<p>One thing that happened over the December break - our younger child, a tween who idolizes big bro & has missed him badly since he went off to boarding school, was a wreck when he left. Has now stabilized, but it was very, very hard. Of course they had their sibling squabbles when he was here. Anyone else have stories about what it is like for the younger siblings to see their boarding school brothers/sisters come & go?</p>
<p>Alexzmom…, yes, many same experiences. 2kids… forgot to mention the sibling stuff – which has indeed been a big part of the adjustments for all. But d reads this so…</p>
<p>2kids - that is why we now have two kids at JBS. Little brother missed big, but also saw all the excitement and action during school visits. </p>
<p>The break between Thanksgiving and Christmas is SO short - our youngest was really homesick. He said that he had just been relaxing at home (where it is warm 
) and then had to go back and get adjusted to school. But in the back of his mind he knew that in just a few weeks he would be back home again - and that consumed his thoughts.</p>
<p>Cure for homesickness? Snow and a sled. Didn’t hear from him for 10 days after that :)</p>
<p>I was very worried about his transition after the long Christmas break. He seems to be doing just fine though. Still lots of snow and more on the way!</p>
<p>LOL, mamakiwi. Snow is an amazing thing for kids, isn’t it? Our son is having the time of his life, no school today & sledding about!</p>
<p>Reviving this thread to check in with everyone to see how March break went compared to Thanksgiving & the December break, when perhaps the kids were still adjusting. In our case, things are smooth and we have continued to see growth & maturity in our son. Hard to tell what part of this is the natural maturing process vs being at boarding school, but my sense is that boarding has helped speed the process a bit. Any others care to chime in about how March went? If your child applied out for this fall, of course, that puts an entirely different spin on it…</p>
<p>March break ended today for D1 and will end tomorrow for our son. They’ve had a great time and are looking forward to spring term. I will say that both kids looked pretty tired when they arrived, but that three week break for the JBS was just perfect. D1 realizes it will be shorter next year in 10th grade though!</p>
<p>I’d say we’re all settling into a good rhythm–enjoying the time together, and a smooth return to school. It’s easier to make the transition now that we’ve all got the hang of the coming and going and about how long both vacation and school feel viscerally. </p>
<p>Thinking back to a year ago, the change is much more startling. The teenage/parent friction that was really starting to build has all but disappeared, partly because we all realize that our time together is limited, partly because we as parents are mercifully removed from the day-to-day hassling about doing schoolwork, using time productively etc. It’s a lot easier to keep quiet when my kid spends too much time on the computer when I know I’m part of his downtime, rather than his work world.</p>
<p>So true, Classicalmama!</p>
<p>Harder than Thanksgiving. We had only a week to hang out because of the band trip overseas. I was geared for 3 weeks. Still - we crammed in months of hugs and she opened up about a lot of “teen” stuff that I don’t think she would have shared if she was home. Was tough putting her on the plane - more for me than for her. But it was gratifying was watching her negotiate her flight and arrange transportation back to school on the fly, getting texts saying she’d met classmates in a connecting city and they were sitting together. College will be so much easier as a transition for her.</p>
<p>I tortured her with movie clips taken during performances during the 6th grade and realized, just then, how much she’d grown and matured. </p>
<p>We’ve done a good job with our kids CC/BS parents. Pats on the back all around!</p>
<p>Bumping for this break.</p>
<p>friendlydaughter is definitely ready for the break. She decided to take some challenging classes and has been working hard this term, and was also on a school team for the first time. Last year (her first year at BS) was all about trying to see her friends from home. She’s “streamlined” those friendships now and keeps in touch with fewer people, so what she’s talking about the most is hanging around sleeping and eating.</p>
<p>Small miracle—CK has no final exams this term and is able to leave campus three days early for a nice, long Thanksgiving break. We’re all heading to Michigan to spend the holiday with family and watch U-M get killed by OSU. 
ChoatieDad and CK will be freezing their buns off in the Big House, while saner folks like me and my mom enjoy saner pastimes. I’m especially looking forward to the look on my brother’s face when he sees CK for the first time in three years; instead of looking down, he’ll have to look up, waaaay up. Ha!</p>
<p>This is our third year, and I can’t believe how much I miss my son, especially how I crave that first hug. First year, I missed him like crazy just because he was “gone” for the first time. Now I miss him like crazy because I realize he’s never permanently coming home again, and I cherish every single second I have with him, every second.</p>
<p>As for what’s different, we sent a child to BS almost three years ago; we welcome home a very confident, independent, engaged young man. I know I stare at him a lot and marvel at both the physical changes and the level of conversation that comes out of his mouth. If I weren’t looking at him, I could confuse him with my work colleagues (the better ones). He and his dad bend their heads together and don’t come up for air for hours. The bonding is deep, the conversation mercurial, and time non-existant. This is not a child. He has opinions and world views, some that ChoatieDad and I vehemently disagree with, but they are well-thought-out and provide fuel for very interesting, biting debate. Our arguments are no longer about messy rooms and unbrushed teeth, but about definitions of responsibility and honor, both personal and national. We listen to him ponder his place in the world and what he intends to change in it. We watch him try on various suits of thought, keeping what fits (for now) and casting off what pinches. He wears his BS education well. I’m looking forward to hearing his new thoughts, but mostly I just want to put my arms around him and never let him go.</p>
<p>Happy Thanksgiving, safe travels to all, and Go Blue!</p>
<p>I found that while at BS my relationship with my parents improved (especially with my mother). The time away made me appreciate my time with my parents that much more, and as mentioned above, there was no parent there to “nag” me! One year I spent a day visiting my friends at the high school I would have gone to, and came to realize that while I would have been happy there, the school did not compare one iota to my BS. </p>
<p>Because my school was in New England and I was from Colorado, I spent Thanksgiving either with family or friends on the east coast, and I was perfectly happy doing so. As several posters have mentioned, I called my BS “home”, because I truly felt that way. My house counselor was my second mother, and I still keep in touch with her this many years later. As the years progressed, I began spending spring break traveling with one of my extracurriculars, so that meant even LESS time with my parents. But I think my parents, even though they missed me, were okay with that because they saw how happy I was and how much I was learning and growing. </p>
<p>When my parents dropped me off for my first year, I practically pushed them out the door at the end of the day because I was so excited to get on with my new life. Their response? “Well, I guess we’ve made the right choice!”</p>
<p>More beautiful words from ChoatieMom! Us new BS parents are grateful
for them…OK… terrible grammar, but you understand!</p>
<p>I got all excited about Exie being back, but then I realized her post was from three years ago. <em>tear</em></p>
<p>Aaaaaand I just read my post and thought, “someone just wrote the same thing I did!” I should go to bed.</p>
<p>ChoatieMom, this is what I am hoping for and why I am willing to let my kids go.</p>
<p>S won’t be home for TG since his school is overseas and he’ll participate in a MUN trip. H was able to visit S last week during a business trip and mentioned how wonderful and engaging their conversations were, especially in his second language. H said at times it was tough to keep up with the depth of their conversations. We’ve always referred to S as the walking encyclopedia but it is clear to us that his BS surroundings has nurtured his intellectual curiosities.
Happy holidays to all.</p>
<p>Love that post, CM.</p>
<p>Apparently my daughter loves coffee more than she loves me because she was so excited to see me after getting off her plane that she had to stop at the Starbucks in the terminal before greeting me. ;)</p>