Father Admits He Only Wants To Send His Smarter Child To Private School

When it comes to choosing the right school for your child a lot of things come into play. The cost, the programs offered and whether or not it would suit your lifestyle. Most families like to have their kids at the same school (unless it’s a single sex situation) simply for the fact it’s easier to juggle school drop offs and after school activities.

What happens though when a parent decides that only one of his children is academic enough to be sent to a private high school while leaving the other sibling to attend a regular public school. Is that fair?

This is was the issue a father faced recently after he had to break it to his younger daughter that she wouldn’t be joining her older sister at private school because she wasn’t as smart.

Taking to discussion platform REDDIT, the dad explained that he and his wife knew that private school was the perfect fit for their older daughter but not so much for their youngest.

Reddit thread

The younger daughter has a clear passion for the Arts but unfortunately the parents don’t see the value in it. They think it’s a waste of money to fork out private school fees for an arts program if their daughter isn’t a straight A student. Hence why they’ve decided to not send her to the same private school as her older sister.

Her sister stood her ground too saying if her sibling couldn’t attend the private school then she doesn’t want to go either!

Comments came hard and fast on the thread with many calling out the dad for playing favourites and saying this would no doubt scar both their daughters in years to come.

“Both of your daughters are correct,” one person wrote. “As someone who was the ‘and then there was the accident…’ growing up, don’t do this. Your oldest will view you both as morons, and your youngest will carry this scar deep for the rest of her life.”

“It sounds exactly like you are playing favourites with absolutely no warning,” another commented. “You let your daughter get to practically the end of the school year thinking she was going one place and then dropped a bomb. It also doesn’t sound like you ever mentioned before now the reason you sent your older daughter to this school was because she got certain grades. If you wanted to operate on this standard you should have told your daughter years ago how she did in middle school would affect where she went. Instead you’ve basically already decided your daughter isn’t smart enough to be worth sending to a good school.”

“You two are being absolutely terrible parents,” another person wrote. “You wouldn’t even LOOK INTO OTHER PROGRAMS FOR HER? This is how you breed resentment.”

Some agreed with the parent’s decision saying it was their money therefore their choice.

“I understand where you’re coming from, sending someone to private school, simply for a better arts program seems wasteful to a lot of people,” one person wrote. “She’d most likely get into an arts school regardless. On the other hand I can also see how she thinks you’re playing favorites, which you kind of are, and kind of aren’t.”

“Resources are generally scarce. People have to be practical about it,” added another. “I don’t think all kids get treated equally because they are not all the same.”

“Both schools will provide a great education for both girls,” said another.” Sorry your daughter is disappointed but reality is that it’s not in your budget AND another school better suits her needs. Don’t be bullied by either girl. Stick to your guns and trust your intuition. You are doing your level best for them to get them ahead, they just don’t realize it yet. You will have more than enough expenses for college, so it’s perfectly reasonable to not over indulge now when you don’t have to.”

While many pointed out that financially it just didn’t make sense to send them both to private school, the father later cleared up that issue by saying they can afford both private school fees they simply don’t see the value in doing it ‘just for an arts program.’

“We can afford to send both,” he said. “I am under the assumption that [older daughter] will receive scholarships. Even if she doesn’t, we can afford it. We are well off. If I have to be honest, I see art as more of a hobby and not a career,” he added. “I am fully willing to support my daughter in her hobbies but I really do not understand how I am supposed to throw money at HIGH SCHOOL where it will just dig her deeper into a non-lucrative niche. You simply do not need arts schools the way that you need regular ones. She has natural talent and can foster it without me spending thousands.”

What do you think?

Images: Pixabay