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Would you still allow the overseas trip after missed homework and lying?

62 replies

Atatotallossagain · 20/09/2026 14:09

For context our 14 year old ND DD has come a long way both academically and regarding her own personal development within the last year or so. We know that and are so very proud. She also had to have a very big operation at the end of last year which was critical for her physical health and she flew through that raising thousands for charity afterwards doing a physical challenge that many she knows didn't even complete with full health. That got her a lot of recognition not only with the charity but the school and rightly so.

Two months ago she met a boy who's based overseas and they became quite close. They speak most days via WhatsApp and he gave her some jewellery she hasn't removed since he presented it to her when the two families met for the final time on said holiday. He's a nice boy and I like him very much. His presence, even though he's overseas, almost seems to have armed her and given her more confidence as well to just deal with life.

Here's the problem. He has a big family celebration happening during half term and he asked her to go. We can manage it. The finances are no problem and the timing basically works though she would have to have part of the first morning back after half term off. It's a ten hour flight away though, so it's not like us popping to France or something.

We said to her she could go if she achieved certain things in four different areas. She has smashed two (one personal and one sport related), one she's doing ok in (getting what they call stars for academics) and one of which she seems to be flailing in - getting her homework done on time (which equally means she's not getting as many stars as she should as clearly the teachers won't give them for work that's late). In addition, every time something isn't handed in on time it's sanctioned (rightly) by the school.

We asked her if there was any more homework outstanding and she lied saying there wasn't but there is. This means that had we not caught it, that would have been another sanction.

I really want to take her on this trip. But she lied. I said no sanctions was the baseline though I know that everyone makes mistakes and they really push them at the school. It's a number of sets of homework a night. There is also a lot of extra curricular stuff they are expected to do as just part of their development. It's very full on with long days and early starts. But where do I draw the line? I have implied to her that she just won't be able to go now. I don't know if I should reasonably enforce that or not. What would you do?

OP posts:
Ohnobackagain · 23/09/2026 08:56

What you could do @Atatotallossagain is say that you will take her in the next longer holidays (if they are still together) as she did so well with most of it. Instead of loads of targets, you could suggest that she work on her homework planning/phone discipline since it has cost her this time. That way it gives her something nice to look towards while acknowledging what’s just happened (given school have said no to this time I mean).

edited for typos/missed sentence

MellowSubmarine · 23/09/2026 09:09

Atatotallossagain · 23/09/2026 07:10

@CloudyWithAChanceOfCustard No because of the time zone differences the last days means we miss half a day of term. I said that in my OP. I just checked. It’s right there! Therefore the school can say she can’t go and I am not pretending she’s ill so she can go.

Presumably she could just come back a day earlier though?

But tbh I doubt I’d be encouraging the relationship given her age and the distance.

fsfdl · 23/09/2026 09:11

My 14 year old would not be going on holiday with a boyfriend full stop. Sending a child to the other side of the world for such a holiday is madness.

tigerlily9 · 23/09/2026 09:37

Atatotallossagain · 23/09/2026 07:56

@SoThatsTheWayItIs No I gave her the criteria because I knew it would be what the school would look at. I was trying to give her guidance regarding what she needed to be careful of. I would also add that I would not have asked the school for permission had I not wanted her to go. I was hoping they would see it in the round but they didn't.

I think you have handled it fine.
I would be addressing the lying though because it’s not a great coping strategy and she needs to be able to say she isn’t coping etc and ask for help which I am sure she would get from school or parents

ozzydu · 23/09/2026 09:53

Dorosomethingbeautiful · 23/09/2026 07:27

Why would you even consider taking a 14 year old on a 10 hours flight to be with her boyfriend for a family celebration?

I. could not agree more

sittingonabeach · 23/09/2026 09:58

How much pressure is your DD under, both from school and you?

dairydebris · 23/09/2026 10:02

It's obvious that you are hiding behind the schools lack of permission.

I think you've been truly unkind to set such onerous conditions for your 14 yo, have her work so hard and do so well, only to break your deal on a technicality.

