Sounds intriguing. I’ve had three trips with my daughter where the primary reason I went was because she isn’t old enough to check into a hotel by herself.

When my kids were younger, I opened up a second credit card in my name with a really low credit limit and added my kids as authorized users. It helped develop their financial literacy and build the habit of paying off the credit card right away. It also made it easier for me to ask them to run errands for me! I second this. My family has experienced plenty of flight delays. Another reason to have a long layover. Just not too early. My daughter too this precaution a little too far and started booking 6am flights for herself, which kinda sucks when you have to get up in the wee hours of the night to get to the airport. I wouldn't bother buying in-flight Wi-Fi. You are stuck in your seat, and can’t do much anyway. If there are any of the normal issues in flight, family can tell by looking up the flight number in the app. On the other hand I believe that Southwest includes in-flight Wi-Fi for all passengers. I also would rather pack snacks in my personal item versus pre-buy in-flight snacks. Airplane food is tiny portions and not very good. Airport food is expensive but more filling and warm. Plus, getting food during the layover helps pass the time. At DFW, it was super easy to find an array of restaurants opposite the gates. When I flew through Charlotte, there were some gates that did not have hot food available without turning a corner. You can see the layout of the different airports in the airline apps, including the exact restaurants and where they are compared to gates. The American app has maps of both the DFW and Charlotte airports.

When I first started flying without an adult (decades ago) I did not want to explore the airport. I wanted to go straight from gate to gate, and then sit and wait at the second gate. I expect than an anxious first-time traveler might feel the same.

Cash is good. But I think a credit card is better nowadays. A 17 year old cannot get a credit card in her own name, but she can get a card with her name on it by becoming an authorized user on a parent’s credit card. I think that everyone flying alone should have a credit card. Airport food is expensive, and if you have a long layover, you are probably going to want to buy airport food.

For what it’s worth, my 17 year old flew through DFW by herself this past summer. She had done a few non-stop flights by herself, but this was her first layover. She was a little nervous about the layover, but she did fine with the sky train by herself. I might have found a video online that showed how to get to the sky train, but DD said she basically just followed everyone else. She was a little concerned about which direction to take on the sky train, but if you have a long enough layover, the direction doesn't matter. If you use the app, don’t trust any gate info you might see the day before. Gate changes happen all the time, even after boarding passes are printed. Always check the airline app for the most up to date gate assignments.

That’s why I said to have a tiny carry-on. There are ways to have both a carry-on and a personal item and very low risk of being forced to gate check a bag. Smaller bags, especially backpacks without wheels, are less likely to be force gate-checked. In my recent flights, I have recently watched flight attendants let tiny carry-ons through even when rolling carry-on after rolling carry-on were being forced gate-checked. Getting in line to board as early a possible also helps. If you fly United, get a window seat near the back to increase the chances of being in a group that boards earlier. Flights with tiny airplanes are more likely to force gate-check bags because their overhead compartments are tiny.

Of those airports, I’ve only flown through Dallas and Charlotte, and most recently it was Charlotte layover on my outbound trip and Dallas layover on my return trip. I found the layout of the DFW airport to be easier to navigate than the Charlotte airport. Dallas is just big rings. Charlotte has lots of concourses with different branches for different gates, so you have to be good at reading signage. It was also easy to find/get familiar fast food during my DFW layover. But DFW is huge, and if your gates are in different terminals, you will need to take the sky train, which can be a little intimidating for a first time flyer, even though you do not have to exit security. Signage for bathrooms was also good at DFW. I would not get unaccompanied minor service for a 17 year old. You might not even be able to purchase it. I would also make sure you have an extra generous layover with lots of time. If she can go carry-on-only, she will not have to worry about lost luggage, finding the right baggage carousel, etc. But make sure that everything will fit, and take a tiny carry-on so she doesn't run the risk of being forced to gate-check her bag. Has she taken any form of public transit before? There are some transferable skills, such as getting used to sitting next to strangers, waiting, transfers, etc.

If the crust is what makes a pie a pie, would a quiche be a pie?

Thank you for getting help in getting out of the parking spot. My parked car has been hit twice by large SUVs driven by people who did not show as much care. Two different parking lots, in two different cities. I was parked behind the large SUVs, not next to them. In one case, the SUV arrived after I had parked.

