Concerns

[Legionnare]

Hello everyone,
 
      Before i get started on what i am intended to say i shall introduce myself. My name's Chris currently living in Edmonton and I'm an Air Cadet. I have been wanting to join the army since i was very little when i first started to play with plastic army soldiers. When i joined Air Cadets, that further stimulated my interest in joining the military. It's been a childhood dream to join the infantry and hopefully become part of the very respected PPCLI regiment. But there are a few ditches in the road that make me stop and think of how i am going to get myself out of this one. Everytime i say i want to join the army to people they say "Oh, you won't have a good education, your going to be a brainwashed grunt." That really discourages me. My parents are also really against me in joining the army. They say the same old stuff as any parents do. "You will get shot", "You will be living a poor quality of living", "blah,blah,blah." Does anyone have any advice that i can say to my friends and family members on how i can benefit from joining the CF. Oh and before you post anything, i already bothered trying to show them the recruiting website "Benefits" section. It still didn't cut it for them. So please, i would like advice from your own personal experiences. Thank you for your time.

 

[Infanteer]

Listen to some USMC cadences while you're playing tennis - it'll help you figure things out....

 

[Slim]

All I would tell you is that its your life.

There are quite a few people in the CF. Most of them don't;
-Get shot
-Live in poor conditions.
-Eat badly
-Get brainwashed

On the other hand if you do join the Cf you will;
-Have a great time
-Form friendhships for life
-Spend your life doing something interesting
-Make a difference
-Learn things that no one else will

The way I see it your only hurdle is the opinions of others.

Well opionions are like a$$holes...Everyone's got one, some stink!

Obviously the people telling you all these negative things about the CF don't have a clue what they're talking about and are probably jelous as they don't have the intestonal fortitude to do what you want to do anyway...Who knows some may join you.

My advise..Follow your dreams, just don't mention it to those who are against it.

Cheers

Slim

 

[patrick666]

Use other's criticism as a driving force. They say you can't, so you can. They say you won't, so you will. Follow your dreams but understand that the role of parents is inherent and that when they worry is it out of love and care. I think it's pretty universal for a parent to not want their child to be shot or go away on tour, be unsafe... but the hard reality is that it happens and some parents just need a little more from your end. So explain to them the tenacity of magnetism towards the military, show them some information about Infantry, and above all else... it is YOUR life... Best of luck with 031..

Cheers

 

[Michael OLeary]

Search on "parents" and you will find a number of related threads.

 

[Springroll]

Advice from personal experiences, eh.

I am not a member of the CF, but my husband is. So I will give you a list of the benefits from my side of the coin, then I will throw in the bits that are getting me to join the CF.

My husband makes a good enough wage that i do not have to work and I can stay home with my kids. We have also been able to buy a house and out right own 2 vehicles of our own(not junkers either). The kids and I have full medical and 80% dental coverage and a variety of other services available to us because my husband serves. We have been able to live in the USA for three years because of a posting,m and have now been able to live the east coast life when we got posted out east. My kids get cool prezzies when dad goes to far away lands. My husband can retire at 40 with a pension, if he chooses to do so.We have also made some incredible friends form across the country because of his employment!

Now, the reasons why I am joining. I will get a pension. I will get to travel. I will make good money doing what I have always wanted to do, and that is serving my country. I will carry on the legacy that my family started many years ago by being a member of the CF. The full medical and dental is a perk. The variety of things only available to CF members is also attracting me. The comraderie is a very big perk!!

The only thing I can tell you is follow your heart. If YOU want to join the CF, then do it. Don't listen to what your family members say. Listen to their concerns, but make sure you tell them that this is something that you have wanted to do for sometime, and the bonus is that if you don't like it, you are not stuck for 20+ years.

Make yourself a goal to finish your first contract, but keep in mind that the really good things don't start to happen until your second contract. My husband set a goal to do 6 years at least, now he is coming up on 10 years and still loves serving his country.

Hope this helps you out, even just a little bit.

