<p>I need some help from parents who have children at boarding school. Is it a tough transition having your child leave? It is starting to sink in that he might actually leave me..</p>
<p>Yep!
10characters</p>
<p>I certainly missed my older son when he left....I didn't miss him so much immediately....actually, I felt sad everyt time I brought him back after a break.
Is this your only child, oldest, middle, youngest?
I had a lot of trouble sending my youngest off as I had no other children at home and this was my "baby". This actually figured into our decision to wait a year and have him repeat 9th....I was in no way ready to let him go. The extra year of growth did not hurt him either, though.
However, I must say that, in both cases, I feel as if I've given my children a wonderful gift. Even though I miss/ed them, I feel that going to bs was and is a tremendously valuable experience.</p>
<p>Hopefully, when the time comes and you take your child to the school, you will be so excited about the opportunity that some of the sadness is overcome. It is hard giving up the day to day involvement in your child's life and school activiites, but you are really giving them a gift, as the above poster noted. It is easy to keep in touch by IM and email (not to mention cell phones) and most of the schools are good about keeping in touch with you (the kid's Advisor, dorm head etc).</p>
<p>I like what MomofWildChild posted. My oldest is not only in BS, but attending a school in Wales -- so no visits home. While I miss him, I am excited for him about the opportunities he has. We keep in touch via email and phone.</p>
<p>I agree with keylyme - I'm always sad after a school break is over and dd is back at school. I do miss her but am thrilled for the wonderful environment she has. Am very happy for her.</p>
<p>DD just left this am and was itching to get back to her peeps. Even though she is the youngest of 4 and the first to go to BS, I was not the least bit sad to see her go. We had 3 wonderful weeks together and never once had a teenage meltdown. Agree with the other mums, you must appreciate the opportunites that they are exposed to. My feeling is now if I kept her home and sent her to a local school, it would be borderline abusive!</p>
<p>If you do a search on threads created by me, you will see one that says "my daughter hates boarding school." Fast forward 4 months and the situation has completely changed. She loves school and can't wait until she is back east with her friends. She is planning on going back next year (if the FA is the same or more :) ) .</p>
<p>Yes, sometimes it is hard not to see her. I feel as if I am missing parts of her life-especially when she got dressed up for the semi-formal and I only saw the pictures on facebook. However, boarding school has absolutely been the best thing for her and I would do it again in a heartbeat.</p>
<p>"My feeling is now if I kept her home and sent her to a local school, it would be borderline abusive!"</p>
<p>Absolutely! My son asked me to drive him to his public hs so he could see some people when they got out of school. We sat in the parking lot while school got out, and as my son watched everyone leaving, he looked at me and said, "Thank you so much, mom" (for not making me go to this school).</p>
<p>Thanks everyone... That was a big help.</p>
<p>I agree with all of the parent posters above! If my son were sad or apprehensive when it is time to go back to school, I would have to reconsider if bs were right for him. He is, however, always happy to get back and see his friends, to get back to whatever sports season it is and even (dare I say it!) almost happy to get back to his school work!</p>
<p>As the Father of an only D, my wife and I are coming to grips with this reality. If accepted, my D is going away to BS; leaving us with an empty nest, 4 years earlier than we planned. I am not sure how we will handle it, but I hope I will be strong for my D's sake...but my wife, no sure.</p>