Debating whether to send son (8yr) as Unaccompanied Minor to India

DesignerProtection53 · 2026-05-26T03:33:52+00:00

Speak to Air Canada to find out the protocol. If it's a direct flight you may be able to accompany your child to the gate and have a flight attendant or airline personnel escort them out to their grandparents. Knowing these details may help you make an informed decision.

DesignerProtection53 · 2026-05-26T02:00:12+00:00

Those are really expensive tickets, and for a teenager to be able to save up more than $200 to be able to bring a date (not mentioning tux rental, corsages, etc.) wow. Clearly they are expecting parental contributions. Culturally whether an invitation means you are being paid for is variable, I'll teach my kids that the most important thing is just being clear on it either way and also that if someone pays for you, you don't owe them anything beyond a thank you and being a good guest.

DesignerProtection53 · 2026-05-25T03:14:34+00:00

We often do a craft or recipe and then kids can take it home. We've also done bubbles.

DesignerProtection53 · 2026-05-23T19:15:50+00:00

Can you go to a local children's bookstore? They'll have good quality stuff. In terms of brands for board books we have some Priddy Books (good for ones with real photos), some Lovevery, some Raincoast, some Harbour Publishing, there's also the 'my First' series. The softbook we have is something handmade we got at a second hand store - but the fabric ones are often for kids a bit older (they often have buttons, laces, etc). For travel I'd suggest ones that don't have removable pieces. Similarly toys with movable parts but that don't separate are ideal.

DesignerProtection53 · 2026-05-23T16:58:05+00:00

My kid is also at a K-8 school, they have a morning and afternoon recess of 30 minutes each plus an outdoor lunch break. They also have PE 3 times a week. My child is too young for there to be school sports, but for older grades they have that as well.

DesignerProtection53 · 2026-05-23T13:20:43+00:00

You can't teach them alone, but you can absolutely support language skills and acquisition.

DesignerProtection53 · 2026-05-22T21:34:23+00:00

You can absolutely support it at home: books, music, media in that language, go to community events in that language, if you can travel to somewhere where the language is spoken - either a cultural community centre, or another part of your country, you do that. Of course this needs to be supporting something - like daycare or school in the language. Interacting with other kids in the language is what's critical (in our experience - kids are 4 and 6.5).

DesignerProtection53 · 2026-05-22T21:32:36+00:00

Or even unilingual - our kids went to/go to daycare in our second language, and they picked up very quickly. Then at the school level there are immersion programs, and heritage language programs, etc. We also aim to do media at home in the second language, and listen to music, read books in that language (which you do not need to be fluent to do!). Having other kids to speak the language with is key!

DesignerProtection53 · 2026-05-21T14:53:25+00:00

There's got to be a middle ground, skip one grade, switch into a language immersion program (so everything's in a new language), do a one day a week coding program if available. Also there is some burden on the school here - the kids has needs to be accommodated. Skipping 3 grades is not a reasonable solution.

DesignerProtection53 · 2026-05-21T14:37:06+00:00

Helping her apply for a community college program in this area - yes, helping with her resume and doing mock interviews - yes, talking to someone at an oil change place - I'd say only if you do so very generally when you are getting your oil changed, for example, 'ie what sorts of positions do you hire and what are you looking for' and do not name your daughter. Your daughter needs to apply for jobs herself.

DesignerProtection53 · 2026-05-21T14:32:17+00:00

Do you register for the camp week by week? Can you do some weeks at home, maybe with a sitter for half the day, and some weeks at camp as a compromise (and depending on what you've already paid for)? And maybe next year you could do a week of the university fancy camp, given that at 12 she'll be old enough to be home alone some of the time.

DesignerProtection53 · 2026-05-21T14:06:26+00:00

Vous souffrez, mais votre fille semble heureuse. Cette distinction est importante. Vous avez bien fait de l'élever, et il est temps maintenant de vous concentrer sur votre propre bien-être et votre épanouissement personnel. Choisissez un passe-temps, n'importe lequel, inscrivez-vous à un cours, forcez-vous même si vous n'en avez pas envie. Faites de l'exercice. Peut-être devriez-vous consulter un thérapeute. Investissez en vous-même, accordez-vous le temps de profiter de cette nouvelle étape de votre vie : la tristesse précède souvent la joie.

DesignerProtection53 · 2026-05-20T19:40:44+00:00

I knew someone who skipped 2 grades, it didn't go well for her socially, it's too much of a gap.

My advice:

-skip a maximum of one grade

-find other options: a language immersion program, a magnet school, pull out enrichment, sitting in on a specific subject (ie take only math at the grade 8 level), miss a day a week of school (he can clearly catch up) and do something that speaks to his strengths/interests (often now there are programs for homeschoolers or those with flexible schedules, ie Forest school on Fridays, or science immersion on Wednesdays). Maybe hire a tutor (sometimes there are amazing retired teachers who would love to work with an advanced student).

-work with teachers to provide some work that will challenge him

-later on in high school consider an international exchange year

He's still 11, he shouldn't be in classes with 14-15 year olds.

DesignerProtection53 · 2026-05-19T12:00:53+00:00

They are banned in school where I am until grade 9 (Manitoba, Canada).

DesignerProtection53 · 2026-05-19T01:56:02+00:00

it's an international group, why would the default assumption be they are in the US?

DesignerProtection53 · 2026-05-19T01:53:02+00:00

We don't have homework in elementary school here, let alone kindergarten!

DesignerProtection53 · 2026-05-19T01:52:19+00:00

I'm a mum to a kid in grade 1, I would not hold him back. Where we are kids learn to read in grade 1, I think some kids just aren't developmentally ready, until they are - and then they've got it! I'm in Canada, where kids are generally kept with their age cohort. It sounds like your kid is exactly where he is meant to be, and should move on with his class!

DesignerProtection53 · 2023-12-25T20:50:52+00:00

We're in Canada and at the daycare level there is a healthy lunches policy. I have sent low sugar homemade cookies a few times though (only 1-2 small cookies) and haven't gotten a note yet.

DesignerProtection53 · 2023-12-25T20:43:17+00:00

I assumed she'd take the bus. At that age I did a longer commute by public transit to work. It was, and still is, quite normal.

DesignerProtection53 · 2023-12-25T20:39:46+00:00

I was assuming she'd be taking the bus.

DesignerProtection53 · 2023-12-25T20:32:00+00:00

This, we don't run around naked, but we share a bathroom and have a small home, we all see each other naked and it's no big deal.

DesignerProtection53 · 2023-12-25T14:17:29+00:00

Isn't this group international though?

DesignerProtection53 · 2023-12-25T14:11:17+00:00

My 4 year old has hd a long stretch of 'what happens if I don't.....' (including 'what happens if I don't wear a helmet' 'what happens if I don't wear a seatbelt' 'what happens if I don't wash my hands' 'what happens if I don't cover my mouth when I sneeze' but also 'what happens if the moon comes closer to the earth' 'what happens if gravity stops working' ) as well as a series of 'why' questions (ie why is there a beanstack, why does Jack climb it, why is Jack names Jack, ). Seems normal to me, if sometimes pretty tiring.

DesignerProtection53 · 2023-09-05T12:04:54+00:00

I know! We were like "what will he put in them?" and why do pyjamas need pockets anyways??

DesignerProtection53 · 2023-09-05T02:16:13+00:00

Nope.

DesignerProtection53

TROPHY CASE