If your child is in middle school and thriving...what did you do right ?

[Anonymous]

OP here. Hugs to PP above. I am worried about bullies in middle school as I have heard middle school is brutal. I am not from the US so I do not exactly .
PP above why did you not tell your parents? I also did not tell my parents about bullying because I was embarrassed and I did not have close kind relationships with my parents .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Hugs to PP above. I am worried about bullies in middle school as I have heard middle school is brutal. I am not from the US so I do not exactly .
PP above why did you not tell your parents? I also did not tell my parents about bullying because I was embarrassed and I did not have close kind relationships with my parents .

Thank you. I’m not sure why I didn’t tell them: embarrassed? We weren’t close enough? I also wasn’t sure what the options were...I knew nothing of homeschooling and didn’t know if private school was an option. They must’ve suspected I had a hard time because they switched me to a private high school where I thrived.

People like to say you shouldn’t avoid tough experiences, and the middle school experience shaped me...but I disagree. It was damaging. I will do anything to protect my children from that. I would have been better off just sitting in my dads office reading books for 2 years instead of going to school.

[Anonymous]

OP here.
Interesting point, PP. I also think children should know there are many options if they are not happy in their own school. And another reminder to myself to be emotionally close to children. It is hard and not natural to me, since my mother was not close to me and never asked how things were in school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Private school or homeschool, OP.

I was your daughter. I’m 38 now. I played with my American girl doll until I was 12-13. I was a child through and through and I’m glad for that.

Middle school killed me. I was teased non stop, and learned too much too quickly: sex and bullying, etc. I learned nothing academically because I was too busy protecting myself from bullies.

My parents knew none of this. If they had, I know they would’ve homeschooled or pulled me from school.

I honestly think I would be better off, even now at 38, if I didn’t go through that.

This was me as well, expect that I continued to learn. I hid behind books.
I'm now 40. Middle and high school were rough. It wasn't until college when I felt comfortable in my own skin again. I wish my parents had pulled me from that middle school. . . It was a disaster.

[Anonymous]

OP if she finds or expands a group of like-minded friends, she can thrive.

This book is written by a local school counselor who specializes in middle schoolers.
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/43232419-middle-school-matters

[Anonymous]

We chose a single gender school that focuses on academics and actively coaches middle schoolers to be good friends to one another and good citizens overall. She is a freshman in college and several of her besties are girls she met in 6th grade. I remember specifically another mom saying one of the best things about the school for her family was that her kid wasn’t forced to grow up too fast. She could bake cupcakes with friends and watch Disney movies and it was ok.

[Anonymous]

I was like that as a kid. My mom took me out of my small private girls school where I was bullied and put me into a large public school. It was awesome, I found two friends (who I’m still friends with now) and blended in enough (there were so many oddball kids, it was a huge school) that it was never a problem that I was a bit “quirky”. I ended up turning my quirkiness into a career in the film industry. Embrace your daughters personality, she will find her own way.

[Anonymous]

OP here. thanks everyone