Enlistment

Mixed emotions.  Conflicted.  That's how most moms would probably describe seeing their 17-year-old son enlist in the Army National Guard.  Good: he will finish high school and earn money for college.  Bad: he's growing up way too fast.  Well, that was going to happen anyway.

Good: he will be a weekend warrior, so it's not like he's going off to fight in the trenches.  Bad: he'll do basic training in Oklahoma this summer and miss the family reunion we've been planning for awhile now.  And I have no idea how he'll manage to do weekend warrior stuff and be a senior in high school.

Good: he scored in the 89th percentile on his ASVAB test, which means he could make a career out of it and have a lot of flexibility in choosing a job he's suited for.  Bad: of all the jobs, he chose doing things with field artillery, which means he wants to be in action on the front lines.

Good: the officer at his swearing in gave a talk about the honor and pride of serving one's country, mentioning that only a third of all applicants complete the process, and stressed the importance of a college education.  Bad:  I cried all through the swearing in ceremony.  Good: I smiled a bit to myself when I thought how my late mother would have cried through the whole thing, too.  Bad: I cried even more because she's not here to cry with me and laugh about it later.

Good: I guess since he's all grown up now (even though he's not 18 yet) I need to stop using the "Secundus" blogname.  Congratulations, Peter!  We're proud of you and you know we'll worry about you.  A lot.  So be safe.