Is there anyone out there who has, for whatever reason, taken their child out of school for online school at this point in their GCSE’s? My ds15 has always hated school. He has now reached a point where he just cannot seem to cope with it any more. No matter how many times we tell him he has literally only a few short months it makes no difference. The situation is complicated because 2 years ago we lost his sister to suicide. She didn’t have mental health issues but she was taking a drug which could cause suicide and it tragically did.
This has devastated us as a family and while my son seems to have coped well, there is no way this hasn’t affected him, although it doesn’t seem to have influenced his hatred of school.
He is not likely to achieve well academically although he is very driven and wants to be out working. He wants to go to college next year and should get what he needs for the course he wants to do.
Under “normal” circumstances we would just make him suck it up and get on with it but because of what happened with his sister we are so fearful of how miserable he is. Not that he seems depressed (but then his sister wasn’t depressed either and it still happened). I’m scared that once suicide affects a family it becomes an option for the others but similarly I don’t want to give him the message that he can just opt out of things he doesn’t like. I have lost all confidence in myself as a mother.
It doesn’t help that his personality type is very pessimistic and despite trying to teach him coping strategies he just can’t keep this hatred of school in context and focus on the good things in life. For him it’s overwhelming.
He isn’t interested in counselling. He is very head strong and like most 15 year olds, thinks he knows best. We are at a loss what to do. Would you enroll for online school at this point (he did online during lockdown and whilst he didn’t enjoy it he didn’t complain because he was at home).
Would online schools accept him at this point & if so can anyone recommend an online provider?