Income only matters in that people with mental illness, drug addiction and so on have better access to treatment and, if arrested, aren't relegated to the public defender's office. (No disrespect to PDs, but they're grossly overworked and aren't able to give the same attention as a private attorney would... which is a whole 'nother conversation about how lack of funding for public defenders feeds into certain inequities of the justice system). Money provides options. Options for treatment. Options for employment post-treatment. Options for private mental health care. Options for education. That's pretty much it. It's not about "moral luck" as much as it is being able to afford to play the game.

None, only because you're vaccinated (so it's very unlikely to be Covid) and the vulnerable household member (90 yo) is also vaccinated.

More or less. Honestly, I'm going to step away from the conversation now. My point in hopping on this thread was to show one example of why someone might choose to delay or decline the vaccine for non-crunchy, non-conspiracy theory reasons.

There is no long-term safety data, because the vaccines haven't been around long-term (yet). Which was my point. There is more data on what effect Covid is likely to have on me, which suggests that my risk of complications or death is incredibly low. That's how I made my decision. Next spring, when more LTSD on the vaccine is available, I can re-evaluate my decision. I don't particularly care what other people think of my decision, but I admit it does get tiresome having to defend it.

I don't know if it is or isn't. I guess that's basically my point. I'm also at very, very low risk of covid complications (much less death) so I have the luxury of taking a wait and see approach. I certainly recognize that not everyone is that lucky.

I'm not particularly crunchy nor am I an anti-vaxxer or conspiracy theorist. I don't think the vaccines are part of a nefarious plot. I am pro-informed consent and pro-medical freedom and privacy. All that to say, given the lack of long term safety data of any of the Covid vaccines, I'm choosing to delay getting it for now. I'll revisit the issue in a year, do another risk/benefit evaluation and may decide to get it then (or not). This doesn't make me stupid or selfish or unpatriotic. It just means that I've considered the information and come to a different conclusion than some people.

I am really, really excited to read this book. Thanks so much for suggesting it 🙂

I'm reading the sample at amazon and that looks like a good one to go through slowly and debate/discuss. Thank you for suggesting it.

This is for 16 yo DD. She's thinking about going to public school next fall (sigh) and I know that CRT is woven into coursework in her high school. I want her to be well-prepared and have her own understanding of race and civil rights before (if) she goes, so she can better evaluate what she hears. Ideally part will be a reading list that addresses historical issues, not just of black people but of other religious and ethnic groups who have experienced marginalization and discrimination in the U.S. Easier books written in modern English (middle school, maybe early high school reading level) are probably best. She has ADHD so this affects her reading speed and comprehension. So far, my list is short: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas and Warriors Don't Cry. I could really use some inspiration for books, activities, research projects and videos that might be useful. Also, a teen-friendly summary of what critical race theory is, so she can examine it and form her own opinions. Also, is anyone aware of politically neutral resources about current issues? Seems like everything I find shows a clear, sharp bias in one direction or another. I recognize this can be an emotional subject for many of us. Please keep your replies polite and non-political. I don't want this thread deleted or closed. Thanks for understanding 🙂

For reading, you can use large-print books and audiobooks. Good luck! FWIW, my 17 yo has convergence insufficiency and was helped by a combination of VT and prism glasses (basically rx readers). She's reading at/near grade level now. She still doesn't like it, but she can do it.

Maybe a fidget blanket?

Since he likes physics, maybe he could do a self-directed deep dive into a biophysics topic that interests him.

Somehow I missed this before I replied. Just practice the areas he's weak in. "Teach to the test." Saxon books have many lessons of review at the beginning. This will work in his favor. If you shore up his specific weak areas prior to starting, he should be fine. I do think a subscription to Nicole the Math Lady would be helpful once he starts school so he has that as a ready resource in case he has questions.

If the school uses Saxon, use that program to catch him up. Since he's a bright kid with no LDs, it's pretty easy to accelerate Saxon (do every other problem set, for example). He can use Nicole the Math Lady's teaching videos and then you can work with him a couple times a week to check in and offer whatever extra help he needs.

Forgive me if some of this has already been mentioned, but I don't have time to read the whole thread right now. I have ADHD and started medication last fall. Right now given his age and diagnosis it's not realistic to expect him to work independently. He's showing you he is literally unable to do it. Maybe pare things down to the most essential subjects and then break those down into small steps. Stretch a day's work over a week if he needs it. Slow progress is still progress. Things that have helped me (in addition to medication): Body doubling, breaking things down into itty bitty steps, and no distractions or interruptions. Lemme explain what it feels like to have an ADHD brain. Think back to when you've had to dress a toddler who was in a particularly silly, wiggly mood. Instead of taking just a few minutes, it takes 20 minutes but hey, you're finally almost done! You walk across the room to grab his shoes and... seriously!?... he just wiggled out of his shirt! And just then a loved one walks into the room and is super judgmental ("You're not even finished getting him dressed?! It's been 20 minutes!")That's what it feels like to try to get my ADHD brain (sans meds) to accomplish anything. It's frustrating. It's overwhelming. And I often didn't even bother trying because I knew (or thought I knew) how things would turn out. (Screw you, brain. Just run around naked.)

