My Teen Daughter Is In Boarding School And It's Great... (I'm almost ashamed to say).

[Bathsheba]

Thankyou for being so understanding everyone! I knew i could trust you! i was agonising over whether to share this development with you because i do feel negative judgement from some extended family members (on DH's side who were close enough to help us if they really wanted to but didn't)... this doesn't include my extended family, especially my sister and BIL who have really taken DD under their wing as if she was their own DD... my family agree that this is a good school (they live in the area) and believe she is in a good place too. My sister is giving me almost daily feedback and various school staff members have also given us some very positive feedback regarding DD's positive body language and attitudes. She has already made friends it seems

Zaidie: so true! i told myself "why have children if you hand them over to others to care for" but at the end of the day if you trust the carers and it's bringing out the best in your child then sometimes it is the better option. She is still my daughter... through and through... she is as stubborn and determined but compassionate and forgiving and this is serving her well for the first time in over a year. I really do feel that the ex boyfriend was exploiting those attributes and turning her powers to evil rather than good he even rang us to see if he could play the same game with us; saying that he was a different person to the one that held up the service station with a weapon 2 years ago... all very well but why then are you selling drugs to 15yo girls??? Same mindset: total disregard to the law!

Anyhow, i know that this may not necessarily mean the end of all problems... teenagers are programmed to push boundaries... the staff know this and share my belief that you need to give them safe boundaries to push! It is not a stifling school... DD has already said that her teachers are so much more relaxed than the ones at her old school here in the city. I certainly got a good vibe from the senior staff... down to earth, friendly, but no nonsense when it comes to mucking up just for the sake of it. Looking back some of DDs teachers down here were a bit too softly softly "let's be friends" but all of a sudden getting strung out when the girls weren't respecting them. I think DD was a bit confused at times.

Another point that is spot on LZ is that DD is certianly meeting lots of girls outside her usual experience! Many, for example, come from remote farming stations... they have never really befriended a girl from the Big Smoke before. Apparently they thought it was hysterical that DD didn't know what a "plough" was! But DD said they weren't mean about it I think DD and i are both looking forward to the day that she gets invited out to one of these stations and experiences a very different walk of life.