FX

It's funny how different phrases can mean different things...like Foreign Exchange, which can either be a currency transaction, or can be a student experience.

That, however, is neither here nor there...

A couple of people yesterday raised the idea of Munchkin doing a semester or a year abroad to allow her to be closer to the boyfriend, and I probably should have addressed this yesterday, because the idea has come up between me and several of her other quasi-parents (if she has entertained the idea, she hasn't asked me about it). Unfortunately, I don't really love the idea, at least not for this purpose.

I think the idea of spending a semester or a year abroad, either in high school or college or both, is really wonderful, and if she wanted to do it, I would help her as much as I could. It is a great chance to immerse in a culture in a way that a vacation simply doesn't allow for...and as was pointed out, would sharpen her language skills a lot. Her French is already alarmingly good, and would likely be downright perfect after that much immersion.

What I don't like is the idea that she would be doing it largely to spend more time with a boyfriend. That is just a little bit too serious for her age, and would be too little supervision for me to really feel good about it...at least not now. As she gets older, I would obviously feel differently about it. I also feel like it would be hard to go backwards from that kind of a relationship step...would either of them be happy not seeing each other much after being around each other for that much time?

It could also potentially put a host family in a somewhat awkward position as well, having to determine what is appropriate and inappropriate right off the bat. I know that if an exchange student came to live with me, I wouldn't be totally comfortable right off the bat if she asked to spend a weekend with her boyfriend and his family...

Likewise, I wouldn't be completely thrilled if he announced that he was coming here for the same reason. I would be happy, but I would have some reservations about how the whole thing would work out. It just feels too much like making a major life decision at age 15 (or, in his case, 16)...I am genuinely heartbroken that she misses him as much as she does, I am just not sure that this is the answer.

So, the long and short of it is that spending a year going to school in Paris is not gonna happen anytime soon. Eventually? I wouldn't rule it out, but I have my reservations.