Quoting because this is so true, regardless of what sort of upbringing one had. I think my kids might wish we had done less as far as academics and activities in general. I know I would certainly slow down if I got a do-over. This is absolutely my experience and the reason we did too many high quality activities through the years. 🙂 To the OP's original point: well, honestly, I don't feel confident teaching my kids art or sports. I would pay for that sort of instruction. I did feel comfortable teaching all the content in the early years (with a framework). I was okay picking their high school curricula for them, though at that point I had no intention of teaching. And still paid for sports and art instuction then. Seemed reasonable and worked out fine. 🙂 I've stopped trying to figure out what kind of academic system is going to cause failure in life as I've seen too many exceptions to whatever rules I try to set up in my head. 🙂 Same with trying to predict which pairings will result in long lasting marriages. I have no clue, lol

We are back to homeschooling this year with a high school junior who had been a happy public schooler since the 5th grade. So "hits" might be a strong term for the classes that are working just fine . 😉 Hits: Funda Funda US History. I had not used this one before or maybe it was not around when my olders were homeschooling high school. She was supposed to do APUSH in public school, but when I asked if she wanted AP or something easier, she said "easier". LOL Derek Owens Precalculus. Still the quality that I remembered from my older daughter's days. I've recommended it to a few people this year who have all liked it. Physics at the co-op with Apologia spine. This has turned mostly into a Zoom lab class unfortunately, but it is what it is. Photography in a small class of teens with a local photographer. I am actually a pro photographer, but it works WAY better to have her learn with her friends with another instructor. German with the local high school. Her teacher of the last two years. All Zoom, but it's fine. MISS! Definitely PAH AP English Lang with Ms. Dean. Very disappointing after the positive experience my older daughter had with various PAH instructors. That said, is it worse than AP English Lang would have been at the local high school? Maybe not. That teacher was lacking as well. Really wish I could have gotten my daughter in with Ms. Inspektor though.

We would be thrilled here! :-) Honestly, I don't know anyone who is super worried about food in my circles anymore.

Your sister's methods sound similar to what my daughter had in Seattle. It worked remarkably well, in conjunction with medication. She would like to find the same sort of therapist in her current location.

I do see quite a wide variety of mental health treatment that falls under the therapy umbrella. It's the piece that makes finding the right therapist exceptionally difficult. My oldest had a really great one in Seattle that had a plan and goals for each session. It worked beautifully. The others have been listening ears for the most part, and not really offering solid tools to improve the situation. I don't know if there is a lack of standardization that is a problem. I suspect that is the case, as there seems to be a number of paths to becoming a therapist.

A VERY well developed coping strategy for a young person, or any age, really. Love it.

Love this!

Totally worth it, especially if you fly at all regularly. Keep the shoes on, keep the jacket on, and usually much shorter lines.

I've lived in many parts of the country, so tend to have pretty specific ideas about which parts I think are more similar. There's a lot of blending and overlap though. Northeast: states north of VA, WV. Though I think a lot of PA has more in common with the Midwest states, and VA is pretty Northeast-ish, especially around DC. Southeast: Virginia over to Louisiana, including TN. LA is really its own animal though. Maybe Texas. Texas is southern in many ways, but also really southwestern. Texas is honestly its own thing too. OK is very SE but also pretty Midwest. Appalachia: WV, KY, AR. TN seems more SE to me but they fit there too. MO fits in a way, but I put them in the Midwest group for the most part. Southwest: Four Corners states. TX and OK have some SW flavor. Nevada is in this category to an extent, but with heavy California flavor. Midwest: Ohio, over to the Dakotas/NE/KS. Missouri. A lot of variety in here though. Mountain States: ID, WY, MT. CO is crossover Mountain/SW 🙂 California: It's own thing, though northern California is PNW flavored. Pacific Northwest: Oregon, WA State. Honestly Alaska fits here too, but Alaska is its own thing. Alaska has very little in common with Hawaii, other than Alaskans like to go there for vacation, lol. Alaska: See above Hawaii: Strong ties to California, but its own thing.

