I was never unconvinced, but a couple of things drove it home for me. I was paying attention to it for maybe a decade before An Inconvenient Truth made me pay much more attention. I don't wish to argue the merits of the film; I'm simply answering the question you posed. A couple of years later, after hearing some of the controversy surrounding some claims in the film, I dug down some more and read a well-known paper by Dr. James Hansen et al: Target Atmospheric CO2: Where Should Humanity Aim? Luckily, it is freely available to anyone here. More papers of his are at this link. Since then I've read a lot of material, but those two things happening a couple of years apart jump-started my serious concern.

My opinions on climate change is that it's a real thing, humans are contributing to it but we need to take action even if we are not the cause, and we are using fossil fuels beyond replacement rate so we need to look at other technologies regardless. Yes, and let's not forget Aaron Swartz and what happened to him before he took his own life at 26: Still thinking of zebras when you hear hoofbeats, seems to me. I think you would agree that if we hold a person responsible for his words and the consequences of them, he may think more before he speaks so flippantly. I was under the impression you were big on holding people accountable and on personal responsibility, and would not plead a special case for someone simply because he's a celebrity or you like his ideas. Frankly I am surprised because you are normally so consistent.

My parents were in the medical field before they retired. My dad in particular had a lot of exposure to many doctors and he made a habit of asking them if they had ever found anything serious in a child at a well-visit. In the 30 years he asked thousands of doctors while lecturing at symposiums, he never found one who did. It was always the parents (usually the mother) who found something was wrong, even if that clue was rather subtle such as rubbing their arm or a slightly changed gait. My dad would tell any doctor who would listen to always take what the parents said seriously, and that was the best indicator of a potential problem. Annual physicals can help detect some problems in adults before they get more serious. One can often catch blood sugar that is creeping higher each year, anemia that is getting worse, or obesity. For children, I think the main reason for well-child visits is a schedule based on public health and government coverage for low income people, i.e. vaccinations. I almost died from a vaccination when I was a child, so we have been very cautious and have used an alternative and slow schedule for our kids. But it is a privilege because we have insurance to allow us to do that. Most vaccinations in our area for low income people are covered at the well child visits.

I agree with those that are concerned about sending a 10 yo girl back to a male authority figure who is treating her like this. The better message for a girl that age is that you can maintain distance from someone who is treating you badly and that you don't have to submit to it, even if you have special needs and sometimes you act inappropriately. I mean, he's not even really trying to get to the place where he can understand. Effort counts for something, IMO.

So, when does P2 get to experience consequences? Why are people so worried about consequences for the child with the diagnosis, instead of the adult? He can see her in January, I think. I wouldn't make her go.

Can you clarify what it is in those states that keeps the option unavailable?

Whenever these threads come up I always have the same question. What is to stop someone from simply registering as a private school if they wish to be abusive and hide it? Here in CA homeschoolers register as small private schools. It takes 10 minutes and is free. I do it every October. I know in other states people register as homeschoolers for the benefits it provides because they are allowed to access sports, music, etc. But someone who is deliberately trying to keep their child out of view of others wouldn't bother with those activities and benefits anyway. I agree.

My DS loved BA and really didn't like Pre-A. I think the main difference for him was the wordiness. Somehow following the beasts having an instructive dialog was way better for him than reading all of it as plain text. Also, BA felt to him like he was solving fun and interesting puzzles, and Pre-A felt more like proofs. Nothing wrong with proofs, but the switch between the two was jarring. We switched to Dolciani after Jane in NC helped me.

Thank you very much for all this information. It's very helpful to know your DD is doing well in university! The neuropsych did not diagnose dysgraphia. Perhaps she would have if she had seen him when he was younger, but we didn't take him until he was 10. He did get OT for his hands when he was 3-5 and we also started him on cello to strengthen his hands when he was 9. He enjoys it and plays quite a bit. His hand strength is good now, and the neuropsych said he has good handwriting and she was happy I had taken the time to teach him cursive. He does prefer to type instead of write, but I think it's because he likes being able to go back and edit easily. He can probably write a full page before his hand gets tired, which is better than I can do, anyway. He took an online typing course so he could learn to touch type. I'll look into the dictation thing as well.

