Good Choices

Yesterday my 15 year old daughter called me up from school.
Mom, can I ditch school today?
Ummmmmm.................NO!!!!
Why? Please! Please! Please!
Don't ask me again, the answer is NO. And anyway, why do you want to ditch?
Because everyone else is.
Who's everyone?
(She rattles off about 7 names)
Oh, I see. And where do these girls plan on going?
To the beach.
Who's driving?
Nikki
She only has her permit
I know
Okay, you just walk you butt right to class. You know it's wrong to skip school and get in a car with someone who only has their permit.
I know mom, that's why I called you to ask you.

So off she went to class. And off I went to call a few girls' moms. I am good friends with the moms a few of the girls she mentioned, including Nikki. I would expect them to do the same. All the moms that I talked to were very grateful that I called. To make the long story short, all those girls not only got in trouble with their parents, but with the school as well. They have to serve after school detention, do community service and are suspended from any sports activities for a week.

Now, what I was trying to figure out was, did my daughter call me because she really wanted to go with them or did she call me to tell on them in a round about way. Last night I sat down with her and had a heart to heart. I thanked her for calling me and gave her different scenarios of what could have happened to those girls. Without me asking her, she did confess that she really didn't want to go but she was scared that something bad was going to happen to her friends. I assured her that she did the right thing by calling me.

Peer pressure is one of the things that I dread my kids going through. I homeschooled my oldest until 3rd grade and then put her in a small private school until 6th grade. I so feared the public school system because that is what I grew up in. In 7th grade, because of certain circumstances I transferred her to a public school. I felt that she was well grounded in all that we have taught. I thought, why am I so scared? God is bigger than the public school system and I trust in Him. So prayer everyday is what gets me through. I think it's one of the best decisions we have made. She has encountered so many situations and has dealt with them well. It has made her a stronger person. So yes, I am proud of my 15 year old daughter!!!! :)