When and how should I tell my parents I want to join the military?

Question

I'm in a little bit of a pickle right now because all my life my parents have been expecting me to be something big like a doctor or something in the medical field since all my cousins and siblings are. I'm not interested in college. Now they expect me to go to college because they always ask if I want to go to college and I've always said yes and everything since I don't want to disappoint my entire family. When and how should I tell my parents I want to join the military. I'm a sophomore in HS right now. I know many think it's too large of a decision but I've had this calling all my life.

Answer 1

Honesty is key and its your life that you will have to live. Your only here for relatively a short time so do as you please and learn from your mistakes though joining the Military in my humble opinion will not be one.



If you join you will become self sufficient i.e. would not have to rely on them for anything anymore so think about that, Unless your some rich kid with a trust fund waiting you will be ok.

Answer 2

Well, I got on here to ask a question about the educational benefits I was going to receive...I'm enlisting this week. I know exactly the boat you are in. All of my life I have felt this way and everybody has doubted me on it. I always knew I would join, and I always told people I would. I let my parents talk me into going towards a medical path in college as well and I hate that I did. In the past month I have switched my major and gathered all the info I could. I would suggest getting an education since obviously your family thinks you're smart enough to be a doctor. If something happens in your military career you will have a fallback. enlist in the reserves and then go active after college. I know it seems too far away but you have a lot of time left. I just told my dad yesterday so as far as telling them...find the parent that is more understanding and talk to them about it...casually slip it into a conversation...but gather information first...your parents will take you more seriously if you have facts about what the military is going to do to help your life...if you simply say that you WANT to join they will not consider you to be serious. Take your time (you have plenty of it) and gather all the facts. Do you know which branch you're wanting to join?

Answer 3

Trust them. Your parents know you better than you think they do. Just tell them. Don't be scared. Just bring it up tomorrow night at dinner.



Calm down and show some confidence. Your parents love you and they want you to be happy! going into the military is not necessarily a life long commitment. You can become a flight surgeon and get your education paid.



By the way, this is a great time for you to join the JROTC. It really helps if you already know the direction that you want to take your life.

Answer 4

One of my friends made a power point to show to their parents about him joining the military. It was successful. He had a slides on why he wanted to do this, where it could take him, the good, the bad, the ugly...but by the end of the power point his parents were more open to the idea. Then after that they all spent time looking at the process of joining and talking it over a lot and finally they approved. Also, if this is really something you want to do, once you're 18, you can do it anyway.

Answer 5

Hi Joe!



I guess I was in a similar situation to you! My family is actually one that exists based in a hospital ^_^ Maybe you could potentially get the best of both worlds! Being a combat medic gives you the opportunity to do so: its actually what I have been in training for!



On my own note- I just told my parents and they were surprisingly supportive, which I did not expect coming from my family.



I hope you'll just sit down do some research and have a chat with your parents!

Answer 6

one ingredient you want to think about is the way you may want to sense in case you've been surpassed a rifle and instructed you've been headed to Afghanistan. You settlement makes you surely authorities sources, and at the same time as being a rescue diver sounds really warm and morally unambiguous - there is not any warranty that you'll finally end up there, or perhaps if you do, it really continues to be no warranty that you heavily isn't put able to might want to kill. the different ingredient is you won't be able to swing from helicopters for some thing else of your existence. once you've concept by ability of those sorts of possibilities then you honestly in basic terms must have a frank communication inclusive of your acquaintances. in the adventure that they'd substantial moral issues of protection stress service i believe they could were extra intentional about instilling those values in you, which makes me suspect that your mom's quip replaced into not about moral hangups with protection stress service, yet about her expectancies for you and your destiny. in case you could stay calm and instruct that you've concept about the things you pronounced and the questions i discussed I guess your parents will come round. reliable success.

Answer 7

i would start by telling them that you need to talk to the both of them then just tell them that you have been thinking about joining the military after high school and let them know they do have a program in the military that you can go into the medical field if that is what you want to do and just be honest with them and say that you cant see yourself going to college but you want to make them proud of you. good luck and remember finish high school and study for the asvab

Answer 8

The sooner you tell them, the easier the idea of you leaving for the military will become for them. But then again, they might get pissed off and do everything in their power to dissuade you. You could do like my husband and tell them you're leaving for basic a week before it happens, and when they don't believe you, call them from basic and say "guess what?" They're your parents, you know them best.

Answer 9

If you would not mind going to college but still wanted to do hte military no matter what, You could also go to a military academy or go ROTC. Or go reserve and do college