I didn’t like most of the apps I tried for tracking my physical therapy because it was too much work to enter and modify routines. I finally settled on a simple checklist that I built in Coda. Coda is not an app for tracking exercises, but it is easy to create simple checklists in Coda. I also added some buttons to repeat checklists and track start/stop times. There’s no pretty pictures. No live countdown timer. Just a plain text checklist where I can type the name of the exercise and how many sets/reps/seconds. It also doesn't have reminders. I currently use the paid version of Coda, but it could be done with the free version. My Coda doc does NOT provide statistics, but I am happier without those stats. If I miss a day, I am happier if I don’t see a broken streak.

It’s not my responsibility, but I don’t see the harm in trying to do so? Her GPA is not enough of a priority to clear her schedule for tutoring. On the other hand, it is enough of a priority that I am willing to learn enough to ask intelligent questions. This seems like a reasonable middle ground between doing nothing and getting outside help. This lesser goal also seems doable.

Thanks to everyone who provided feedback. I have revised my goals a bit. I don't actually have to learn calculus to help my daughter with her homework. I just need to get familiar enough with the concepts so that I can ask intelligent questions. I went ahead and did Unit 1 (Limits and continuity) of Khan Academy Calculus AB over the past several days. I like how it is easy to do on the iPad when away from home, so I will probably stick with KA instead of looking for a physical book or something that requires pencil and paper. I made a cheat sheet for the trig and log concepts that came up, but don't feel a need to retake earlier math courses yet. If I do one unit per month, I will finish the course by the AP exam. Of course, if DD's course has a different scope-and-sequence, I will need to adjust. I have the contact info for a tutor, but will hold off on reaching out in case Khan Academy is sufficient.

In the context of debugging code, I call this "rubberducking". Except what I do isn't true rubberducking because rubber ducks don't talk or ask questions. And I personally need a base level of vocabulary, or I end up asking too many stupid questions. I couldn't help her "use the squeeze theorem to get the limit of a piece-wise transcendental function" when I didn't know the meanings of most of the words with more than three letters. And maybe that phrase doesn't even make sense. I'm throwing together vocabulary that she's mentioned in the car. She has always gotten help from a variety of sources: teacher, peers, internet, and me, usually in that order. For Algebra 1, I could jump straight to solving the problems. But over the years I've had to say, "let me look that up and get back to you" or "sorry, I can't help" more and more often.

The same way I helped her with algebra and geometry homework in a moving vehicle at 9pm. We talk. She reads out problems out loud. I ask her for clarification. I tell her my thoughts. Occasionally I wave one hand around. She ends up having to get really precise with her vocabulary and pay attention to pesky details to describe things to me. It had its challenges, but was better than nothing. Plus, this pocket of time is not the only time we will have, but it is the best time because I know we will have it on a regular basis. Sometimes she would set up the problems for me in the car, and then the final explanation happened after I had access to pencil and paper. Plus, I’m not teaching the whole subject, I just want to help her out occasionally with homework. She is not a remedial math student, she just needs occasional extra help because some math concepts do not come naturally to her. I’m not looking to tutor multiple students, just help her out with occasional homework. I also do not expect to be able to explain everything, but the more I can help her with, the less stress all around. But I am hearing that the general consensus is that this is a bad idea because I will not be able to learn enough fast enough. That is valuable feedback.

Dropping the class is not an option. She has talked to her counselor multiple times about her math option, starting last spring when she realized she would be forced into this class. I’m not quite sure where my current math knowledge tops out. I am comfortable with Algebra 1, as in I could probably take an Algebra 1 final exam (cold, closed-book, untimed, no calculator), and pass. I do remember some trig and geometry, but don’t know if I could pass a final exam under those same conditions. (I am willing to spend a couple of hours trying such an exam, if it would help determine if what I am trying is unreasonable. Suggestions for a free placement test?) She also will probably only want help for here and there. But I don’t think I will be able to help her with anything unless I learn the subject myself. I’m also okay if she doesn’t get an A in the class. But I do think it is possible if she can get additional help when she wants it. I was thinking of getting a copy of her textbook and trying to stay ahead of her, but her class doesn’t have a textbook. Hiring a tutor for DD isn’t an option due to her schedule. Even a tutor at 9pm at night isn’t going to work because we are in a car, and I can’t picture trying to do online tutoring while in a moving vehicle with an unstable internet connection. On the other hand, I could probably do a tutor for myself—my schedule is much more flexible than DD’s. If 2-4 hours per week isn’t enough, how much time would be reasonable? That’s 2-4 hours for me to learn, not counting time I help DD. I might be able to find more time in my schedule.

