My dd is five and a half and so miserable in school. She started in Jan into an established class and has become progressively more unhappy. There is a strong gang of girls which is fuelled by the parents and although I get on with the parents, my dd is left out of playdates, parties and all the rest of it. I've tried inviting them round, they've come and played and dd has been back but she's not happy or comfortable about it.
She tells me she just tries to stay out of everyone's way and she says she doesn't talk to anyone at school. The most upsetting thing she says is that she just wants to be ordinary. I'm a single mum and she's an only child but there's nothing else to mark her out and being on my own is not a big deal to me. I'm really content with our family life and don't feel anything is lacking. DD sees her dad regularly, has hols with him etc though he doesn't live locally and doesn't get involved in school (his choice). Money isn't really an issue either, though our income doesn't compare with a dual income household, we don't lack anything.
I wish I could just take her out of there. Her teacher says she is happy but she blatantly isn't and if her teacher could see the way she is now she doesn't have to go to school, she wouldn't recognise her. It's like getting her back again, she's so withdrawn during term time.
I want to take radical action like home-schooling her because I can't see how the experience of school is benefiting her. She isn't getting used to it, she just dislikes it more and more. It's like she doesn't know what being five and a half is about. To be honest, she has always been older than her years, it's like she's been here before and it always has been even when she was a tiny baby.
Her issues don't seem to be academic, it's social stuff. before she went to school, she was very sociable and loved being round other kids. She was always ready to join in and seemed to know how to but she doesn't seem to know what to do at school.
I think she's been bullied to whatever extent at some point since she started but I can't pinpoint it. She has obviously developed a coping strategy but that's not the same as being happy is it?
really wish this wasn't happening