Raising Laila

Chapter 15 - Time Out

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sometimes it takes an overwhelming breakdown to have an undeniable breakthrough 

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January 11, 2018: 3.12pm. 

"Laila? Come here and do this with me please," Jade instructed. She had found the perfect online school system for Laila a few days ago but before she could enrol her she had to take an informal test to find out her math and phonics levels. Jade knew that Laila was pretty clever and would be able to answer the simple reading and sum questions easily but she wasn't sure it would go that easily. 

"Why? What is it?" Laila asked skeptically.

"It's something for school-" 

"Nope, not doing it," The stubborn six year old responded. 

"Let me finish, you need to do this for school so they know what level you are at and they can give us the right work," Jade explained.

"No, I don't want to do school," Laila said crossing her arms. She clearly did not care as much about avoiding an argument and meltdown as Jade did. Jade understood her hesitancy she had gone to school for a few weeks while in South Shields but not after having a few weeks off and since Christmas she hadn't been to any school, while Jade found a good online system. She had downloaded a few educational apps for her iPad so she was still learning but Laila didn't know it and wasn't fond of the idea of actual schoolwork. 

It wasn't that she didn't like school. She did, she loved the learn and before the accident she loved going to school with her friends and seeing her teachers, after the accident she was terrified of going. Despite everybody's constant reassuring she wasn't convinced that Karl and Shireen were going to pick her up at the end of the day, she was naughty all the time so she wouldn't be surprised if they didn't want her anymore and now Jade was going to make her go! She didn't understand the concept of an online system and thought she was going to have to go back to an actual school.

Jade was going to sign her up for a school but not until September when all of their touring would be done for a while, she knew Laila wouldn't be able to come on tour with them and attend a normal elementary school so online seemed like the best option, even had they not have been touring Jade probably would have signed her up for an online system to start off with Laila had so many changes and needed some stability in her life and by keeping her at home for a while she knew she would be getting that. 

"Laila, listen to me. You have to do school, it's not optional its compulsory, it's the law. I've found a really nice online program that will send us the things you need to do and we can learn it all together and give it back to them so they can tell us that you're doing really well! We have to do this little test first-" 

"NO! I'm not doing a test!" Laila cried loudly.

"It's not a proper test! It's just a few questions, see you know these- what is five plus six?" She asked trying to bring the little girl back into her corner. 

"I told you NO!" 

"Laila! This is your warning, come and sit down with me and do the work or go and sit in the corner until you are ready to do it, it's your choice," Jade explained sternly. 

"I don't want to do it," Laila still persisted in her defiance. 

"Okay, come on then. Go and sit in the corner," Jade said remaining perfectly calm pointing to the corner that had become known as the 'time out corner'. 

"No, I'm not going to the stupid corner!" Laila shouted, using the worst words she could think of. 

"There is no need to shout, I'm going to ask you one more time to go and sit in the corner," Jade repeated.