Dear MIMsters: I’m Concerned About My Daughter Being In Boarding School

I just enrolled my one and only baby girl who is 12 years in a boarding school where she was a regular pupil before but I am concerned.

I did so with the aim for her to concentrate on her studies since it is her final year in primary school (class 8). She sucks her fingers a lot at home, making her absent minded. She plays a lot which doesn’t give her room to study, she is also supposed to report to school very early and leave as late as 8pm.

As a regular pupil, my house is also not conducive for her evening studies because I have three of my siblings live with me as well as my small niece who clings to my daughter a lot after school. These are the reasons why I took her to boarding. She was very excited to go to boarding when I told over a year ago.

What surprised me today is that after spreading her bed and ensuring that her things are set in the dormitory, she started crying when I told her bye. But before I left, I made sure she found friends who are her classmates as well.

Below are my two concerns about her:

1. I have brought her up in the fear of the Lord, by God’s Grace. Can boarding life affect her salvation? It is a Christian school and very strict in discipline. But is this enough to keep her salvation intact?

2. My four-year-old niece lives with me but I am deeply missing my daughter. I thought with my niece being around will be a consolation but I am finding it hard to cope. How can I cope and release my daughter from my heart?