DS8 is having a rough school week, for reasons that aren't entirely clear (and not for a lack of trying to find out). His reluctance/refusal to enter the classroom has gotten worse and lasted longer each day. I've read on other threads of parents giving their children mental health days, but those cases seem to involve really toxic school environments. Our school has been magnificent this year, both with accommodations and attitudinally. They are genuinely concerned about his rough week and are trying to turn it around. I have no physical safety concerns (I suspect another class's teacher got upset with him about something and he's so sensitive that such things can derail his happy train for days).
So do I give him a mental health day tomorrow, when I am confident that the school generally and his teachers specifically are trying both to figure out the problem and to engage and uplift him? Or does that just teach him that sufficient morning reluctance buys him a day off? And undermine the teachers? Or am I being too hard on my sensitive young man who has never taken advantage before and may really need a down day. He knows he would be spending the day with me at my office, doing schoolwork, and was still adamant this morning that he would prefer that to school.
