Originally Posted by BillyGalbreath
Will he hate me when he is older ? no...Will my son notice that I am gone ? most probably. Will it kill him, or jeperdise his well being ? no.
Ask yourself this.. Would you rather live a poor life for the rest of your life, having your kid grow up not getting the things he wants, having your family struggle from pay check to paycheck to keep your home and food on the table, and remain in the biggest depression of your life ? Or would you rather have someone take care of your kid for you for 4-5 years, Go out and explore the world, get a degree, learn self discipline, gain self respect and respect from others, find yourself, and have the greatest opporitunities right in front of you that you can finally grasp onto if you truely wanted (i.e., good job) ?
For the most part I agree with your post, it's these parts I've quoted I have a small issue with. Firstly about saying whether or not your son will hate you when he's older or whether or not it will give him any kind of emotional disturbances in the future is unpredictable. He could grow up completely fine or he could be brain****ed beyond all belief. People handle things differently and especially at such a young age you never know what kind of effects your actions are going to have. I'm not saying that going to the Navy is going to screw up your kid, I'm just saying don't dismiss the possibility that your prolonged abscenses may have quite a large effect on his developing psyche.
As for the second part that I quoted, I think you're putting a focus a little too much on money. Is money important? In a way yes but it isn't WHAT'S important. There are many families that are very wealthy but for that wealth the father is out of the home damn near all the time. Working his ass off to provide oodles of money for a nice home, good cars, everything the children and the family wants. But he's always gone. The relationship between the father and child dies and eventually turns to resentment. Doesn't always happen, depends on the degree of absence really. I'm just saying be careful how you play it, realize how sensitive he is particularly when he's this young, and know that money will never be as important as you spending time with him in his childhood, no matter what the money is for.