Oh, another thing. One time I heard through a friend's daughter that a mutual friend's son was with a group of teens who were smoking. The daughter was adamant that this boy was there and was very specific in the details. I told the mutual friend that this was being said about her son, so she looked into it. Turns out, it was another teen who was in their friend group and who looks similar to my friend's son. Since it was a group of boys and my friend's son is usually with them, the reporting girl made a mistake. Granted, it sounds like this is a solo accusation, OP, but the point is, misidentifications can happen.

Wow, that's intense. I mean, obviously it's a horrible thing to say. But it also tells me that whatever your DD has been accused of doing is pretty darn serious and her peers register it as such. Will this other kid spread rumors about her? This is where things can get really tough because then your DD is likely to face an army of condemnation. In that case, I would believe your DD because she's likely to come under some intense criticism and she'll need to know you have your back. BUT I would also watch her very very closely. I'm sure you already do, but I'd step it up even more. If she knows you believe her (even if you kind of don't), then if/when she breaks down about it, she'll be more likely come to you with the truth than if she feels she's had to ramp up her lying to you all along because you kept questioning her, kwim? Can you guys not tell when your DC are lying to you? I'm not going to say I can do it 100%, and lying hasn't been a big issue around here, but the times where I've known something was up and DC wasn't fessing up to it, I could tell. Dodgy eye contact, little micro expressions, etc. usually clued me in. I'm sorry, OP. This is a really hard place to be in.

Once again I find myself wondering how parents of teens can feel safe with guns in their homes. I'm not trying to shame anyone, truly. But I have raised several teens and they have all gone through difficult times (some more than others). I can't imagine having a weapon in my home that one of my dc or their friends may have access to.

Just get a service to come. They're impersonal, efficient, and have systems in place. You'll know exactly what you're paying for as well. It is SO worth it!

How can it be anything other than yanni??

Seriously! I suppose it depends on what "binge" means? If I eat out at a restaurant and actually *almost* finish my meal, I feel like I've binged, simply because I ate way past full and feel sick afterwards. But my BFF was bulimic for 15 years, and she would eat cartons of ice cream, sleeves of oreos, bags of doritos, then throw up. So I've always considered the binging part of bulimia to mean that kind of eating, not the kind in my personal experience.

The house was a mess, but conceivably could get that way if you have a ton of kids and nobody cleans up after they play. But the bathroom...what the hell happened in that bathroom??

Oh, wow! That's hysterical and maddening at the same time!

Good luck this morning, Kassia! I know it will be stressful for you, but try to remember that the WORST case scenario is that you miss your connection, and the airline puts you on a different flight to get to your final destination. Nobody's life will depend on you making it there at a certain time. You will get there regardless. I hope you enjoy your vacation!

That's way too close for my comfort. Over the last 5-7 years, flying with connections has been increasingly difficult. I now plan at least 1.5 hours between flights, or else I'll pay more for a direct flight. If there's nothing to be done about it, try not to worry. It'll probably be fine. But if there's the possible of changing things, I'd look into it.

I can't imagine not responding within 24 hours unless I had to wait on someone/something before I could respond. You would hear back from me ASAP.

I think it should be fine. I can see being concerned about it too, but you're cooking the chicken, so what would be the harm?

Weird but true: I have a relative whose face looks completely white in pictures. Like...white. Like a ghost. It's the strangest thing, and we always laugh about it afterwards, but it's so weird. She thinks it has something to do with her make-up/foundation. Can that get fluorescent with flash photography?

I just had to go look this up. I don't think I have RBF. Maybe Resting Stressed Face??

Oh my gosh, selfies are the worst for me! Unreal how bad I always look in a selfie. No, I was thinking of actual posed photographs. The only time those don't look horrible is if the camera is at a distance. And even if I pose in a way that looks good irl, when I have a photo taken IN THE SAME POSE, I look bad! I think this is on my mind more now because I just had to renew government ID and it was rough to see the pic afterwards.

Garga, you look lovely! See...you have cheekbones! The absolute worst for me are the government photos, like license or passport photos where you're not supposed to smile. My face looks so droopy in those, but if I'm not smiling in real life, I don't look droopy. I know this because I may catch myself in a mirror while not smiling, and I don't shudder in horror the way I do when I see a photo of myself. I have a family member who looks AMAZING in photos. I think she's a lovely woman irl, but she looks stunning in pics. She definitely knows how to pose (I'm sure she's practiced it), and she has cheekbones. I think it all comes back to the blasted cheekbones! I need to work on my blush application to define my cheekbones...

Yes, I suppose I should practice in the mirror, but it's not exactly something I think about unless I'm about to get my picture taken, lol! My friend told me that it's all about cheekbones. Apparently, if you have well-defined cheekbones the definition of the face makes you look better. I have a thin face, but not prominent cheekbones. Sigh...maybe I should make a plastic surgery appointment for that, lol!

I seriously can't understand this. I am so freaking unphotogenic, it's ridiculous! I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've seen a photo of me and thought I looked good. There was probably a time as a younger woman that I looked good, but as I've aged, it's amazing how bad I photograph. And what I mean is that my photos really don't look like me. OTHER PEOPLE have told me this: random strangers, family members, friends. They've said, "Yeah, you're really not photogenic at all." I'll take a photo of myself and then look in the mirror, and the difference is stark. Other people I know actually look *better* in photos than in real life. Are you like this? What do you make of this? Seriously, I'm so befuddled!

Well, I do worry about my older teens/young adults, simply because they're not fully mature in many ways. Plus, they're driving late at night, and they have less years of driving experience under their belts, so obviously this is a concern (or else their premiums wouldn't be so high). But I worry less with our technology because I can check on them and get instant feedback that all is well. I don't do it obsessively, but when needed or reasonable. My mom was a nervous wreck when I was a teen/young adult. She would call my dorm room phone and if she couldn't reach me, she would start panicking. Texting would've been great for her. I think I worry a whole lot less than her.

The bolded... Omg, preach. That is all.

Turning off the hall light is a brilliant plan! I know, however, that it would never work here because my dc simply would forget to do it. I have a whole series of steps I take when going to bed while the kids are out: 1) Quick text check-in to get approximate ETA. 2) Turn off notifications EXCEPT for phone calls. 3) Pray for them. 4) Fall asleep. 5) In the morning I check that bedroom doors are shut (that's how they all sleep) and car keys are on the front table. 6) Exhale. YMMV. ?

<<hugs>> It does take time and lots of paperwork to get accommodations in place for standardized testing. I'd start looking into it ASAP so she can perhaps have them in order for the fall. I'm really sorry for you both. It's so hard to have to continually hit roadblocks when other people's kids seem to sail through these normal milestones.

Exactly. Which is why we end up with Jayden Emmett.

Awwww, I love it! So is Louis pronounced with an "s", like "Lewis" or like the French, "Looeeey"?

Provence...beautiful!