Thanks for the suggestions. To clarify, my DD is a good student. She got a good grade in Pre-Calc last year, and I am confident that she could pass the class without my help. However, she also did zero math review over the summer (her choice, not mine), and didn’t know how to do some of the review problems assigned as homework. If there were a non-AP class, she would probably be fine, but her school doesn’t offer a non-AP version of the class. I also do not want her to simply pass this class, because passing with a low grade would absolutely tank her GPA/class rank. And class rank is important because we live in Texas where top 10% is auto-admit to state schools. Best case (but still realistic scenario) she gets an A in the class, and a 3 or 4 on the exam, so she can get college credit. But for that to happen without a lot of stress and late nights, I expect that she will want additional help, and the only one in a position to step up with that is me. The school does not have tutors for calculus, and an outside tutor won’t work for DD due to her extracurricular schedule. She has weird pockets of time to do homework, and the best time for me to help DD with math homework is often when we are in the car at 9pm at night. My DD has had this math teacher before and my DD sometimes struggles with how this teacher explains things. Changing teachers is not an option. As for me, I can probably devote 2-4 hours per week to this. I am comfortable with Algebra 1. I could spend a couple of weeks brushing up on trig & logs, but if it takes longer than that, I worry about me falling too far behind to be of help. In previous years I was able to help with the algebra 1 concepts in her math classes by googling the concepts, but with calculus, I feel that piecemeal approach won’t work for me.

My DD is in a private high school and forced into taking AP Calculus, even though an easier math class would be a better fit for her. The school is so small that they simply do not offer any other math class that she could take. My DD also has a very busy schedule and outside tutoring isn't an option. So I'm toying with the idea of trying to learn calculus myself so that I can help her with her homework. I stopped homeschooling when my kids were in 7th grade, so I haven't taught any high school level math. I do feel comfortable with Algebra 1 concepts. I took Calculus in high school, but don't remember any of it. I was thinking of doing Khan Academy to learn Calculus. Does that sound like a reasonable idea or totally insane? I want to learn enough to help my daughter with her homework, but don't have any other particular interest in the subject. Are there other resources that would be better?

Can you hire get a third party tester? Where I live, you can get a third party tester. They often have a setup where you book two time slots back-to-back. The first time slot is a practice run through the course when you can ask questions and the tester can give hints or pointers. Then the second time through is the actual test. It is less nerve wracking because you have just driven the course and know exactly what to expect.

A physical therapist, physical therapist assistant, and personal trainer are different roles with different levels of training. A physical therapist has a medical degree, the other roles do not require medical degrees. A physical therapist assistant helps you perform the exercises prescribed by the physical therapist but does not prescribe treatments directly. Physical therapist tend to focus more on helping restore function in someone who has a health issue. Personal trainers tend to focus on people who are already healthy but want to be more fit. These are really broad strokes, and there is a lot of crossover. Both types of people tend to use similar exercises, especially for core work. Insurance may cover appointments with a physical therapist /physical therapy assistant, but probably won’t cover a personal trainer. In my very limited experience, the actual title or role of the person is less important than whether or not the person is a good fit for you specifically. I think self-education is also really important. Learn the different muscle groups in your area of concern and the different ways they work. Learn the vocabulary for describing their movement. Learn the purpose of each exercise your therapist or trainer gives you so you understand why you are doing it. Learn what are realistic goals in realistic timeframes and how to measure them. Learn to really listen to your body so you know when it is time to stop and when you can do a little more without causing problems later. Tell your therapist everything about your medical history that might impact your situation. A goal of gaining a specific number of pounds of muscle mass is really hard to measure. If your weight goes up or down, you can’t easily tell how much is muscle versus something else. Try to come up with incremental goals that are easier to measure. For example, do you want to be able to lift/carry heavier things? Or do you just want parity between your two sides?

