<p>Hi, I am also having the first year as a boarding school parent and fully sympathize with you. </p>
<p>Although kids hardly talk out, they all, to some extent, have homesickness, miss family and old friends, get stress from the new environment & increased workload and more than anything else, they do get shock from unexpected grades. Under such circumstances, all that once looked so great about everything could turn into the negatives in a split second with any trivial reason. Kids are resilient and fragile at the same time. </p>
<p>Many parents here are more experienced than I am and have already given you a lot of good advice. All I want to say is help your child regain the self-confidence. The best way of doing it is, in my opinion, let the advisor know exactly about the current situation and boost your son’s confidence, especially on academics. Anybody can get D grade at a stellar boarding school and he will only get better. </p>
<p>As he regains confidence by any means, everything could turn back into all positives. It includes making new friends. So, advise him to be more open to new friends and try to see the positives. Cheer him up, not with pep talks but with your thoughtful wisdom of life. Parental support is a big confidence booster and consolation. </p>
<p>As some parents stated, I don’t think it would be the best idea to give him another option such as day prep school. He should (and will) get over this for himself with helps of parents, friends and advisors. He can’t avoid this issue by choosing other option. It is not good for his long-term self-confidence either. </p>
<p>We will look forward to hearing from you the good news soon.</p>