FWIW, my 84 yo retired CDC epidemiologist father still has cleaning people come. He had just started having them a few months before the pandemic as he had become frail but is determined to stay in the house. He has numerous pre-existing conditions apart from his age including cancer treatment last winter. He stays away from them as they work, and pays generously. The woman who runs the service has lost a lot of work in recent months, and he likes being able to continue to have her come.

Whoa, great to have a full ride in the pocket!! @brendafromtenn, congrats to your daughter! Whew, last one done! I have an electrical engineer here too.

Politics has become religion in modern society, and people are as irrational about their politics as they can be about their religion. They are quick to believe the worst about those in the other groups, but demand an impossibly high burden of proof for allegations against those with whom they are affiliated. In the mix are those with good intentions, and those who simply want control. It's what humans do. Read through this thread. Is there anyone willing to admit they might be a problem themselves? Most of us think our ideals are righteous enough that the onus is on the other person to come around.

Editing to say, ugh, being is not a preposition, so I don't know. It's been a few years since I have chanted that list from the Jessie Wise book, lol Both awful, but I think the preposition at the beginning of the second sentence probably makes it worse. Going back to read replies 🙂

The realities of life are quite eye opening. I remember being impressed with my parenting awesomeness with my kids were young. Learned in the preteen/teen/young adult years that there was so much that was completely out of my control, and that even my well-intentioned acts often played out in unexpected ways. I think there are things I would do differently, maybe. But even then. not sure the outcomes would be improved. Life is a long game of Whack a Mole. I don't know if I think kids are less resilient now. We do have more creature comforts and a lot less worry about fulfilling actual physical needs. Our brains are still adapting to the reality of less physical danger, which may be leading to increased anxiety.

Sometimes when people are asking that, they are really wanting a list of accomplishments, activities, or qualities that they could mention or highlight to give the letter more meat.

Unusual for a teen guy, IME. My current 16 year old is a gift giver. Usually with her own money, though I occasionally get involved if it is a friend I have a relationship with too. It's somewhat difficult for teens to find jobs around here right now. Might be different in your location. My daughter finally got in with Starbucks after a few months of putting in applications. I did/do pay her for doing various things for me. If you have a McDonalds, I'd check there. Good starter job.

They are a great idea. You do have to make sure you keep up on the subscription or whatever is required. Somewhat related, I lost both my keys and phone while walking my dog recently. They were stored in a zippered pocket in his backpack (he's a Great Dane, big guy, carries his poop too.) We were on a woodsy remote-ish trail. He's not one to go far, but he was in and out of the fairly thick brush immediately adjacent to the trail. Got back to the car and realized the zipper had opened and both phone and keys were gone. Long story short, used find my iPhone on my daughter's phone to sound the alarm on my phone. Took about a mile of walking, but we did find both phone and keys together in a place we would have never found them without the loud tone sounding. The keys DID have an old Tile on the ring, but it was long expired and there was no renewing. So thank goodness they fell out with the phone.

Yes, your average community college should have Calc 2 and 3 in some form. My daughter is an electrical engineering graduate now, fwiw.

My daughter did DO Calc AB sophomore year too. She went on to do Calc 2 and 3 at the local university, then did AP Stats senior year. She did AP Comp Sci as well, which was technically considered math.

Changing the shower head to one with a hose will make rinsing exponentially easier.

Lived in AZ/NM for several years. Can't say I ever used it in a conversation. But generally familiar with the term.

Definitely call the school. You could gap year and apply again, but it's unlikely the result would be different unless his gap year is significant. And you wouldn't want him taking classes that would turn him into a transfer student. Is the dream school quite selective?

Lots of good advice. I'll just add that even apart from education, there is standardized testing involved with a number of professional certifications. It's a good skill to develop. Not every person will be a naturally good tester, but there are ways to improve for most people.

I just went back to re-read some of your thread. This is a wonderful update!

Wacoal for sure