OT Parenting Question: Do you let your kids skip school. "just because"?

[cjparker0110]

Though my DDs (twins-17) tell me their friends are allowed to miss 'just because' all the time

I'm not saying your DDs are lying, but I remember telling my parents all kinds of things that my friends were "allowed" to do in hopes that I could do it. It never worked. Either my mom was smarter than me or I was a bad liar.

 

[clori]

I have to consider the reason important enough that I approve of the kids missing. Things like being tired don't work nor would wanting to play a video game. The basic answer is no missing unless medical or religious reasons. However I did allow dd15 to miss twice last year. One day was really more of a mental health day - my father was having surgery 1.5 hours away and was given little chance of surviving (he did) so dd wanted to be at the hospital with me. I knew no matter what was taught dd wouldn't have been able to focus. Surprisingly the school marked it as an excused absence. The other day I let dd miss was to help at the local Special Olympics. It was actually a day to help out that required both school approval and parental approval but was still counted as an excused absence.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Hmm. This seems like a topic that could open a can of worms around here... People have strong opinions!

My mom had the unless-you're-sick-or-dying mentality, and I, like your son, was the honor roll, AP classes, part time job kind of good kid. I wished my mom would have had just a bit more flexibility to her - letting a kid miss a day of school as a mental health day, for a single day, is not going to suddenly cancel out the honor roll, the good grades, the job... all that good-kid stuff will still be there the next morning. (Though I'd wholeheartedly agree that you don't get to skip the day there's something particularly important going on - a major exam or project due date, for example.) Basically, in schools today, there's a lot of pressure on kids (and 16-almost-17 is still just a kid!) to keep up, work hard, test well, etc. It's absolutely good practice for adulthood, when we do have to step up and be adults... but they aren't adults quite yet. To my mind, letting a kid take a day off from the daily grind won't hurt him.

So I said I'd parent with a little more flexibility, and so far, I have. But, full disclosure, my son is 6, not 16. So I'm not dealing with high school and teenage attitudes yet!

I've always said if the kid is mature enough to stay up for a midnight show, concert, whatever, they're mature enough to suck it up through the following day at school on a couple hours sleep. That's how grown ups do it.

 

[Chelley00]

I've always said if the kid is mature enough to stay up for a midnight show, concert, whatever, they're mature enough to suck it up through the following day at school on a couple hours sleep. That's how grown ups do it.

My parents always said "If you can party all night, you can party all day too"

 

[mm1971]

I already know my answer to this - But Since DS16 (almost 17) has badgered all night and got an answer he didn't like, I want to check in here with all my mouse friends to see if I am as strict and as he says I am being...

I am interested to know if other parents let your kids skip school "just because"? I say no. It's not how I was brought up, and unless you are sick or dying - you go to school. That is where i am at. DH doesn't agree. And DS really doesn't agree. DS is a very responsible almost 17 year old. He argues that he hasn't missed a day of school since our WDW vacation in November. He makes honor roll, works part time and is a good kid (despite his typical teenage attitude he displays on occasion). That's his beef.

Update: I left out the reason he wanted to skip was to stay up late and play a new PS4 game that was being released at midnight. And all day the next day.

To me, skipping should be saved for something more important. But I'm very interested to know what others opinions and beliefs are in this! TIA!

I am sure there are multiple opinions and several way to answer this. In our house, it depends on the situation but yes we have allowed it. We have access to both kids grades on a real time basis. If they are doing well, all A's and B's, have not missed much time, have no tests that day and truly feel that they need a day, we would allow them a day off. I guess the reason is that when they get to college, into the workforce or generally out on their own it will be his/her decision. We always make sure they get all homework done and studying for any tests while they are home so it's not a completely free day. If they learn to manage the their schedule, realize that missing school/work time and the effects from those decisions it makes sense to us.

Of course that is our opinion. We have several friends that strive for the perfect attendance award every year. Really no right or wrong answer.

I am pretty certain, getting the new PS4 game and playing it late into the night would not be an acceptable reason to miss school for us. We actually do not allow video or computer games to be played on school nights as a rule so not likely they would even ask.

 

[cmspacca]

This year, we have to extend Spring break by one day due to crazy airfares. We aren't coming home from Disney until the Monday that they go back to school. They get to miss that day, but ordinarily they don't get to miss school just because.

DD14 tells me there are kids who stay home because they don't feel like going to school. She's tried asking a few times...no dice

 

[powellrj]

We are not a gaming family so I can't answer for that, but I did answer that I have let my DD take a few over the years for us to have a day together and she has also taken days off for things like choir concerts and working the polls.

What has surprised me is the number of people that have said they would never let their kids take a mental health day but would let them miss for a WDW trip.

 

[Vijoge]

Prom is on a school day there? Ours was always on a saturday.

At our local high school, if you aren't in school the full day the day of the prom, you aren't allowed at Prom.

Well, now I'm thinking she'd better check before we make the call. Prom here is definitely on a Friday, and I know her boyfriend (he's a senior) doesn't have school that day because of Prom. She's only a sophomore, so I know missing the day would be unexcused but I'm not concerned about that. Gosh, school gets out at 3:20 and Prom is at 6:30-It will take about an hour to get there. . I don't think it's even possible for her to get hair, make-up, and dressed in less than two hours. YIKES!