I totally agree! There is absolutely NO harm that can come to someone who decides not to eat gluten. However, many people are harmed by eating even small amounts of it, whether they have celiac disease or just gluten intolerance. My two youngest kids have celiac disease, as did my grandmother and does my dad. Four out of our six family members are gluten free (my oldest dd and dh are not when they eat outside our home). Even my oldest son and I (though not diagnosed as celiac) had improvements in our health when we stopped eating gluten. With my family history, I am glad to avoid gluten because if I avoid it by choice, I can never develop celiac disease and face potentially horrible reactions to minute amounts of gluten. Celiac.com is a great source of information for those trying to get the gluten out of their diets.

Gluten is not a good source of protein, iron and calcium. Gluten is the protein molecule found in wheat, barley, and rye, with oats being cross-contaminated with gluten. Wheat has been changed by growers over the years and today's wheat contains a much higher level of gluten than it did several hundred years ago. It is quite possible to live very well nutrionally without gluten. Gluten is not "healthy". It causes issues for many people, even those who are not celiacs. My family is gluten free. Many, if not most, people would benefit from limiting or eliminating gluten in their diets, even if they don't have celiac disease. You can look up studies regarding gluten intolerance (not celiac) and studies about children with autism being gluten free. The bottom line is that if you notice you feel better not eating gluten, then there is probably a good reason. It is possible to have only spotty damage in the small intestine and for the damage to be missed even with biopsies. It is also possible to have gluten intolerance and feel much better off of gluten but never have any intestinal damage with gluten. (That is actually the distinction between celiac disease and gluten intolerance, whether or not there is damage in the small intestine from gluten.)

Lots of colleges have programs for students to report unusual or concerning situations with other students, given that many of these kids are so young and may be away from home for the first time. HIPPA doesn't apply here because this young man's peers aren't professionals. If this were my son, I would be so grateful for anyone who expressed any concern or involvement to try to help him. Many adults don't know how to handle these sorts of situations so I think the young men did a wise thing in taking their concerns to the dean so an adult could help the young man.

Both of my boys, ages 9 and 7, trim their own nails. They have been doing it for some time now. (I forget exactly how long...) They use the baby clippers, which seem to be safer/work better for them.

:grouphug: Lack of sleep tends to make anxiety of any type worse.

I agree. Lots of collective knowledge on these boards. As many of us have stated and as the OP seems to be aware of, a diagnosis of a mental health condition cannot be made from information by a third party given on the internet. However, anything that helps the people who are in contact with this young man to be more educated and aware of the potential seriousness of his situation is a good thing, I believe.:001_smile:

Not that a diagnosis can really be made over the internet:tongue_smilie:, but this doesn't sound like Borderline Personality Disorder, in my experience. It resembles a cyclical pattern of depression alternating with periods of normalcy, which more closely matches a Bipolar diagnosis of some type. BPD is much more pervasive and doesn't "come and go". There are varying degrees of Bipolar Disorder and some people live a fairly normal life even without meds if their illness is not severe. The depression is the concern with this young man, particularly given his age and apparent isoloation from family. Many young people (and older people) attempt or succeed at suicide during a period of depression. Again, not that it is possible to make a true clinical diagnosis over the internet, but I am a licensed therapist and have been practicing since 1993.

My recipe is this: 2 canned chopped tomatoes 1/4 cup chopped garlic 1/2 to 1 onion lots of fresh cilantro canned sliced or whole jalapenos to taste I toss it all in the food processor. I add the peppers slowly and stop before it is the hotness I prefer since as it sits in the fridge, it becomes hotter.

My kids all have excessive amounts of clothing. I refuse to count it all. :tongue_smilie: We get hand me downs, grandma's clearance deals, great grandma who likes to take them shopping, mom who can't pass up a bargain, etc. I keep the laundry beast from eating me by having a very organized system. I do have a separate laundry room and a nice front loader, which helps. I do 1-2 loads a day and hang the hanging stuff right out of the dryer. Some things are hung to dry. The boys' and my little girl's stuff that is non hanging goes on top of the washer. My teen's stuff is done by her at her convenience. I have simple shelving units hanging on the wall which store laundry supplies on top and have places to hang empty hangars and hanging clothing. I have a small basket to hold lights and one to hold darks...the dirties. There is a large basket for towels and mine and dh's non-hanging stuff. It gets put away when it is full. We all have plenty of underwear and socks, which is a necessity, in my book. My boys sleep in their "gym" type shorts so they don't have pj's.

