NATHAN HOUSE NEWSLETTER - Term 4 Volume 1 | Page 4

Letters from Parents
Mom Accepting Her Son’s Dream
In Grade 5, Kipp told us he wanted to go to boarding school. “Not a chance”, said I. A month or so later, he
slip-streamed past me to his father, Nick, and repeated his wish. Nick told him to go and research schools in
KZN, “because your mother will never let you leave Natal”. Sometime after this, Kipp said he had Googled
all of the possibilities and would like to go to Maritzburg College. Despite the fact that my father and brothers had attended College, they had all been day boys – not the same thing at all – and I had my doubts. The
days flew by – as they do. After a one-on-one tour around the school in Grade 6, Kipp declared that, “This is
where I want to be – I don’t even want a plan B”.
And so, on January 12th this year, we listened to some Important Men and Big Grade 12 Boys telling us in the
Alan Paton Hall about what to expect of the changes we would see in our sons over their first 3 weeks as
boarders at College (we had NO idea!); and had lunch with our respective sons. Came time for us to leave, it
was a quick hug (too quick – what’s up? he seems eager to get going on his journey without us) and he turned
and walked away with Dylan Jones.
The next 3 weeks were quite possibly the longest weeks of my life (wonder what he’s doing? Is he remembering to take his vitamins / brush his teeth twice a day…properly? Who do I know with an older child at College
who’s working Zarm Farm who can spy for me – “Whaddya mean you saw Dylan but you didn’t see Kipp?”
….Wonder where Kipp was and why he wasn’t on the field with the other boys? Aaaaargh, my poor boy –
poor me – is he happy, is he sad? Is he being beaten up?) It later turned out that on one occasion some Grade
11 boys had actually been standing on him in the pool…Luckily I only found out much later…. heads would
roll….. A prefect happened past the pool, and they got punished (air punch – yesss!!). Six days into his 3-week
incarceration at College, it was Kipp’s birthday….much hand-wringing and red-wine glugging from me (even
contemplating smoking after a 10-year quit); who would even know it was his birthday? How would he know
we love him and are thinking of him on his birthday? I wrote an email to Mr Larter… And so began my lovehate relationship with the superintendant of Nathan House: I loved him when he organised a huge birthday
cake to be made at school for all the boys in Dorm D for Kipp’s birthday, and snuck an “illegal” Happy Birthday email to Kipp on the day – the kindness made me weep: emotions running very close to the surface. I hated him when he gave all the boys guarding as a ‘blanket punishment’ cos of one idiot’s behaviour. I loved him
when he said he would talk to Kipp about his Granny who had died during the 3-week incarceration. I hated
him when he told Kipp he’d have to weed the gardens at 4:30am for failing team-testing – yes, one of my spies
who saw and spoke to Kipp during his 3-week incarceration, told me at the time.…. Actually, honestly, on
balance it was all very much more positive than negative.

Finally, the day arrived when we could watch our boys play sport for the first time (but “No, you can’t take
him home yet… that only happens next weekend.” I think that was another ‘almost-hate’ moment, Mr
Larter). Ooooh, those Important Men and Big Grade 12 Boys were right – how our boy had changed in those
3 weeks: grown taller in size and attitude; become more appreciative and loving; respectful of others’ needs
and need for space; able to sprint anywhere at short notice (“That was Clark House”, he explained, when we
caught up on the other side); jumping over traffic speed bumps (“We are not worthy… but we ARE more
worthy than dayboys!”). Kipp showed us very proudly around his school, and we quickly realised that in those