I assume you mean Burning Man. Yep. If you can't figure out what the product is, it's you. I believe the procedure is to attend Burning Man, and if you sign an affidavit saying you made it through the week drug, alcohol, and sex free, they will collect your card at the exit at your request. If you'd like to keep your illicit card as s souvenir despite your conservative tendencies, make a slit in the top of your car's sun visor and stash it in there. Always pack everything out.

He does read a fair amount of non-fiction, but aside from the history books we use and Ellen McHenry's materials, it's all his selection. The books I assign him are usually fiction. I think I'll assign him something completely different in non-fiction and see how it goes. Our previous rule was that the previous week had to be done by Monday, which sometimes resulted in an hour or two of work on the weekend, but not always. As we went farther into the book, though, I could see how even with his best efforts he was not going to be able to finish in one week so I dropped that so we could take our time. The natural writer seems like it could be a good fit. Honestly, when I started the WWE and WWS path he didn't seem like a natural writer, which was one of the reasons I chose it. He would often cry when he was learning letters, needed therapy for his hand strength, never wrote more than he absolutely had to, etc. All of this blossoming has only happened in the last year or so and I must admit I have been very surprised. Looking back, though, I remember I dropped spelling and only skimmed grammar because he seemed to grasp it very quickly and without much assistance. I'll check out Maxwell too. Thanks.

I care. It doesn't matter if you don't care because I'm not asking you to. I'm simply asking you not to speak for all of us. I care because it doesn't happen in isolation. I was talking about average sea level, but you've moved the goalposts by suspending the laws of fluid dynamics while also saying this theoretical exact center of the ocean also happens to contain no life, no food webs, nothing that would disrupt human life on the coasts. It's just some completely isolated 10m column of lifeless water encased in glass and hovering by itself over the water surface, and that column is increasing the average global sea level? OK, then I guess I don't care much in your unrealistic example.

Please speak only for yourself. I care a lot about the global average sea level and how it might affect other parts of the world not near me. I care about how it would affect all life, not only human life. It's called empathy.

I think this is where we are at. I really would like to use this program as I can see its value and thoroughness. Assuming there is another program out there that he can complete more easily, I'm not sure it will be as thorough. Maybe? Would you mind sharing what you are doing? He is older than the program intended. I think WWS was recommended for 5th grade, then SWB said more like 6th grade, but he's struggling in 7th grade. Yes, exhausting! I think we've been stuck in the same WWS "week" for a month! When he writes his fiction for pleasure, he just writes, beginning to end. Sometimes he goes back and makes a few edits, but the plot, characters, and scene are somehow laid out in his mind before he begins. I should talk to him about how that happens and try to relate it to this process.

Thanks. I will definitely look into the issue with books with a lot of vocab/processes. It seems he reads deeply and with full comprehension as we often discuss the books thoroughly and he likes to make connections between old current reading, sometimes years later. But I agree his tendency leans away from processes, although he seems okay so far with lots of new vocab. We've done botany, the cell, and chemistry with Ellen McHenry's materials and he seemed okay, but high school is more advanced. When the neuropsych did that test (name?) in which he was supposed to look at a picture and recreate it without looking, he performed terribly, even in the 2nd half of the test when he was told ahead of time he would need to reproduce it. I think he scored in the 3rd percentile? The neuropsych said it was as if it never got coded at all. OTOH, she said he's an excellent reader with a superb vocabulary and comprehension, and a very deep thinker. She said he should be something like an engineer or a writer, not an ER doctor or an air traffic controller, for everyone's sake. ;) I thought we would have to go slowly because that's just how he works, but perhaps I missed some other struggle that I assumed was processing speed not not just the curriculum. That's why I'm checking in here.

