After hearing about moms who are debating over whether or not kids should be kept out of school for "fun stuff," I sat here scratching my head a little bit.
Because honestly, I didn't even realize there were that many parents out there who don't pull their kids out of school at one point or another for some reason other than them being sick, having a doctor's appointment, etc.
Yes, I know school is important and the teachers and other staff need to encourage good attendance and all that jazz, but come on -- is there really that much harm in a parent taking a kid out of school to do some sort of fun family activity for one day or even a week out of the year?
Personally, I don't think so.
Back in 2011, my husband and I let our son skip a few days of kindergarten so we could take our first family trip to Disney World. We went at the beginning of December instead of going during his scheduled school vacation because the fares were lower, the weather was cooler, and the parks weren't nearly as crowded as they are at other times of the year.
We had a marvelous time, and you know what? Our little guy didn't miss a darn thing while we were away. Granted, he was only in kindergarten at the time, but even so, it wasn't like he fell behind in class or had a bunch of work to make up as a result of being out. The trip was rejuvenating for all three of us, and thankfully, no one at his school gave us any grief about it.
This school year, however, the poor kid has been hit with one illness after the other, so he's already had more than his fair share of excused absences for us to even consider pulling him out for an unexcused reason.
But barring any unforeseen circumstances when he starts second grade next fall, we are planning on letting him miss school for a week so we can do another family trip before the holidays. And I won't have the slightest ounce of hesitation when I call the school to inform them that my son will be out of class for several days simply because we're off enjoying a little bit of much needed family time and fun in the sun. Heck, even if they do give me a hard time, it'll be worth it.
Do you ever pull your kids out of school for "fun" reasons?
Image via Mary Fischer
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Comments 40
Up until high school, yes. Once in high school, no. Too much work to make up, even if they miss only one day. Just isn't worth it.
I totally agree with you! My parents did this when I was young and I simply took my school work with me! When I got older, they were very understanding about "skipping school" and there were a few times mom even came and signed me out so I could go do something fun with friends. This didn't teach me that it's ok to skip school, instead it did take the excitement away from it and completely demolished the rebellion factor. When other kids talked about "skipping school" I didn't really get what the big deal was! And I personally think it's more important in high school, for this exact reason. xoxo
I don't and I know I'm the minority but I don't care. I just think, it doesn't teach a good sense of responsibility. If I want to plan fun activities, then I do it during the scheduled school breaks.
I compare school to a career my oldest daughter is in the 3rd grade ahe has not missed any school sense she was in first grade and that was only 1 day. Would you skip work for a day or a week to have fun? probably not. So with them sucking it up and dealing with it my daughter has had a stuffy nose all week but no other symtoms. She went to school all week. Most likely if this was your career or job you most likely would have gone to work. By having good attendance in school teaches them for the work force in the future and being responsible. There are plenty of vacations to go and have family fun but skipping school just to have fun doesnt teach responsibility.
As a teacher, I see both sides of this. We have some kids that barely bother to show up for school, do no work when they are here, and then wonder why they're failing. (This is middle school, by the way.) On the other end of the spectrum, do I mind my super-concientious, hard-wroking students who have good grades taking a day off now and then? Absolutely not--- with the understanding that it's their responsibility to make up any and all work they miss or face the consequences. When I was in school, my mom would occasionally pull me out for an afternoon to spend sone one-on-one time, and I graduated with AP credits, a 3.75 gpa, the whole rigamarole. It just depends so much on the family.