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How much do you tell your family?

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Inexperienced me sayas:

Tell the people you love the truth. Ignorance may be bliss but if might also be fear. You can tell them all sides of any story better then a news report and you can reassure them that you work hard to make sure that the same thing doesn't happen to you. Yes, you can do everything right and still die, but most accidents are just that, accidental, and you can tell people that you know how to break that chain for you personally.

My $0.02 (Canadian, so that's nothing!)

Gale
I'm drowning...so come inside
Welcome to my...dirty mind

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When I am travelling as I am now, I call my sister immediately and my son's mother. Sister is a skydiver too, so I worry about her hearing something sooner than anyone else. In the past, I have received check up calls from my dad, when he sees something on the news...

-Hixxx
death,as men call him, ends what they call men
-but beauty is more now than dying’s when

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I would think that the less they know, the better they are. My mom refuses to come to the airport to watch me jump, thinking that she is going to be there the first time I hurt myself. I just want her to come out once so she has to buy beer... But my mom doesn't know about, and hasn't seen the video of the slurry bomber, just because I think that she would never be able to sleep. I told my brother when it happened, and he couldn't believe it, but he might do a tandem when he comes out to visit in two weeks. But overall, I think the less that is told, the better...

------------------------------------------
Getting banned isn't that bad......

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I called my folks to tell them I was fine on two separate fatalities. Other than that I keep them in the dark. I used to tell my sister what was goin on at the DZ, till she told my folks when I piled in on a night jump. Now I keep the family out of the DZ loop.
I got nuthin

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When I tore my ankle ligament, the ONLY person that knew the truth was one of my best friends who's a doctor (he lives three states away). He even flew into town just to check my x-rays and give me his opinion. Not even my girlfriend knew at the time, but when she found out (slip of the tongue) I had to take like 2 tons of the don't-you-trust-me-enough kind of crap.

My parents found out I was a skydiver after my 25th jump. They, very ingeniously, started throwing away my Parachutist magazines and my license applications: they didn't want the USPA to give me any weird ideas!

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I feel for you dude! I decided that nobody but myself is going to make decisions about my life. If someone disagrees with my life style, they are welcome to leave it. It's my way or the highway.
jraf

Me Jungleman! Me have large Babalui.
Muff #3275

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When there is something big that will get news coverage, I call my parents just to chat. I don't tell them about what's happening at the DZ...just connect and chat for a few. That way they know I'm o.k. (hey, Perris is a big DZ and everything gets press there).

When we lost Shannon last Monday, this is what I did. I knew they were watching how JFTC was progressing and didn't want them to jump to conclusions and worry.

My work, on the other hand, almost tackled me today when I walked throught the doors. They knew I was o.k., but were really worried about how I was taking it. They're a terrific bunch of co-workers.

ltdiver

Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon

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I tell my parents about some things, but not everything. I haven't told them that on my first jump there was a fatality. I have told them about other fatalities and incidents. I have an open relationship with them and I want them to know that I understand the risks involved. They were partially prepared for the call they received when I broke my femur 1500 miles away. My mom has told me that the only reason she can accept what I do is, I have wanted to do this since I was a small child and the fact that I love what I'm doing. I think watching me race cars also has numbed them to the danger factor.

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I tell my folks some of the stuff. Thinking back, I don't think I've ever told them about some of the accidents I've seen, although they know they're out there. My dad used to fly jumpers in the late '60s/early '70s in Montana, so he's sort of used to the jumper culture and what comes with it. My mother was very scared for my safety until she came out and watched a few jumps, after seeing how much I loved it and how it wasn't a "suicide jump that got lucky" she's supportive now. Still, I don't tell them much, except the cool/good stuff that happens.
--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

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If I could start again I would not even tell them I am jumping. Everytime I go to jump they are too nervous.



I heard about a guy who lived near the DZ so used to go and jump but told his wife good lies like:
I go down walk a bit, I am with my friends, etc.
So finnaly he told that he is jumping after a year.

OVER

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I don't have to tell them anything they tell me about stuff before I know about it. There is a friend ( wuffo) that lives in perris, who also has a relative in law enforcement, and news travels fast. If I wasn't there then they tell me.
I also get gruff over night jumps that I so dearly love. In reality all my friends who ride motorbikes on street or dirt have way more metal in their bodies than all my skydiving friends. I see a death often commuting the freeways but don't think for a second that they will let me quit work because of it.
And fast food kills more people than all of our countries homicides. I'm not worried about a spinning mal on a highly loaded elliptical, I'm worried about my colestoral.
After watching my father pass away too soon after giving up on his dreams, I swore to never go out that way. Except for my brother, who has done a tandem and remembers my fathers aguish, they all think I'm crazy. I can live with that. Glen.

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I tell just most things to my (now ex)GF and parents. But there are quite a few things I never talk about, because it only scares them.
Stuff like (seeing ) cutaways and small incidents are things I usualy don't tell, unless it's in the news, then I try to explain what went wrong and why to the best of my knowledge.

Half a year ago, the plane stalled (C206 Turbine)while I was in the door, and the pilot made a dive to recover. This knocked me off the plane (upward) and threw me over he fuselage, missing the tail with my head by only a few inches, after which I impacted on the rear stabilo, and cleared the plane..
The other jumpers exited in orderly fashion, and the pilot made a safe emergency landing, but on inspection the right stabilo had almost come off (a lot of rivots where just gone, and everything was bent). Everyone came out okay, but it could have been ended way different...

I choose not to tell this whole story at home, because (while they would not be able to make me stop, although they still think they can) it would probably have made my life a living hell whenever I would mention or try to go jumping...
Telling them bad news is okay, but keeping them in a positive mindset towards skydiving is even more important I think...
JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

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I have good answers before leaving:

Oh, we have to pack the chutes so I have to help

I have to go to help the instructor with the newbies...

I think the weather will be bad, but we'll go out to check something.

I do not think I will jump I am in bad mood I just go out to talk with the friends

OVER

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Hey!
Sounds like you were lucky there! Good thing! Good thing you're still jumping though..

I usually tell my girlfriend about everything that happens during the weekend. I don't tell my parents anything about skydiving unless they'll read it in the paper anyway.. works fine for me..

BTW mccordia, don't you need an NA - number? :)

NA #004

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I learned early on that I can be completely open and honest with my parents because that is how they felt they should raise me. I have shared with them every stupid law breaking, drug taking, self abusing thing I have ever done without them ever making me feel bad about it. Having this type of relationship with them makes that natural for any of my relationships which I believe is thier intent and I love them for that.
Jesse


<* Spread the Love! *>

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Hey!
Sounds like you were lucky there! Good thing! Good thing you're still jumping though..



Although the whole things sounds scary as hell, at the moment it happened it was only wierd.
I was climbing out, got tossed up in the air, bumped something, then righted myself and (the wierdest thing) only then I started falling...I saw the other jumpers exit the plane before/below me...I got tossed up quite a bit (kinda like a zero-g exit I gues)...it wasn't untill after I landed that I got this wierd trembling in my hands and realized what could have happened....but that didn't change a thing about my wanting to jump...but it did took a month and a half to finaly get back up....


Quote

BTW mccordia, don't you need an NA - number?



Sorry to sound stupid, but what is a NA - number?
JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

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