DS is struggling with WWS. He can do it, but it always feels like he's not sure where things are headed or why he's doing something. He's requiring a lot of explanation of how each piece fits into a larger picture. I thought the detailed explanations might be good for him because he's detail-oriented, but they seem to bog him down. We actually ran into the same problem with AoPS pre-algebra (wordy explanations) and switched to Dolciani, which is working well. He's a voracious reader and very fast, often reading 500-700 pages/week. He likes to write fiction, and wrote 70-80 pages for NaNoWriMo last month. However, he has been diagnosed with slow processing speed. (Not sure how that goes with reading really fast?) I'm not sure why someone with a strong reading ability would get bogged down by wordy explanations, but he does. He's a very diligent person so he keeps plodding along, but it's taking a long time and I can see him struggling. As an example, when he was working on a piece about Caesar, the first step was to write about a chronological history of Caesar's life, using the notes from different sources provided by SWB. The next step was to write about Caesar as a person, and the first step of that process was to get out the thesaurus and look up words. He couldn't connect that the thesaurus work was in order to change the words from the original source for his own writing. He just thought of it as a separate thesaurus practice and couldn't look ahead to see why he was doing that work. I assumed that was why SWB was having him do it, but I don't know if that's because I have experience and he does not. I told him to read ahead and it helped, but he still struggles. I'm not sure if we'll switch, but I'd like to look at other programs. So far we've stuck with "SWB is thorough and her materials work for our family" but I'm open to ideas for curriculum with simpler explanation or perhaps one in which the student gets a better idea of the big picture before embarking on a task. Any ideas?

I wanted to add one more thing. I was chatting with a therapist (my neighbor) about PPD and depression in general and she told me that it's so difficult to see a situation when you're in the middle of it. She told me she had her clients who suffer from depression make a checklist and put it on the fridge, and check it each and every day. The questions were things like: Did I get dressed today? Did I take a shower today? Did I leave the house today? Did I eat today? Did I talk to at least one other person on the phone or in person today? When her clients would call her about being depressed, she would ask them if they had been checking the list and answering the questions, and usually the answer was no. Things just started sliding, and having them get back on the checklist was usually a key part of returning to the track. I'm not saying you're depressed, but I am suggesting you could make a list of self-care questions that are appropriate for you and your family, hang it on your fridge, and check it each day. Tell your DH that if he sees you are struggling, to sit down and go over the list with you to see how you're doing. Or a friend who calls and checks in about the list, if DH is too busy. You might not see it when you're in it, or might not realize you haven't checked the list for a week. Make sure you're still performing the things needed for health and sanity.

:grouphug: If your oldest child is only 8 and you have a baby and PPD, you're doing way too much school. Cut way back, spend more time outside, read aloud, bake, etc. Just do some life learning, maybe through the holidays. You sounds very stressed. It's so much easier when your kids get older. I felt a lot like you (and with only 2 kids!) when mine were little. I had chronic illness and undiagnosed PPD and a midwife who sort of ditched me after the birth when things went medically off the rails. I also had high expectations for school and each day ended feeling like I should have gotten more done. It was a sad state to be in, especially when I should have been enjoying my babies more! Perfectionistic tendencies can really wear you down. I was in awe of my friends who seems to just flow with everything, even with many kids in tow, and I didn't understand why I couldn't do that. At the time I couldn't see what I can see now with perspective and kids who are now 8 and 12. When I find myself having these days more than once in awhile, I stop and examine the basics for life. Almost every single time, I find a problem with sleep, exercise, or meals. I would suggest you stop schooling for a few days and get those things in order if you can. Is there something that will help you sleep better, even with the nursing? Can you go to bed earlier? Blackout shades? Too much screen time late at night? Can DH help more with meal prep? Are you eating nutriient-dense foods? How's your zinc (good for PPD) and vitamin D? Are you getting outside enough? Has your PPD been okay with the shorter days? (Reading these queries made me realize I need to take my own advice again!) ;)

