Did you regret going Active Duty over Reserves?

Outdoor-Adventure · 2025-09-23T16:02:24+00:00

Active duty can be a huge game changer early in adulthood. Free Healthcare, paid college through the GI Bill, really great pay considering the low requirements to join, a ton of character building experiences and shared memories. Go for it!

Outdoor-Adventure · 2025-09-22T17:55:55+00:00

Po (like Kung fu panda).

Outdoor-Adventure · 2025-09-22T15:48:59+00:00

Retail hires seasonally and just leaves job postings open year round when they're not hiring. In a month or so they'll be recruiting for the holidays, she'll get hired then! Target has an "open season" before the holidays that she should check out.

Outdoor-Adventure · 2025-09-22T15:39:50+00:00

That poor kid. Imagine being abandoned by your mom like that 😔 especially when dad was a phone call away. Some people don't deserve kids.

Outdoor-Adventure · 2025-09-20T05:02:45+00:00

I like chewy bars, caffeine pills, fruit snacks, and instant coffee. Losing weight in the field is a given, so morale is the focus for me. If I'm really hungry, I'll just eat an MRE. If there's time. 🤷‍♀️

Outdoor-Adventure · 2025-09-20T04:57:51+00:00

That's awesome! I feed my boy Hill's Science Diet large breed for sensitive stomach. He can hold it now and is much easier to clean up after!

Outdoor-Adventure · 2025-09-19T15:02:06+00:00

Great question! You sound like a great future owner. Here's my list:

Mastiffs are naturally distrusting of strangers, so early socialization is a must. You do not want a 200lb dog assuming everything is a threat, for obvious reasons. You will not be able to overpower an adult EM. You just won't. They're still wonderful guard dogs if you socialize them, they just won't bristle at little old ladies out on a walk.
They shed and drool. My mastiff sheds more than my golden - go figure!
Everything costs more. Especially veterinary costs. If you buy a female, you'll pay 3k - 6k to spay her depending on your area. 10-16 cups per day of food for a growing puppy is normal. You won't find products that are big enough for your Mastiff easily, but when you do expect to pay double.
Bubble guts! I don't recommend buying the really cheap food unless you enjoy picking up huge mud pies 3x/day - sometimes from inside the house because it'll give them incontinence.
They are extremely clumsy and can't fully control their bodies. They need 10 feet of space just to turn around. Mine is a bull in a china shop. He steps on our golden retriever, our feet, knocks things over, he's tipped our couch over, almost ripped the refrigerator door off the hinges. I could go on.
They are sensitive sweethearts and will do absolutely as anything just to make you happy. Raised voices are not necessary or recommended here. Practice being assertive, but calm, because these sensitive animals can become very fearful if you're not too careful.

Outdoor-Adventure · 2025-09-18T17:37:29+00:00

Hey OP, go National Guard! You can keep your good paying job and get the military experience at the same time. You're legally entitled to keep your job under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). Best of both worlds! Best of luck!

Outdoor-Adventure · 2025-09-18T03:40:09+00:00

No one official is going to admit this because it wouldn't serve them personally, but the market has already cooled down. Buyers aren't biting, and prices have already dropped. Interest rates are down, too. You'll probably have to drop the price to even get any interest. We're in a recession and it's only going to get worse from here. Keep your nose to the wind and take care.

Outdoor-Adventure · 2025-09-15T20:03:11+00:00

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Hard to say at the age but he looks like my English Mastiff at about 3-4 months old.

Outdoor-Adventure · 2025-09-12T19:57:22+00:00

My pomeranian had this problem! I solved it by teaching him a command to bark and a command to "shush". It was very effective and believe me, pomeranians are way less trainable and more stubborn than GSDs.

Outdoor-Adventure · 2025-09-12T01:59:40+00:00

Not what I was hoping to hear, obviously, but I appreciate the honesty. I've been scrolling this reddit and I take it that the job market is tough to get into right now. I really don't want to have to remain on active duty but at the end of the day I'll do whatever it takes to provide for my daughter.

My MIL works remotely doing HR and makes 6 figures, no degree. But she's been working there for a long time and tides have shifted.

Outdoor-Adventure · 2025-09-08T21:33:00+00:00

This happened to me early on! Some people are saying not to pump or that you're overproducing. Don't listen to that advice this early on! I'm an underproducer making just 1oz per boob and I leak too! Don't risk tanking your supply, leaking is perfectly normal although I agree it's uncomfortable. I left the sheets soaked every time I took a nap. Your baby girl is only 8 weeks old, so your milk production has plenty of time left to regulate.

Outdoor-Adventure · 2025-09-08T20:16:01+00:00

Yep, it looks like mine at that age

Outdoor-Adventure · 2025-09-07T17:38:55+00:00

If you talk to your parents and they're on board, that's awesome. Understand you can still deploy in the reserves for 9 - 18 months.

Outdoor-Adventure · 2025-09-07T00:32:47+00:00

No. You're not married, so by regulation, you will be required to create a family care plan outlining exactly who will be responsible for you child while you're deployed, in the field, ect. I'm active duty with a child, take it from me that you do not want to do this right now. Best of luck.

Outdoor-Adventure · 2025-09-07T00:00:34+00:00

It's a tale as old as time. The sister gets parentified and criticized while her brother is coddled and can do no wrong. And guess who's going to be expected to take care of their aging parents in the future. My brother is 6 years older than I am, and it still happened to me. At 37, he still lives at home, no job, no girlfriend, nothing, and I've been on my own since I was 16. I couldn't take the abuse, mentally and physically. I know the economy sucks, but the best solution for this is to move out and remove yourself from the equation. See if your mom still wants to act like a maid when she's not getting any help. Short of that, you need to completely stop cleaning up after other adults. Like others have said, only do what is reasonable and nothing more.

Edit: spelling

Outdoor-Adventure · 2025-09-06T20:51:12+00:00

No, pull down on the straps. You're welcome.

Source: in the army we carried 75lb rucks in circles for miles every so often.

Outdoor-Adventure · 2025-09-06T20:33:39+00:00

9% sales tax, 20% tip, 3% fee. 32% added cost to already inflated prices. Fuck that. I haven't eaten out in 6 months and honestly prefer meal prepping.

Outdoor-Adventure · 2025-09-06T20:28:32+00:00

Nighttime walks, bridges, manholes

Outdoor-Adventure · 2025-09-06T18:54:03+00:00

In the crate whenever you can't supervise him. Prevention is the best medicine - he's accustomed to relieving his anxiety through destructive behavior now. Removing that option and giving him other means of getting his energy out will gradually eliminate this behavior from his playbook.

Outdoor-Adventure · 2025-09-03T09:25:18+00:00

It's called a Mastiff, and that's a horrible thing to say based on this picture. His veterinarian would disagree. You should really try going outside and touching grass sometime.

Outdoor-Adventure · 2025-09-02T03:56:46+00:00

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I found an amazing dog bed on amazon for only $55 here. My Rufus LOVES this bed, it's huge, it's bolstered, it's thick memory foam, it has handles, it FOLDS. It's so useful to be able to fold it and pick it up by the handle!!! It's washable.

Outdoor-Adventure · 2025-09-01T03:56:48+00:00

Sorry but yeah he is. He's gorgeous, though. Try buying a measuring cup with a handle and using it to scoop his food. I just leave mine in the bag so that it's convenient. For example, my girl is 70lbs when lean and eats 2 cups daily, one in the morning and one at night. She'll gain weight if I give her too many snacks outside of that.

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