I think it's normal for moms to be more sensitive and for dads to want their boys to learn to tough things out. Neither is more right or wrong, they balance each other. This is why kids need a mom and a dad, and the ones who don't grow up with that duality often experience problems later in life as is well documented.

Perhaps consider allowing them to go to the public school so long as their grades stay above a certain level? Alternatively, get them to focus on their future goals (as an adult) and write them down. Then talk about how they'll need to live now to achieve those goals. Discuss how you fear things might turn out if they go to public school. Sounds like long term thinking might be lacking.

93% of Moroccans are religious, and 98.7% of those are Muslim according to Wikipedia. I wonder what their motive was.

In some majority Muslim countries if women don't wear a head covering, or full body and face cover in some instances, they are threatened with being beaten, raped, publicly shamed etc. That's clearly the oppression of women. In cases where Christian women dress modestly in majority Christian countries they are not doing it for fear of punishment, hence it could be seen as an act of virtue rather than one of fear.

Just because it's not normal doesn't mean it's pathological. People in Japan, China, and South Korea walk around airports with medical masks on because they don't want to catch a cold. Does that mean much of the East Asian population has OCD? It's not having any negative impact on my life so I doubt any doctor or psychologist would consider it a problem in need of treatment.

Yes, once clothes have been in the laundry hamper for a bit they are dirty, smelly, and ick.

Don't worry, I'm not going to have a mental breakdown if I can't wear gloves. It's just a preference when it's available.

I wear disposable medical gloves even when going through my own laundry and when I'm emptying the trash or the vacuum cleaner etc. I intend to wear them when changing diapers, but not when holding the baby, obviously. When I learned that it's actually the improvement of hygiene that's had the biggest impact on human lifespan over the last few hundred years I started practicing it more rigorously. I'm not obsessive though. I just prefer to do things in a more hygienic way when I have the option to. I've found that I'm better at housekeeping as a result because I do a more thorough job and faster when I'm not thinking about the 'ew' factor. It costs barely anything and it takes 2 seconds to put them on, so the cost is outweighed by the benefits IMO.

Towels are heavy and rough so they can make softer garments wear faster. I also prefer to put them in a different wash because they're tough enough to go through a sterilizing wash with hot water and bleach while clothes wouldn't survive that.

I've done the all white sheets thing for a year now and I'm very happy with how they've lasted. I don't find it difficult to maintain them at all. White clothes are another issue though! I usually end up throwing them out after the first wash.

I don't mean to pick you out. Your post just had me thinking, surely we can have children doing laundry from a young age? Every aspect of doing laundry (reading wash instructions, identifying symbols, sorting colors, measuring detergent) is doable by a 7 year old. It's just a matter of taking the time to break it down for them. I guess it depends how physically accessible your washer and dryer are though. Front loading at ground level would be doable. Also, I always use disposable gloves when sorting laundry and putting it on. (Yes, I'm big on hygiene.) So worrying about exposure to dirt or chemicals wouldn't be a real problem if supervised.

I've found that it's easier for me to keep whites looking new because you can always bleach them. And you can wash them on a hot wash without them fading. Ditto towels etc. Somehow colored towels always end up with weird faded or bleached bits. White towels are immune to this.

Our one only takes in cold water and heats it up to 200ºF depending on the setting. It's good for sterilizing, but there are products like bleaches or antibacterial washes you can use alternatively if you're worried about germs.

Wow, I had no idea it was okay (and actually better in some cases) to wash with cold water. I had to look it up: http://www.clark.com/right-water-temperature-to-wash-clothes-laundry

A bit of a strange question, I know! If you follow the instructions on each piece of clothing you'll end up with about 10 separate categories and some with only a few items of clothing in them. This is what I do at the moment: Hot Wash White or Light – the goal is to sterilize and get rid of dust-mites on towels, sheets, cleaning cloths etc. I imagine in the same way the commercial cleaners do for hotels that they service. The water in the washer we have gets so hot on this setting that steam starts coming out, so it's verging on boiling. Dark Wash – on synthetic setting Red Wash – on synthetic setting Lights Wash – on synthetic setting I've also decided only to buy white sheets and towels etc. as hotels tend to do, to make laundry easier. I don't buy anything that would need to be hand washed or dry cleaned more than every 6 months. I use a natural unscented detergent, water softener (we live in a hard water area), and natural oxy-bleach powder for the whites and lights. For items that I really want to ensure items are clean I'll add an antibacterial fabric conditioner to be applied at the end of the wash. Considering also adding a regular natural fabric conditioner. Though I've never bothered doing so before. Just seems like it might be a good idea. What works for you?

Sorry I can't say thank you to everyone individually because there are over 100 posts now. But I'm reading every one and taking notes. Thank you all.

Why not make an appointment for him to talk with a bank manager and open his first account? I had mine at 13.

I thought I heard Susan WB say she only homeschools for 5 hours a day. Did I misunderstand that?

He often does laundry, dishes, and takes out the trash but for some reason I can never get him to use the vacuum cleaner.

That page simplifies a lot. Thank you.

Have you considered teaching homeschool children formal etiquette? Some of it is a little esoteric, but I can see it fitting nicely with the study of European history, particularly the Renaissance period. What's more, I think it might help to instill confidence in children later in life when they happen to need the skills. This company has been teaching formal etiquette in England since 1769 and they offer books and courses: https://www.debretts.com/product/debretts-handbook/ They also have some wonderful examples of how formal letters are written that could be copied out by children.

Is there a chart somewhere that shows which states require this?

Thank you. This is definitely up there as one of my two top priorities for the next 2 years. 1. Finances 2. Education

Yes, accounting would be useful to me because currently we have someone else do it. We've spent thousands on it. Thanks for sharing that.

Thanks Quill. I just took a look at our local CC's website, and actually the courses look great. I've never considered CC before because I thought they weren't 'real' degrees. But they're practical qualifications that apply directly to a job. They only take two years and the cost is very reasonable. I'm just trying to figure out how the mothers here manage time wise.