 

[Legionnare]

Wow thanks guys for these words of inspiration. You guys made me even more excited into joining the CF. I'll follow your advice and live my dreams! Hey SpringRoll can i ask a question....what rank is your husband and where are you guys posted now? Thanks alot.

 

[paracowboy]

   "Oh, you won't have a good education,

Officers in the CF have degrees. In many different fields of endeavour. Tradespeople are continuously receiving training to stay on top of the most current aspects of their trades. I left school, personally, because it was interfering with my education.

your going to be a brainwashed grunt."

this is a bad thing, how? I find it amusing, and somewhat sad as well, that so many people associate "disciplined" with "brainwashed". As though having a strong sense of self, with the courage to accomplish any task, is negative, in any way. Some sort of envy/inferiority complex, no doubt.

"You will get shot"

I can count on one hand the number of people I know that have actually been shot. Actually, I can do it on one finger. And I know literally thousands of people in the Forces.

"You will be living a poor quality of living"

You will have a teeny, tiny room if you choose to remain in the barracks. Everything is else is pretty good. You will see and do things that less than 10 % of the rest of Canada will. You will be paid well, travel often, and learn new skills, meeting new challenges, and become a true citizen of this nation, as opposed to someone who lives here.

It's your life, you gotta live it. You turn 18, you're an adult. My family was against me enlisting as well. And I am the son of an Airman, who is the son of an Armoured crewman, who is the son of an Infantryman. My mother is the daughter of an Infantryman, who is etc, etc. Here I sit, years later, with a bad back, bad knees, good friends, and great memories.
One of those memories is my father shaking my hand and saying how proud he is that I enlisted.

 

[Springroll]

Hey SpringRoll can i ask a question....what rank is your husband and where are you guys posted now? Thanks alot.

My husband is a leading seaman(same as Cpl) and we are currently posted in Halifax, NS

 

[Springroll]

I found this.

Save it and make it your new desktop.
It is very true that those that have given up on their dreams tend to discourage others from succeeding with theirs.

 

[Legionnare]

Very good saying. I now have it on the upper right hand of my desktop.

 

[Lima_Oscar]

My 2 cents:

DO NOT get in the trap of "self-serving bias".   Sometimes when your are certain about something, you may drown out advices that are good and valid. Be open minded and objective about your parents and friends concerns.   Although you may not like to hear it right now, they may have your best interest at heart.   Openly discuss with your parents and friends about the pros and cons of joining the Forces and make an inform decision.   Remember once you make a decision you may not be able to go back. So think long and hard about what you are getting yourself into because once you make that choice and commitment, you WILL have to follow through with it and YOU will be the one living with it. Explore your options...there are many paths to your goals and dreams and somtimes that path does not necessay have to be straight.

*Edit: Spelling

 

[paracowboy]

you are in cadets now, you said. Taking Lima's excellent advice a step, how would your parents feel about you joining the Reserves when you turn 16? (You haven't listed your age, so if you're older I apologize.) It could be argued as a 'transition step' for you. It would also give you an opportunity to taste the lifestyle, while remaining in school. Sort of a way for you and your parents to 'get your feet wet'.

Perhaps, by including them in your Cadet adventures as much as possible, they may feel more inclined to let you explore other military options.

You could also ask them to peruse both this site, and the official DND site. It may simply a fear of the unknown prompting their refusals.

 

[P-Free]

My parents are also really against me in joining the army. They say the same old stuff as any parents do. "You will get shot", "You will be living a poor quality of living", "blah,blah,blah."

Those were the perks of the job for me... ;D

 

[Legionnare]

The funny thing is...when i was in grade 9, i told my parents that i wanted to join the army and they said "Go for it!". Now since im getting closer and closer to deciding what i wanna do with my life, they want me to have a office job. I will give it a go and try to explain everything you guys said to me about the CF.

 

[P-Free]

You have to remember that alot of parents are VERY protective, they want their kids to stay close to home, and go to university. The military lifestyle is VERY foreign to people without connections to it. Your parents probably fear the unknown and if you go ahead with it and they get more educated about it in the process they will have no choice but to support you.

Am sure when you graduate from basic training your parents will be telling all their friends.