The Naval Academy taught the parents of the Class of 2020 to be flexible. We got through Plebe Summer. We got through Plebe Year. We rode the roller coaster through summer training and Alpha inspections and restrictions and Army-Navy games and 1,000 other things that all seem like distant memories now. None of that prepared … Continue reading Being a 2020 Naval Academy parent in the time of COVID-19
It's no secret 2020 has been a rough year for those of us associated with the United States Naval Academy. We've lost members of the Brigade and now the coronavirus is threatening to take away things we've been looking forward to, including Commissioning Week. But we are nothing if not optimists, so we will continue … Continue reading It’s time to party, Herndon style (podcast included!)
As a military academy parent, you come to accept that your life will be a roller coaster ride pretty much from the time your child commits to making the effort to earn an appointment. To a degree, you learn to live with it and at the Naval Academy, part of your strength is drawn from … Continue reading With David Forney’s death, 2020 is becoming a waking nightmare
We are on record as struggling with this edition of the Dark Ages and when that envelops you, it is easy to spiral downward. As the family's resident optimist, I have continued to put on a smile for the girls at home and encourage them that everything will work out in the end, that better … Continue reading And then, the Dark Ages got even darker…
I wanted to write something about SWO Ship Selection, but just as there are times when I simply cannot stop myself from writing something, there are times when I cannot put words to paper (or virtual paper, in this case). Don't get me wrong. I loved Ship Selection. Several of my favorite Mids made their … Continue reading The Dark Ages, dark thoughts, and searching for century marks
So I looked at the calendar and realized it's been two years to the day that I launched this experiment know as My Kid The Mid. I've spent a lot of my life in the digital space, but this project was unlike most others - there was no plan, no objective, no expectations. A few … Continue reading Two years on a trip without compass or chart
Our Mid Sib's journey has reached the most critical of junctures. She has secured a congressional nomination to the United States Air Force Academy and the rest of her application appears complete - medically qualified, all paperwork completed, and so on. As we hold our collective breath and wait ... and wait and wait and … Continue reading Does her basketball game fit with a military academy?
