<p>We fortunately/unfortunately live about 50 miles south of West Point. So we were on the road and back home by 8 p.m. on R-Day. I was close to tears the whole drive back home - with my wife telling me what a great job we had done raising our son, how this was what he wanted, etc. Worse, we were driving back in my son’s car, since we thought he’d enjoy driving up in his own car. It had all his crummy rap stations on the pre-sets and hip-hop on the cd. I wallowed in my misery listening to his music on the way home. Then I made the mistake of walking into his room when we got home. And it hit me again. He had packed nothing (even though his younger sister is planning to move into his attic room). It was like walking into FDR’s preserved study on the day he passed (although I doubt FDR had an X-Box or PSP) - everything in place as my son left it. But never to be the same again. I’m having a hard time getting focused on my work.</p>
<p>Truth is that my son began his separation from us a year ago. He’s really just been a ghost in the house and in his room. But to me he’s still that 10-year old boy I took fishing and camping and threw the football around with.</p>
<p>Our oldest daughter is at McGill - she’s been doing their summer term. It finished yesterday. My wife is going to pick her up today. Younger daughter is at Stanford this summer. I told my oldest that when she got home she’d be the “designated child” for the next 8 weeks with the others gone. </p>
<p>A few other side notes:<br>
*I can’t believe how much WP “stuff” they were selling in Eisenhower Hall. Of course I bought a bunch of t-shirts, mugs, tote bag, etc.
*We thought we saw our son during the Oath ceremony - my wife - an Army brat - thought he looked shaky, moving his head, not standing up straight (of course, that’s the Army’s problem now :))
*Found out on the way up my son only brought one pair of the boots he had broken in - either he’ll regret it or they’ll issue him a new pair
*Didn’t need 90 seconds to say goodbye - by the time it happened he was more than ready to go
*Theme I picked up from other parents is that most of these new cadet “kids” are self-motivated, highly disciplined, and were ready for R-Day
*Heard a rumor early in the morning that one new cadet had already dropped out (girlfriend issues)
*Check out this webpage - has links to Cadet Basic Training schedules from recent years past - <a href=“http://www.west-point.org/parent/wpp-net/cbt.html[/url]”>http://www.west-point.org/parent/wpp-net/cbt.html</a> - will give you an idea - day-by-day - of what your cadet is doing. Also, notice how much training the cadre did to prepare for R-Day and CBT, including sessions on “counseling potential resignees”.<br>
*I was encouraged by the Commandant’s remarks in Ike, re: security and the throughness with which they’ve planned CBT.</p>