on every bug out kit list I ever saw..

 

[NavComm]

No, but I was issued a housewife, and it was on every bug out kit list I ever saw..

OMG that's funny

edited: yeah yeah I know I missed whatever he's driving at here.

 

[George Wallace]

OMG that's funny

Obviously you don't know what he is talking about.    :

 

[NavComm]

No I don't. I realized after I posted it that I was probably missing something.