He loves videos, graphic novels, pictures, comics, comedy etc... and I have to say, learns/remembers well with them. My 17 yo is the same way. Graphic novels: Perhaps check out The Cartoon Guide to.... books and use them alongside other resources (I've seen them for history and science). We've used some Crash Course materials with study guides. My only caveat with CC is that the courses I've viewed don't really stand alone, unless you really are just looking for exposure and "checking the box." They skim the surface and move VERY quickly. I also find the history courses pretty slanted. I'm doing the CC Anatomy course with my daughter right now and I really like it. But we're also supplementing with heavily visual books (A Child is Born, Anatomy made Incredibly Visual) and documentaries. For government and econ we're using Power Homeschool (Acellus). Short video (<10 min usually) followed by a few comprehension questions. Rinse and repeat. I'm adding in lots of documentaries and movies to flesh things out a bit, but the basic course offers the foundational knowledge and vocabulary she needs so the documentaries make more sense. They have all the usual history courses available and the overall quality of the courses seems to have improved since the last time I used the program, so that's nice. Time 4 Learning is another option. I haven't used it, but it looks similar.

FWIW, both my girls taught themselves to read through a mixture of Letter Factory, Starfall, and PBS Kids shows. Actually, I take that back. We did work through the first set of Bob books with my older DD sometime after Letter Factory, but it was super casual and only when she felt like it. That was it for formal reading lessons. Now, despite her significant LDs, her ability to decode grade level words still progresses about a grade level every year due to things she reads for fun (mainly online articles, texting friends, etc.). Maybe the unschoolers are on to something 🙂

Same with my daughter. She tried Adderall (awful, awful, terrible side effects), Concerta (no side effects, but no positive effects either), Ritalin (helped with focus but made her feel like a blob all day), and finally to Vyvanse. After taking the Vyvanse 4 or 5 times the side effects started to wear off considerably and now, besides the crash at the end of the day where she feels like a blob for an hour, it's all good. She just eats a big breakfast and sips juice throughout the day. Oh, also, no more sleep issues. She has a big bottle of Clonidine gathering dust 🙂

Don't worry about it! I'm hopeful that since the Vyvanse is working for my daughter, that meds will be helpful for me, too.

Oooh, that's really cool. My memory is utter crap. My brain is like a television where the main channel (what's literally happening in front of me) is kinda fuzzy but okay-ish and then it randomly changes the channel on it's own. I've been literally looking at someone and trying to listen and then "the TV" (my brain) randomly switches to the Fishing Channel (or whatever) and a few seconds later switches back to the person talking and I have no idea what they said. It's awkward. I spend a lot of time smiling and nodding ... and then asking my husband later for a summary.

I am so scared that meds won't help. I honestly don't know how I can continue on relying on my "Just try harder" strategy. It goes waaaay beyond managing day to day details. I am so very, very tired of this. 😞

Well, I mean, it IS genetic most of the time, so... 🤷‍♀️ I figured out what was going on with me when I suspected ADHD for one of my kids. As I read the description of girls with ADHD I was all, "Holy crap. That was ME." And then the more I went down the rabbit hole, the more everything just fit. The final confirmation for me was learning about the developmental/maturity delays (basically the idea is that kids with ADHD are about 3 years younger in terms of maturity). Suddenly my entire childhood made sense. So when I finally went to the psychologist for a formal diagnosis, I already knew. The only surprise was that it was ADHD combined type, instead of just inattentive. I never viewed myself as hyperactive because my fidgeting, impulsivity, randomly getting up and walking across a room for no reason, etc. is all 100% normal (to me) so it never stood out. (Well, the walking across the room thing is a little weird, but the other stuff... meh.) Anyway, all that to say, it's not a bad idea to look into adult ADHD a bit deeper for yourself.

and take medication for it, did it really help? How much did it help? In what ways did it help? I finally (!!!) have a med appointment with a psychiatrist next week, and I'm trying to mentally prepare myself. What should I expect during the appt? It's on the phone which is not my favorite way to do things. I assume the psychiatrist is not diagnosing at all, just prescribing. The psychologist who made the diagnosis told me to stop talking so much and just answer yes or no, so I'm a little paranoid that I'm going to say too much or the wrong things. I could use some btdt advice, please. I'm nervous.

Our washing machine, bought very cheap in a pinch to tide us over until we could afford a nice one. It's avocado green and was probably built in the 70s. Runs like a champ, though. 🙂

It's not banned. I assume we'll do the same as always: decorate our yard, dress up 🤡, pass out candy🍡, and the girls will go trick or treating 🎃 (in our area teens are welcome to join in the fun). As far as activities go, it's pretty low-risk: it's outdoors, small groups, and most people will have masks on. I hope my neighbors join in, because kids deserve to have a bright spot of fun in what's been a pretty lousy year.