Would you send your 8-year-old to boarding school?

[Anonymous]

It's cultural--my cousins were sent away to boarding school at around that age. I know it was rough for most of them.

Interestingly, with my cousins' kids, they have all compromised and did boarding school starting with high school, and that seems to have worked out much better.

[Anonymous]

No, never. How tragic.

This would be a deal breaker for me.

Children should stay with their families until their late teens, the only exception being for high level specialized training (proceed with caution) or a horrible dysfunctional home life.

[Anonymous]

PP here w/ the cousins who all attended boarding school in England at a young age.

A word of caution: if your kids are Americans (like my cousins), they might have trouble fitting in to an upper-class British boarding school. The social scene, etc. is so different from here, even the private schools.

[Anonymous]

I went to boarding school at 14, and I now have a 12 year old. No, I am not sending my child to boarding school and I would not do so ever before Freshman year in any case.

I suppose a compromise I would possibly consider would be what many of my Nigerian colleagues do - kids go to boarding school at about 11, but the school is generally close to home and the child comes home every weekend. Not my cup of tea, but I can see how it would be fine for many families. But not my family and my kid.

[Anonymous]

Aw, hell no.

[Anonymous]

I know it's completely irrelevant and not even the same, but boarding school at 8 in England makes me think of the Narnia series. On a serious note, I went to boarding school for HS and had a good experience. But 8 is waaaaay to young. The child might learn to become dependent earlier, but why the rush?

[Anonymous]

What kind of parent sends their kid away to be raised by strangers at the age when they are most like to value your input and guidance?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know it's completely irrelevant and not even the same, but boarding school at 8 in England makes me think of the Narnia series. On a serious note, I went to boarding school for HS and had a good experience. But 8 is waaaaay to young. The child might learn to become dependent earlier, but why the rush?

Tradition

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP here w/ the cousins who all attended boarding school in England at a young age.

A word of caution: if your kids are Americans (like my cousins), they might have trouble fitting in to an upper-class British boarding school. The social scene, etc. is so different from here, even the private schools.

Also, keep in mind that many of these kids who are shipped off early were raised by nannies and governesses (the difference being that a governess is hired to teach children, like a private tutor in the home). So they come into boarding school with a totally different set of experiences than an American kid who was raised by parents and preschool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What kind of parent sends their kid away to be raised by strangers at the age when they are most like to value your input and guidance?

Parents who hate their kids, or are indifferent to them.

[Anonymous]

No way. Not a chance.

[Anonymous]

No. Ib college? Sure. Not in school.

Why did u have kids if they are such a nuisance to you?

[Anonymous]

Absolutely not. I might consider it for high school if my child really, really wanted to do it but it's never anything I'd volunteer as an option.

[Anonymous]

Oh hell no. If it were me and my husband, I would seriously divorce. Hell no am I sending my kids off to a different country on their own.

[Anonymous]

I would only consider it for high school IF my child was very independent and its what they wanted. But, my preference is no, especially not between 8-12. Those are prime parenting years. My child is 9 and I cannot imaging sending him away nor do I think he'd be ok for more than a week without us.