I hated school when I was a kid and do you know what my father told me? He said, "getting through school in one piece is proof that you'll be able to cope with what life brings - so get through it." I didn't appreciate his words at the time but looking back I think he was right. People who run away from things are going to find life hard. Encourage your daughter to stick it out and be a survivor!

Patrick has a point - there is value in staying the course. However, his father probably would have been better received had he started his message with Emotional Coaching (listen to MP3 Download on this site or see chapter in "Raise Your Kids without Raising Your voice"). You can name your daughter's feelings BEFORE you give her the moral lesson. For instance, try saying something like, "I know school can be awful. The kids can be so immature and mean at times; the teachers are a mixed bag and don't always understand the kids; even the work can seem so irrelevant to real life. I felt the same way you did when I was your age." PAUSE. Then continue, "The only good thing I can say about school, Honey, is that figuring out how to survive it is such an important life skill....etc., etc" This more compassionate approach may allow the important part of your message to be heard.  Sarah Chana

I don't know why today's kids think they can get out of everything! In my day we all went to school, like it or not. There was no such concept as home-schooling, alternative schools and fancy private schools - we all went to public school in our neighborhoods and that was it. What are we teaching our kids when we let them weasle out of every distasteful activity? I think we're giving them the message that we have no faith in their ability to cope and I believe this really can harm them in the long run.

I started homeschooling my children because of the district we live in. It isn't all that great, they have a high drop out rate, low scores, weekly drug busts, etc etc. Here is my advice, offer the route of homeschool then when she begins the course work and realizes that it isn't as easy as she may think and the fact that there is no 15 minute break to "hang with friends" she may change her mind or you may see that she needs greater challenges than the school is offering. My daughter was bored out of her mind because she was 3 years ahead of her grade and in 7th she was tutoring 10th graders for math.