Truanting 8 year old. HELP!

[NorthernNell]

Had DD3s school on the phone this morning to say that DD3 (8years old, year 4) had been 20 mins late for school - I cross her over the road she then goes around the corner and school is on the other side of that road, apparently her and 2 friends had walked out of the playground and 'gone for a walk'!Luckily my eldest daughters driving instructer had passed the 3 little monkeys at 9.10 (school starts at 8.50) and told them to go back to school.

We have some behavior issues anyway and I was wondering which would be the best way to deal with this, right off at the deep end,tears,yelling etc or sit down discussion(neither have worked in the past over minor transgressions!)

Well my mother would have done "the face" and "the very disapointed" speach.

The girls have probably already been told off at school.

Are you able to stay untill you are sure she's in school, in a crap her style kind of way? And do the if I can't trust you to go in to school I can't trust you to X (go to shop by herself or whatever)

Woulld the tears and yelling be form you, or her?

Probably both!

The whole you can walk to school by yourself thing was only started in september because her big brother has gone up to senior school, she's the baby of the family and we are trying to give her a little bit more independance - sigh - that one's backfired!

We are going to have start staying in the playground until the classes have gone in. Toying with the idea of a tv ban aswell.

I would go down the "ok - tell me all about it" route - I would want to know why, where they were going, what they thought would happen etc.

Let her do the talking. And then say - ok - so what happens now ? Ask if she understands why it is wrong and then try and talk calmly about it.

However, if it was my 7 year old - he would just clam up and say nothing.