On Parenting

It never ends, the parenting...
Our Marine son drove to California a week ago Saturday, arriving on Sunday. He called my wife Monday, pining for a girl he met in San Antonio. Her name is Desiree. Our Son is nineteen, almost twenty years old and just getting started in his career as an M.P. in the Marine Corps.
He is contemplating having her join him in San Diego. The word marriage was brought up.
Well, needless to say this was quite a shocker to his mother and I! He has only known her for about two months.
Most of their time together was at the swimming pool at the Lackland Air Force base where I think she works at the concession stand.
On the one hand, he is a man now and has to make these decisions on his own. But on the other hand, he is our son and we love him immensely. Our first reaction, as you probably can guess was to say, "Whoa, slow down here." You are just getting your career started. You have no idea where you will be going etc. You are only nineteen. What's the hurry? Things like that.
He has a good head on his shoulders and had some insightful answers. He has never felt these things before or this way towards a woman. Where is the "parenting book" when you need it!? :)
He has many questions. I gave him some phone numbers of people in his life that are not so close to the situation as his mom and I.
Hopefully he will take some time to ponder some of life's larger questions.
Whatever he decides, he can rest assured that we will support him in all that he does! That is called love.
We weren't exactly ecstatic when he announced he was going into the Marine Corp. However, he is old enough to make his own choices and stand by them. Pay the price and reap the rewards of those choices. Our job now as his parents, I feel is to be supportive while offering advice when necessary. Whether he heeds that advice, is again his choice.