School is a bit like a prison for children. When you get out of prison you want to think about what you'll be doing the rest of the day, not what you had to go through on the inside. In addition, parents very rarely do what it takes to make a kid's day better while they are at school. You aren't allowed to let your kid just skip a week of school to recharge. So telling you that it was horribly stressful will result in a lot of nothing for them.<p>It's especially true for kids that have a demand avoidance. ADHD and ASD kids have a lot of problems with school for this reason. It's a high control environment and you have almost zero personal liberties. Some kids thrive in environments like that. A lot don't.
I am a dad. This happened when my daughter reached high school and now my son as well. When I ask what happened in school, they always respond with one word - “nothing”. Then I follow up and say that they had so many classes and time on the playground. How could all of that amount to nothing. To that answer with two words- “nothing much”. I heave a huge sigh and mutter under my breath, It’s okay and move on. It’s probably to do with onset of puberty and the generation gap. I probably don’t understand their world much at all.