COACH'S NOTE
Hey there friend,
This week I came across a post from someone getting ready to enlist whose parents don't want her to go. I can definitely feel this. I've dealt with this in my life too.
Joining the military is one of the biggest decisions you'll ever make. Here's the part that's hard to see when you're young.
When you ship off to basic training, it's probably the first time your parents can't reach you whenever they want. No quick text. No call to check in. They're letting you go into the real world cold turkey.
And it leaves a hole in their day. The seat at dinner is empty. The house is quiet.
For you, it's the opposite. The second you get to basic, your world fills up. People everywhere. Workouts. Rules. Yelling. Every minute planned. All of it at once.
They get the quiet. You get the noise.
It took me a while to grasp that. It wasn't until I watched a good friend of mine see her daughter go off to basic training and deal with that struggle. That's when it hit me.
So when you say "I'm joining the Air Force," your parents don't just hear a job. They hear goodbye.
That's why the way you tell them matters.
Three things I'd do this week:
Ask first. Before you say anything else, ask, "What worries you most about this?" Listen until they're done. Then say back what you heard, so they know you got it.
Share your real why. Write it down first. Not the reason you'd tell a recruiter. Your real reason. When your parents hear it, the risk starts to feel smaller.
Show them your plan. Your branch, your job, and how you're getting ready. A plan is easier for a parent to trust than a feeling. That's where we come in: our community is full of people a few steps ahead of you, and parents are welcome too.
If you're thinking about the military, getting the whole map before you talk to a recruiter is the right move.
Appreciate you.
Coach Stebbins 🇺🇸👊
P.S. Parents, if you're reading this over your kid's shoulder, you're welcome in our community too.
Know someone thinking about the military? Forward this.