Sucking up before having surgery, hmmmmm??? Oh well, whatever works! ;)

It's how I spent ages 12-16, lol.

Thanks for your thoughts...in general I agree with your line of thinking, but I don't necessarily come to the same conclusion. I am immensely thankful (as I'm sure you are too) for the brave men and women who risk their lives to literally defend our freedom to even have open dialogues like this. So many of them are Christians and lovers of Jesus. And, welcome to the Hive!

In Scripture (OT and NT) I see nothing obviously conflicting between being a Christian and participating in war (being in the military). Gideon was a "mighty warrior" who God used to defend his people. So was David, so was Saul, so was Samson, so was Debra, Barak, Ehud, Joshua, the list goes on. In the NT, Jesus says nothing against military involvement either, nor do the apostles. Jesus said to turn the other cheek. This is entirely in reference to inter-personal relationships as you can see if you read the passage in context. He rebuked Peter for cutting off the ear of one of the soldiers of the high priest, but again that was because "the time had come" for His crucifixion. The command "do not kill"...that is more difficult, but my understanding is that it isn't in reference to a military involvement, but more in terms of taking matters into one's own hands and murdering someone you know personally. If you look at the general prescriptive of Scripture, the essence of the Gospel and the fact that Christ is the Prince of Peace (although this peace is peace between God and man through the reconciliation Christ purchased through his death and resurrection), then you could say by inference that war and killing is against Christianity. And I would agree that Christianity doesn't PROMOTE war, but I'm not so sure you can say that it's wrong as a Christian to participate in war/serve in the military. I'm not a military member, nor do I have military people in my family. But it is something that I've given thought to. Interesting topic!

:iagree: Bust them all wide open, particularly monstrously evil terrorists who get off on gunning down unarmed civilians. Due process for those pigs? Nopes.

:iagree: I think it matters for those trying to figure out what the heck is going on, but in terms of how to respond, no, it doesn't matter. Or at least it won't serve a purpose. I can't tell you how many times I've attempted to correct the record on something undeniable, and the narcissist truly spins the occurrence completely backwards. Up is down and black is white if that's what they've determined will best suit their purposes. I don't engage it anymore because after 40 years I've finally figured out it. doesn't. work.

Sometimes it's impossible, humanly speaking, to find the meaning in suffering. I'm so sorry. Yours is a heavy, heavy load. I will pray for you and your son. :grouphug: :grouphug:

Voice of dissent... At that age, and as a homeschooler, I think it's vitally important that your ds have a group of similarly educated kids. The things that public schools kids do socially usually revolve around their schools, and this becomes the case even more as they enter high school. Think: football games, homecoming, after school clubs, etc. Your ds will have little in common with them with regard to school. I make it a point to normalize parts of my kids' lives to the extent that I can, and in particular, hsing. I say this, btw, as a youth leader. We have hs kids attend our youth group BECAUSE we have so many hs kids. On the flip side, we had a couple of public school kids who stopped coming because they got busy with their school friends on the nights we were having activities. It wasn't anything personal, it was just the spheres of life were different enough to make things hard to assimilate. And also, as a 13 year old, he can't really anticipate this being the case, but it almost always is, at least from the many years of experience we've had leading youth. So I'm not sure how helpful his opinion is at this time (not to say you shouldn't ask him, of course, but just to say that he can't really tell how things will shake down a year or two from now). I vote for the hs youth group.

It's not forwarded, but it can show up in their news feed.

We did bio in 8th, chemistry in 9th, AP bio in 10th, and will either do AP chem in 11th, or chem as DE in 11th, then physics as DE in 12th. Yes, the 8th grade bio will count as HS credit on a transcript, but if you go all the way through HS with science, you'll have more than enough science credit anyway. Most schools only require two lab sciences. Make sure you keep lab notebooks for proof of those lab sciences. Believe it or not, some colleges ask homeschooled students to submit proof of having completed labs!

