Diary 2026.3.16 A Possible Encounter

Recently, I started participating in an online support group for parents of children who refuse to go to school.

I don't post much myself yet, but reading the various stories from other parents with children who refuse to go to school, I often find myself empathizing. It makes me feel a bit relieved to know we aren't the only ones, and I learn new things, so I often feel glad that I joined.

I am very grateful for the people who create and manage such a space; it is a real lifeline.

What I feel there is that even though we use the single term "school refusal,"
the ages, durations, situations, and struggles are truly diverse.

There are many things that are helpful because the situations are similar, but I feel that in each household, and in our own, we have no choice but to face each child one by one without there being a single right answer.

Changing the subject, the other day, my daughter and I went to visit a correspondence high school.
There, my daughter and I had an encounter!
It was with a girl the same age who was also there for a visit, and her parent.

Seeing my daughter open up and talk to someone her own age for the first time in a while made me very happy, too.

Our situations seem similar, and it looks like we share some common interests, so we even made a promise to meet again!

I don't know where good opportunities or encounters might be, or what the right answer is.
But if I feel happy or have fun, I want to keep moving in that direction!