Would you take your five-year-old to boarding school?(No, it’s like sending them to prison! )

I don’t want to sugar coat it in anyway; the honest truth is that it’s extremely not humane to send a five-year-old to boarding school at whatever cost.

Thursday, January 02, 2014
Doreen Umutesi

I don’t want to sugar coat it in anyway; the honest truth is that it’s extremely not humane to send a five-year-old to boarding school at whatever cost. If you have been to a boarding school, then you will definitely know it’s no place for a five-year-old. In simple terms, sending a child that young to boarding school is like sending them to prison.The negative effects of separating a parent and child especially at that age are many compared to the positives attained when they attend boarding school. Parents play a huge role in a child’s learning especially at a tender age. There is strong parental presence needed for a child in those early years of their lives. Therefore I would greatly discourage sending a five-year-old to a boarding school. The article "Early Childhood Development: The First Five Years” published on aboutourkids.org states that the first five years create the foundation for the child to accomplish key developmental advances in mind and body. It is during these years that the brain undergoes its most dramatic growth. Language blossoms, basic motor abilities advance, thinking starts to become more complex, and social/emotional development enables the child to begin to understand his own feelings and those of others.The article advised parents to keep in mind that milestones are not a fixed time table, but approximate times when certain abilities can be observed. There is a wide range of "normal,” and each child adapts to the world at their own pace.As a parent, you may think you’re doing your child a favour by providing them the best education by sending them to boarding school, but at the age of five, all you are doing is abandoning that child which might lead to the child resenting you in their later years, leaving you with nothing but regret. According to Debate .org‘s "Do children benefit from attending boarding school?” someone responded that children do not benefit from boarding school, because those children will miss out on important life lessons that can only be taught in a family.The respondent further stated that life consists of far more than just reading, writing, and arithmetic, some may argue that boarding schools may offer top notch education. However, there are some things in life that can only be learned at home and in a family setting. Kids who attend boarding schools may miss out on these important life lessons during their developmental stages in life.