If you are in the middle of this journey, remember that your presence matters. Sometimes, just sitting in the room with her without asking questions is the most "productive" thing you can do.
This is when you stop seeing her as "difficult" and start seeing her as "struggling." You might spend afternoons playing video games or watching movies together—not as a reward for staying home, but as a way to rebuild the bond that the school conflict eroded.
30 Days with My School-Refusing Sister: A Journey of Patience and Connection
Once the immediate "crisis" of daily attendance fades into a temporary "stay-at-home" reality, the underlying issues start to surface.
The first ten days are usually the most volatile. This is the period where the "refusal" is no longer a one-off event but a pattern.