Last Wednesday was a bittersweet moment for me. We had to send my older son to military camp to start his 22 months NS (National Service) and it was a nostalgic moment for me to return to the island again after 33 years. All 18 year olds had to go for 3 months of basic military training and Pulau Tekong was the destination of choice for most of us.
I was so proud to see my grown son entering the next phase of his life, but yet as a parent, I was sad and apprehensive that he is going from a sheltered environment into a new, tougher world. He will eventually emerged from this as a young man. Mummy was absolutely worried. This is the rite of passage for all Singaporean males since the late 1960’s. Having experience it myself for 30 months (it was 2.5 years during my time), I have tried to share my learnings with him over the months.
The most valuable lesson I learnt from my stint in NS was how lucky I was, to have a future ahead of me, to be able to enter uni to further my studies after NS. I had a wonderful and supportive family to help me through it all. My social circle widened tremendously and I met people from all walks of life. I made friends with people I would never have seen in my previously cocooned junior college life, some with little future to look forward to, which I had written about in my earlier blogs.
Told my son to keep his mind open and stay positive. Life will be very different but he should enjoy the ride. I firmly believe that this will mold him into a more matured adult and that he will learn life long lessons which will be applicable to him for the rest of his life.
Over the last 7 days, we have had phone calls with him every night at 930 pm, the permitted time where they can use their handphones to call loved ones. As I had informed him before, the first few days were slow and peppered with administrative events. The army is trying to ease them into military life and understands that not everyone’s physical strength is at its peak yet, hence a gradual ramp up of the exercises during these first 2 weeks of confinement period in camp. He will be out next week and I had promised him that I will eat with him the list of food he misses during this 2 weeks of camp life.
Meanwhile, the army had also kindly given us a self-addressed envelope to send personal letters to him which he will receive them after his 6 days of field camp in the later part of his 10+ weeks of BMT. My wife, younger son and I will each aim to write him a heart felt letter to encourage and egg him on.
Ah Boyz to Men indeed – the name of a popular local movie that chronicles the NS journey. I do occassionally view the home videos I made of the kids when they were babies till now. How they have grown and I have aged. It is so rewarding to see a defenceless infant grow up in front of your eyes to become a young adult who is now ready to defend the nation.
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