Use an online calculator to figure out exactly how much protein each of you needs. Make sure you're not overshooting. Fill up on cheap in-season veggies. Freeze them when they're cheap for later. Don't try to eat too much variety. The same few things over and over may be boring, but worth it if the diet addresses your other issues. See if you can find a place that will sell you an entire flat of eggs instead of a carton. Bring old empty cartons for transit. For frozen veggies, broccoli and cauliflower are usually cheapest. Buy fattier meat so you can use the drippings for the veggies. Canned fish with mayo. Make bone broth from your own chicken bones if you're not yet. Always buy the whole chicken, not the parts. Forget about dessert for now. Don't try to replicate high-carb recipes with low carb ingredients. (I'm pretty sure you're not, but just wanted to mention it.)

Oh my goodness, especially to your update in post 46. What kind of fresh hell is this? :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: You've done the right thing, you're doing the right thing, and you're going to do the right thing in the future. I'm upset that something so heinous is happening to such a caring and thoughtful boardie.

When I was a teen I worked summers in an ice cream shop so I have a particular way of slicing bananas into circles without touching the flesh or the counter. It involves slicing peels into 4th the long way, and using the last fourth as a cutting surface. It's a very fast way to do it without getting any banana on your hand. Slicing bananas is serious business. :001_cool: 1) If you're right-handed, hold the banana your left hand with the stem up and pointing away from you. 2) With a paring knife in your right hand, place your right thumb behind the stem and the blade on the other side. 3) Cut through the stem and pull the peel all the way down on the side facing you. 4) Flip the banana over and do the same, cutting through the end and peeling the inside of the curve. You should now have a banana with the peel missing in the front and back, but still on the sides. 5) Lay the banana on one peeled side in your left hand. Remove the peel from the side facing up. 6) Slice the banana, using the remaining peel as a cutting surface between the banana and your hand. 7) Add slices to dish, discard peel in hand.

I'm out of likes! As much as I'm enjoying the books I've been reading, I think I'm going to give myself permission to put them aside for some time and read something shorter and easier. Life has been all over the place and I'm rarely finding more than 15-20 minutes to read before I fall into bed. At this rate I won't finish these tomes until summer. Thanks for mentioning these books. MIL would like me to send her a list of books I want for Christmas and I'm going to add Tale of the Blue Bird to it. (I'm also adding The Plover thanks to you. Perhaps you should just email my MIL directly next year?) We loved this movie! I agree it was mind-blowing and I have also spent hours thinking about it and the meaning of certain aspects of the story. There are so many interesting theories one can come up with! (Being vague here because of spoilers.) Amy Adams was a perfect casting decision, Jeremy Renner less so. Any of the Jack Reacher books. No, they're not deep, but they're very good and addictive. Jane, thanks for the info about gannets. We were also happy to see the white crowned sparrows are at our feeder after being gone all summer. I get so excited when they come back.

Happy birthday, Robin! Looks like a wonderful day. I really want to read this too. If you're familiar with the show's lyrics, in there he mentions a meeting of King George and John Adams and the footnote in the book mentions Miranda got this from the HBO series based on McCollough's John Adams. That added yet another book to my list. That xkcd us perfect. That scene from Apollo 13 is one of my favorites, as are many movie scenes in which they have to make something work and someone puts on the ubiquitous pot of coffee. Lyme Regis is also one of my favorite places too, all thanks to you. Shall we read Remarkable Creatures together in the new year?

I'm not a teacher, but I know someone who did this. A lot of what happens is up to the district and whether or not they find someone to fill your spot. Much of the time the worst thing that could happen doesn't really happen. It's also considered bad form to have two contracts at once, and she should not sign the second until the first has been terminated.

Even if that's true, and I'm not convinced it is, why does that negate the suggestion? I think you've received many helpful ideas. Honestly, from this side of the table, when you're shooting everything down and even worrying about the thickness of reusable bags, it feels like you just don't want to do it but won't say it. Maybe I'm just tired and stressed, but I feel a bit like you're just toying with us. There exists no suggestion for which you don't have to make any changes, nor one iota more effort than you do right now. Sorry.