ChaToilLeam · 23/09/2026 10:11

Both you and the school sound unreasonably rigid. When you make a child scared to tell the truth for fear of the consequences, you create a liar.

Schoolchoicesucks · 23/09/2026 10:22

I think the holiday encouraging a relationship with a 14 year old a 10 hour flight away is nuts.

I think the conditions you attached were nuts.

I think allowing the school's authorisation to make your parenting decision is nuts.

I think planning to send her straight to school after a 10 hour international flight is nuts.

I assume this is a private school because no state school would ever have authorised this holiday, no matter how much homework she had done.

It should be your judgement as her parent to say "actually, she's done really well, tried really hard, this is great experience for her and she can easily catch up on the 2 lessons she'll miss". If that's what you think.

However you don't seem to have much confidence in your decisions, second guessing yourself about the conditions you set and accepting the school's "no".

It will be a standard letter. Legally she should be in school. But a couple of hours is a couple of hours. You decide.

Cartouche · 23/09/2026 12:09

Schoolchoicesucks · 23/09/2026 10:22

I think the holiday encouraging a relationship with a 14 year old a 10 hour flight away is nuts.

I think the conditions you attached were nuts.

I think allowing the school's authorisation to make your parenting decision is nuts.

I think planning to send her straight to school after a 10 hour international flight is nuts.

I assume this is a private school because no state school would ever have authorised this holiday, no matter how much homework she had done.

It should be your judgement as her parent to say "actually, she's done really well, tried really hard, this is great experience for her and she can easily catch up on the 2 lessons she'll miss". If that's what you think.

However you don't seem to have much confidence in your decisions, second guessing yourself about the conditions you set and accepting the school's "no".

It will be a standard letter. Legally she should be in school. But a couple of hours is a couple of hours. You decide.

Yes, this, You are hiding behind the school's official position, OP. I absolutely work with my 14-year-old DS's school, also, but I don't let its official stance on missing a few hours of classes dictate my parenting decisions. If I wanted my DS to go on a trip that would involve missing half a day of school, because he'd dealt well with what sounds like an insanely rigid and demanding schedule for a child who has recently had major surgery and did some impressive charity fundraising while not fully recovered, he'd go, regardless.

No I gave her the criteria because I knew it would be what the school would look at. I was trying to give her guidance regarding what she needed to be careful of. I would also add that I would not have asked the school for permission had I not wanted her to go. I was hoping they would see it in the round but they didn't.

So are you saying that this isn't a blanket set of absence criteria? That had your daughter been doing more of her homework the school would have been fine with her missing half a day of classes? Are you comfortable with hiding behind the school as fellow-parent?

I also find it deeply weird that you say her fund-raising after her big surgery 'got her a lot of recognition with the school' too. You sound as if you think the school is more important than anything, and you seem to be letting it do your parenting for you.

Dozer · 23/09/2026 12:10

even if you go with her, why spend thousands of pounds (and annual leave if you work) facilitating a romantic relationship for a 14 year old with someone they primarily interact with online? Unwise at best.

Unsurprising that even a private school have raised eyebrows!

BudgetBuster · 23/09/2026 13:42

Schoolchoicesucks · 23/09/2026 10:22

I think the holiday encouraging a relationship with a 14 year old a 10 hour flight away is nuts.

I think the conditions you attached were nuts.

I think allowing the school's authorisation to make your parenting decision is nuts.

I think planning to send her straight to school after a 10 hour international flight is nuts.

I assume this is a private school because no state school would ever have authorised this holiday, no matter how much homework she had done.

It should be your judgement as her parent to say "actually, she's done really well, tried really hard, this is great experience for her and she can easily catch up on the 2 lessons she'll miss". If that's what you think.

However you don't seem to have much confidence in your decisions, second guessing yourself about the conditions you set and accepting the school's "no".

It will be a standard letter. Legally she should be in school. But a couple of hours is a couple of hours. You decide.

Perfectly put

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