zonker

It's just a short while away.

Get EXCITED! You are ready to begin the time of your life.
You will work harder than you have EVER done in your life.
Nothing... N.O.T.H.I.N.G will be given to you easy..
You will earn EVERY bit of it. You will know this, and take pride in the things you DO earn.

You HAVE been running, haven't you ? Get out there and do it, daily.
Make sure you DO visit with your friends. Get pictures with your family.
Drive safely....
Walk through your checklists of what to bring.
Bring stuff ON THE LIST.
Don't bring stuff NOT on the list.

Make copies of the papers/forms/records you are taking.
Make copies of your passport, and your drivers license/credit card(s)--front/back. It's always useful. Leave it with your parents.
There are other threads on this forum that discuss options fully.


Get pictures of you, SMILING BROADLY, with your parents.
Make sure you run. Swimming is good to.
Only bring your GOOD sense of humor and attitude to KP -- c'mon, you'd be laughing if this was a movie and somebody ELSE was having to get up at Run-o'clock in the morning

Did I mention running?
Oh yeah, the reason to get lots of smiling pics of you with your parents...
For YOU, they will be your lifeline. Whatever it is you NEED, they will be the ones you call to send it.
For THEM, they will want to see your smiling mug, as they are suddenly elevated to your 'personal shopper/assistant'. They will want to imagine a great big grin on you face as you open the USPS flat-rate box.

For parents, get familiar with shipping options from your area to USMMA. Might as well do it now, you will DEFINITELY be doing it soon!

And kids.. ahem, young men and women..(for your own good)
DO... NOT... ****... OFF.. YOUR.. FOLKS.. BEFORE.. YOU.. LEAVE.. !!

Too many good stories START this way, to the Plebe Candidate's chagrin!

1) Dad chats with another parent, whose kid turns out to be son's DI.. The whole platoon was asked "So, if you have NOT written your parents, step forward" Lesson--write your parents!

2 [and by far the best]) You do NOT want a mad Momma sending candy to your platoon's DI, with a nice note that begins "Dear <kids-name>'s Drill Instructors..."! It can only go badly for you. Lesson--Dads are easier... NEVER cross MOM!

----

Be methodical, plan ahead.. get your packing done (Space Bags, YAY).
Do not break/sprain/strain/lacerate anything between now and Indoc!
Smile.
Laugh.
Take pics.

Did I mention run??

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You are in for the time of your life. The Roller-Coaster ride begins soon!

zonker

Do yourself a favor, know how to use the washer AND the dryer before you leave home.
Bonus points awarded for using them in the right order

They can be found in the magical laundry room, where the wash-dry-fold elves live. Ask you parents, they will be overjoyed to show you.

MG2013Mom

I thought they had a laundry service. Glad I taught my DS how to do laundry years ago.

HopefulUSMMAswim

Zonker isn't kidding,

My mom was VERY enthusiastic in showing me how to iron this week. Now only if I knew how to sew on a button...

KP13Mom

Taught my kiddos early on where the washer, dryer and iron resided and how to sew on a button. Learned early on in scouting that rank badges changed pretty quickly~as soon as they went into boy scouts, I taught them how to sew on their larger rank badges and I did the smaller merit badges. They only sewed a few pockets shut but they learned. Buttons are much easier. HopefulUSMMASwim~you'll figure it out~ See you at the swim team picnic in less than 2 weeks!

Zonkers~thanks for a great post and reminders to run. Somehow it always is better coming from someone else other than Mom.

Sincerely,

A fellow wash and fold elf

suzannegra

Hopeful....don't worry about knowing how to sew on a button. You will be an expert sewer (is that even a word?? LOL), by the end of Indoc.


Also, you'll learn all about the funky way the Navy likes their uniforms pressed, so it's a good thing you now how to operate an iron. You may want to learn how to use spray starch too....and Brasso....learn about brasso

is2day4him

there is a laundry service, but some kids don't trust it and do their own. i personally think the laundry service does a fine job, but it varies from kid to kid.

MG2013Mom

What is brasso? I got him Never Dull at Walmart. I thought if you had the laundry service do your uniforms thay came back ironed and then they only had to touch up. Hence leaving more time to study. Do we send spray starch?

KP13Mom

Brasso is like Never Dull. It's a liquid that you apply and polish with a cloth. He'll be fine with the Never Dull which has the 'applicator' in the can. There will be enough of both products floating on the floor that they can figure out which works best.

DS is almost done packing~has his seabag almost done and his 'send me later box' almost ready to go. Never Dull is in the box. I can tell I'm gonna get to know the USPS people really well over these next 4 years.

zonker

Laundry service- Yup, there is one. Works just fine almost all of the time.
Some kids have never had a problem with it.
And, like every laundry service on the planet, sometimes one or more of your things goes to someone else [ which is why one of their first activities is labeling everything ] .

Anyway, my S had some stuff 'rerouted/lost' early in the cycle.
So, he prefers to do the laundry himself -- up there.
When he comes home, it looks like a clothing grenade went off !

I have YET to run into a son who successfully used the excuse "sorry Mom, I couldn't study.. I was doing laundry" Remember, boys, do your laundry TWICE as often as you think you should... the girls and everyone else downwind will appreciate it

is2day4him

your son will have more free time plebe year than probably any other time while he's at KP. it won't feel like it at the time, but it's true. having to iron clothes, or any of the other daily activities of plebe-dom will not have a significant impact on his ability to study or get decent grades. he'll just be stressed about it because now he will have to plan out his day with a lot more structure than he has ever had to do.
for example: he should set up a schedule once he gets his class schedule and post it on his desk. something like this is what i've seen a lot of kids do:
classes 0745-1545
study for chem 1600-1630
study for calc I 1630-1700
study for KP100 1700-1730
dinner 1730-1830
laundry/shining shoes/ cleaning 1830-1930

and so on and so forth.

i've seen that help a lot of kids!

Mtcycle09

"Don't bring stuff NOT on the list."

Would a shoe shine kit be a problem or should I leave that at home until after indoc?

SeaScout

they give you one.

SeaKid011

i can't wait im so excited !!!!!

whynot??

If you spend more time doing your uniform then you do studying to chemistry/calculus/physics....high chance you will fall behind in those classes, i have seem many kids worry too much about the regiment and their leathers then they did about their classes....they are no longer with us....FOCUS ON YOU STUDIES, THE PUNISHMENT FOR NOT SHINING YOUR SHOES....A FEW PUSHUPS...THE PUNISHMENT FOR NOT STUDYING.....RFD,SETBACK