My area has not made any significant improvements in public transit, but I like the idea of public transit. When I fly to a major city, I no longer automatically assume that I will rent a car. I even picked my hotels in part due to their proximity to public transit. - Having an app is essential. I expect the app to have maps and route times. Unless service comes every few minutes, I except the app to tell me how long I will have to wait at a stop. - I expect to be able to pay with my phone or by tapping my credit card. Do not make me buy a physical transit card or pay with cash. - I use Uber/Lyft to supplement traditional public transit. Sometimes I use these services for the “last/first mile” to get to/from the stop. Sometimes I use these services because I want faster service or have a lot to carry. - Having bike rentals as part of a mobility plan is really hard to pull off. I was able to use bike rentals for transit in NYC, but in all the other cities where I have rented bikes, it was just for local entertainment and not transit. - Pre-covid, the public transit system for the nearby metropolitan area offered free rides for all students during the summer. Getting the pass required some paperwork, and it was a pain proving that my homeschooled kids were elegible, but I thought it was a good plan. This was not for kids to commuting to school since it was free for them only during the summer. - In my local social circles, taking public transit is unheard of. Everyone drives. Moms are afraid of public transit and refuse to consider it. - In addition to safety concerns, people are resistant to public transit because when you have a car, the main benefit public transit offers is that you don’t have to deal with parking. In comparison, public transit has several disadvantages: longer trips, having to deal with transfers, more walking, difficulty taking “stuff” with you, paying per person, etc.

One of my current hobbies is napping. It took me a while to get over feeling like napping was a waste of time. Now I simply enjoy my naps. I have a few other hobbies that are more active than napping. I am good enough at one of them that it turned into a job. However, I am really, really bad at most of my hobbies, and that's okay. I do them because I find the activities personally fulfilling in and of themselves.

Hard to say. How full is the flight? Does paying more to select your seat come with other perks like getting to board a little earlier? How important is leg room or proximity to bathrooms to you? Most of my recent domestic flights have every seat filled, and getting to board a little earlier than other ensured that I got to keep my carry-on with me. Other passengers who boarded at the end had to gate check their carry-ons and pick them up at baggage claim. On the other hand, my daughter’s recent international flight was fairly empty. She got an entire row to herself, and other people did too. I usually sleep on long flights, so sitting next to family on the flight itself isn’t a big deal. From what I’ve seen of other people boarding, both choices (pre-selecting seats and sitting together, and not pre-selecting and sitting apart) are common. Can you get the tickets now without paying more to pick a seat, then decide later?

If you buy a car from a dealership, be prepared for a hard sell on financing, extended warranties, etc. For us, dealer financing was a better rate than our bank, but the hard sell and outright lying by the finance person was disgusting. The finance guy snuck in an extended warranty that we didn’t want and it took multiple visits to the dealership to get it straightened out.

I'm keeping my base 10 blocks because they make me happy. I'd ditch the clock, play money, and counting bears. They do not make me happy. For the others--do the nostalgia and future play value (not educational value) outweigh the space and effort of keeping them? If not, release them so they can bless another family.

Thanks for the clarification. I’m a bit ambivalent about how to consider sticker price. I think that costs should be a factor in choosing a college. But sticker price for college currently has very little correlation to the actual final price of attendance. And it is very hard to tell the actual final price of attendance until after you apply and see what scholarships and financial aid you get. I guess this is another family difference. My kids have know since they were young that applying for a program, getting into a program, and actually attending a program are three very different things. Just because you apply and get accepted into a program does not mean you get to attend said program. One of my daughters was ten when she really wanted to attend an exclusive summer program. I told her she could only go if she got in under certain conditions. She got in, but not all of the conditions were met, so she didn’t go. End of story. No hard feelings. Years later when she was a bit older, she wanted to attend a different exclusive summer program that was also financially out of reach. She applied, got in, but still no scholarship. But she was really resourceful and found a way to attend anyway that did not place a financial hardship on the family. If I hadn’t let her apply, she would have missed out on both the program and the experience of figuring out how to make the program financially possible. For me, not letting my kid apply at all would be more of a dream crusher than telling her that we cannot afford it, which she would have known all along. But every kid and every family is different. Some parents might have a harder time telling their kids no. And some kids might have a harder time hearing no.