Wednesday night, sending your child, aged 8 to boarding school, do tell me about it as i won't be able to watch!!!

[piratecat]

I couldn't even watch the trailer for it without wanting to weep!

sounded like doo dah off ab fab 'cheerio sweetie'

Poor April, desperate for them to stay.

Why would the mum be stuck in Suffolk? Don't understand how this works. If husband is posted abroad couldn't she move nearer?

TAKE April out now, please!

That poor child

poor April

oh poor april!! and I can't believe that mum pushed her away too! and left those other twins! And agree having to "wean yourself" off your parents!!! 8 is just too young I think..

ds was really sad when he saw the trailers - he thought the mums had no choice and had to send the kids away. he couldn't understand why they would do it otherwise. made me sob ds 1 is 7 1/2, no way would I send him away. I also know a lot of non-uk army families - they just take the kids with them to the local schools (usually the american schools even if they're not). kids all seemed well adjusted, better than all the emotionally stunted men I've met who were sent away to boarding school but claim it never did them any harm. yeah right

April is miserable- take her out.

Thank fuck for that! get your child home dear, it's not right for her.

at 'aren't you going to finish your hot chocolate?' 'I've finished it darling'

am pg and watching this probably not good idea with the hormones. That poor little girl they are very young. Its a lot of pressure on a small person. Am sobbing, damn it i knew i shouldnt of starting watching it! I know of quite a few day boarders.

If it were my child and they were as upset at the end of the first term as they were at the beginning then I would be removing them. Some children just aren't the type that either can cope with or enjoy boarding.

He's not posted abroad, he is on detatchment (for about 6 months). I'm guessing she will be allocated a quarter somewhere, where will depend on whether they know what post he will be taking up on his return from Afghanistan.

I went to a private school as a day pupil and the boarders were vile to us. Purely because we went home to our parents every night. It was their way of coping with their anger and sense of unfairness. Poor kids. I remember one girl during an exeat who literally wouldn't let go of her mum the whole weekend, she was badly bullied too .

It's the whole 'learn to cope' business that makes me go cold. WTF should an eight year old child learn to cope with leaving home so soon?

I think it does not suit April at all and when she does become used to it it won't be a good thing, it'll mean she has become emotionally distant from her parents. great!

Eightieschick - April's father has been posted to Suffolk but then deployed to Afghanistan which is a warzone so his wife can't join him!

I do think April's mum is esperately torn - she's obviously been told repeatedly it is the Best Thing for her child, but it's clearly not...and I do feel sorry for her, she's having to force herself to detach too.

Maybe have been put off by military dad telling his crying daughter to let mummy crack on.

I dont understand if the husband is posted abroad so much
why not buy a house where-ever and live with the children and see the husband when he gets home?
Or am I not getting it?

precisely sixtyfootdoll

Chaos - me too. It's brought back memories that I have obviously buried - that complete sense of hopelessness and the desperation of clinging onto someone else's mummy.

its so sad that poor girl will never forget her horrible experience. I also do wonder what that mother thought and what ppl will say to her after watching it

yup that was awful- she was desperate to spend the last few minutes hugging her mummy and was brushed off and told to leave her alone.

That's what ggirl said. It seems as if the couples put their relationship with each other above their relationship with their dcs.