As with everything else, the solution varies according to the teen. In your DD's situation, barring any underlying health issue, she needs a parental intervention. WiFi goes off at 10 pm. Electronic devices are left downstairs (assuming her bedroom is upstairs). If she can't be trusted to *leave* the device downstairs, you take it/them into your own room. You do this firmly, but lovingly. "Honey, I love you and I know this is hard right now. But trust me, this is for your own good. I love you, and good night!" Wake-time is 8 am. Some kids need more sleep than others, including some teens. I have one who needs one to two hours more than the others and if he doesn't get it, he'll fall asleep mid-afternoon with his books all around him. To achieve the right amount of sleep and comply with wake-time, bed time must be enforced. I know your DD is 17, but imo she had too much freedom to establish her own schedule at too young of an age, and she (as well as you) are reaping the consequences. You're going to have to back track a bit, and do for her at this age what you likely should have done 3 years ago. It's not too late to establish this new pattern, though, so don't be discouraged.

Can you find a 4S (short)? I wear a 6, but apparently I should be 5'8" in order for the length to fit. :glare: Usually if I can find a 6S, the length is just right so long as I'm not wearing heels.

Never heard of them. I always wonder why people *need* a homeschooling ideology. I homeschool because I think it's what's best for *my* kids for a number of reasons. I think to develop an ideology makes for a bumpy ride. Just homeschool your kids if it works for them academically/socially/spiritually. If you don't want to commit the time it takes to do a good job, or if you don't have the time to invest, don't do it. If your dc reaches a point when it would be better for that kid to go to a B&M school, send him/her. Why do you need an ideology? If you're married to an ideology with your homeschool then you're more likely to ignore the elephant in the room that *may* be telling you to send the kid to public/private/charter school, use a boxed curriculum, use DVDs, etc. We serve our kids, not a philosophy.

Hahahaha!! To be fair, there are so many weird rules in football and so often something that looks like a touchdown doesn't get counted for one reason or another. So really, who's to say? ;) Or maybe that's just me, lol. I can generally tell when something good is happening because of the momentum and energy on the field and in the stands. But I never am really sure just *what* happened, so I wait to see what others around me say. I've been known to grumble loudly about a call a ref made just to join in with the parents who seem to know what the heck is going on.

From a literary standpoint, I think it *is* twaddle. There are some marginally good conversations to come of some of the thematic elements, but those same conversations can come from reading The Lord of The Flies, for example.

I think it's a waste of time better spent on real literature. :leaving: Seriously though, I've read it and watched the movie. Entertaining, no doubt, and obviously very popular. Is there some value to reading the book for the sake of cultural relevance? Sure. But for a school to assign it rather than a kid reading it on his own, or over the summer for fun...not a fan. There are a hundred more worthy books to read imo, in terms of literary value. Just my .02.

I am right there with you. :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

The whole "don't wear white b/c that's the bride's color" thing is outdated, as is the "don't wear white after Labor Day" rule. I was so happy when I realized years ago that I could actually wear white shoes and carry a white handbag in April and September if I chose to, lol! Wear whatever color suits you. I think it's pretty!

:iagree: :iagree: :iagree: Exactly the above! When my kids were little, neither they, myself, nor the neighbors kids and their moms expected snacks and drinks to be provided to them. If kids were playing outside in our yard and they came in thirsty, I was happy to give them water. But that was really it. Occasionally a popsicle, but nothing more than that.

So sorry. I really hope you can help them settle down. I think it's actually a beautiful commentary on the kind of mom you are that they are so bent on keeping you in their sights. It's got to be so difficult, but it shows they consider you their guardian, and a good one at that. I always learn so much from the Hive. I would hope I'd never say such a thing to a child, but in general, hearing so many diverse stories has made me more aware of the struggles of so many people around me. In general, I'm MUCH less inclined to judge people's parenting than I ever was before. :grouphug:

Blech. I'm so sorry that things are so rough right now. I'm praying that you've hit the worst of it and that with the bandaid having come off, things will be better in terms of at least knowing the extent of what you're dealing with. Sometimes just looking the awful in the face for what it is makes the recovery a bit easier. Hope that made sense...it did in my brain. :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

Wow, already such a difference in the way you look, not to mention the way you feel! Glad you're doing well. Btw, you are so cute! :)

That's just what AP is designed for...advanced high school classes. AP is used to prepare high school students for college classwork (the AP classes are rigorous), to potentially earn credit for college classes that a student takes in high school, and to stand out in the college admissions process. If your question is asking whether a student would take ALL classes as AP, then the answer is not likely. AP classes have to be curriculum approved by the College Board and they are very challenging courses.

Oooo, Nelly, I remember that thread!!!! :laugh: