Parenting Dilemmas: Boarding School Experiences Unveiled |Real Families

We follow four eight-year-old girls as they adjust to a new life away from their parents and their home. Each of their parents has decided that their child will be better off boarding in a private school, in this instance Highfield, one of the best boarding schools in the UK. But how do they cope being separated from their families at such a young age? And how in particular do the mothers deal with the difficult decision of sending their offspring away to be educated?

Real Families brings you stories of modern day family life from around the world through the eyes of children, parents, and parenting experts.
Subscribe for weekly documentaries and full episodes of evergreen family documentaries and parenting TV shows.





Content Licensed by All3Media International to Little Dot Studios

#RealFamilies #Documentary #BoardingSchool

[GypsyRoseBlanchardisaliar]

A child this young needs to be with their family

[nina]

April’s dad has the emotional range of a teaspoon.

[aziza]

Did anyone else notice April throwing herself at Lottie’s mum when she came on that first Wednesday? That was so sweet but so sad!

[BethCampbell-bc]

I don’t understand how turning your child over to complete strangers at the age of 8 is a good thing?? The goal to keep them “so busy they don’t think of home” is the main reason they are simply too young to be away from home. I know I’m American and I don’t “understand” the ways of England, but as a mother of grown daughters and currently having an 8 yr. old granddaughter, I just can’t imagine this as a way of life. Your child is a child for a limited amount of time, and then they leave. Why do you promote this while they are still little?

[lindad]

I believe parents should raise their children, not schools and housemasters or house mistresses or whatever they’re called.

[michiganmom]

You only have 18 years to be with them! If you can’t commit to raising them, why did you have them? My child went to public schools, and is exceptionally smart, and has earned her Doctorate degree. I would never give up a minute of my time raising her, not a minute!

[espressoanon]

"You close your eyes and think you're in your own bed and wake up say 'awe, this isn't my home" - April (8 yo)
:((((

[raea]

With boarding schools becoming more and more like a home away from home and large families, I don't think it would be a terrible idea for an older pre-teen or a teenager whose own family was constantly being moved by the military and needed a place of stability and friends to have this life for a few years. But for a child who is only 8 years old and is happy and content, there's no reason to uproot them from an already stable and loving home. Too many kids don't have that and it's important they develop a sense of family before it's lost in being shuffled from school to home and back again.     All of the families in this documentary seemed to truly love their children and just want to do what was best for them. It's in regards to April that I'm not sure if boarding school was best for her.

[susanjones]

Don't send children away. These are formative years, you want your influence to be there. Not some strangers. I don't care how nice they are, it's not a family environment. Too much like Scientology. No one will love them as you do. That's the unique role of the parent.

[ЕкатеринаПолякова-фй]

I was sent to a boarding school at the age of 13, it was very traumatic. I was able to see my family only at the holidays (I was an international student) and also you are left to yourself to deal with things like bullying, it does happen and as you can imagine you end up eating, studying and sharing the same room with ppl who you do not get on with

[lilakelly]

Me and my sister have been at boarding school since we were 10 and it’s the best thing my parents could have done for me! It’s amazing and I love it.

[michelleparadis]

The Mom needs to take her babies n run away from that emonional stone...shes obviously hurting n misses her kids. Kids over a man especially one thats got no personality or heart.

[blessedmweru]

I was sent to boarding school at age 5 years. Result - no connection with my parents or siblings. We are all past 30 years and disconnected emotionally as a family.

[bonitajohnson]

I cried like a baby sending 2 of mine off to college at 18. So I know I couldn’t of done this. At all.

[marihoneey]

Don't have children if you plan on sending them away! If you think you are doing them a favor, you're Absolutely incorrect! We become recently throughout the tears, to the point where we feel UNLOVED.

[lexixii]

I went to boarding school at 13 and I absolutely hated the first year. After that it was fine but 8 is far far too young. It does put distance between the relationships with your family. Your friends become your family. It depends on the personality of the child. It either makes them or breaks them. Really terrible to see

[andjelamarkoski]

When I see this I fell sick... when I was 8 my parents would hardly let me spend 3 days at my granny's house... it's just so sad
I am 14 now and have a pretty normal relationship with my parents. What kinda of a relationship will these kids have with there parents ???

[cici]

Interesting that they consider it to be a success when the children finally detach and no longer miss their mum.

[laces]

What completely unnecessary emotional distress for these young children. It would be far less emotional for them to move around with their family.

[thetortoise]

"Do you want to know why I'm crying? Because I'm happy."

Even the daughter isn't that naive lol