There is a lesser form of bipolar disorder called Bipolar 2, formerly called Cyclothymia. It doesn't sound like straight depression to me. It is a good idea for him to get help. He is at risk for suicide, and this shouldn't be brushed off because he has these "returns to normal".

Wouldn't eat it...and I would eat most things...:tongue_smilie:

Coleman hot dogs...all beef, no nitrates, etc. I don't recall if they are organic. I find them at Costco.

I am in the DFW area - pm me if you still need help...but I don't get notifications of pm's so also post here.:001_smile:

My entire family of six is gluten free inside our home for the needs of the two youngest kids. My dh and oldest dd eat gluten outside the house. I don't cook anything with gluten...ever. The three littlest kids and I are strictly gluten free in and outside the home. It is easier to keep the three littles all gluten free because they are three peas in a pod. I stay gf for health reasons, as a preventive measure, due to the strong family history of celiac disease. Once we made the lifestyle changes, it wasnt' hard. Good luck to you! I highly recommend celiac.com as a great resource for information on eating gf.:001_smile:

I just tossed the consumable math workbooks from two years ago because I didn't see the sense in keeping them. I do keep everything else. I plan to put it in a binder by child/year and put it in a bin or on a shelf somewhere so they have a record of their work, for their own use/pleasure, as our state requires absolutely nothing.

I also have a very gifted 7 year old, but he is working through FLL1 and will do each level according to the "grade level" he "should" be at. It's all so arbitrary, really...but my point is that I want him to get a good, basic foundation and to enjoy the ride. If we race at breakneck speed through anything, that won't happen.:001_smile: On the other hand, I have a 9 year old who, due to a poor curriculum fit and a mom who was in denial for awhile:tongue_smilie:, is "behind". I made a plan to get caught up to the level that he is capable of in math, and we are doubling up on some language arts...but he will enter "fourth grade" next year and our time in this lovely grammar stage will be drawing to a close - thus, my need to get him caught up. He will be doing WWE3 next year, though, and I won't rush through that because it is an area in which he struggles and I want him to get a good foundation. If your child reads, can do basic printing of letters/words and can do basic arithmetic, I would say that you are not "behind". The rest of it, in my oh so humble opinion, is gravy and will come with time.

Thank you for this information...I will check it out. :001_smile:

I don't have a child in this grade, but this seems to me to be a good essay for a 7th grader. Obviously, there are a few errors, but I would expect that. Her sentence structure is good, the essay is pretty well organized and she has made it interesting to read. This is just one person's opinion, but it seems very appropriate to me.:001_smile:

I would correct it since it is a socially unacceptable issue, even though it is done in complete innocence.

My two boys, ages 7 and 9, are enthralled with Mindbenders logic puzzles. We are on A2 now. :) They love the grid style logic puzzles but would probably be open to other types. The 7 year old is as capable as the 9 year old in solving these so whatever works for the rising 4th grader will also work for the rising 2nd grader. What say you? Oh, and inexpensive is good. :D We also like paper and pencil/book types of activities more than computer ones, but we are open to anything. Thanks in advance!

My hs'ed kids are ages 9 and 7. My youngest child is 4...and she attends a small, church run, part time preschool from 9am-2pm, Monday- Thursday. This is the same preschool that my boys went to. She loves it so much! It is NOT a day care, the staff is fabulous and it was a Godsend to have her gone while I worked with the boys alone. I will add her into our hs'ing next year and I am a little scared. There are many people who can juggle it all and do it well but I am not one of them so I chose a win-win situation for all of us and sent dd to preschool with absolutely no regrets. She learned positive behaviors, not negative ones, and she is doing a preK Abeka curriculum there so will be all ready for hs'ing next year.

My 7 yo and 9 yo love Mindbenders. They beg for them!:lol:

Yes, it seems arbitrary but if parents agree to send a child there, they agree to the arbitrary rules on lunches. One of my kids attended a special needs preschool program at a public school when he was three. The forbid any type of candy or dessert, including not allowing cupcakes on his birthday. However, twice a week, the school supplied breakfast was icing-laden cinnamon rolls. The breakfast cereal choices were sugary (Count Chocula, Trix, etc) with only one healthier exception. The irony was not lost on me.

I have two, an undergraduate one and a graduate one. I have only a vague idea of where they are since I have not needed to display them since I quit a job ten years ago. I do work part time but display my professional license (which is required by law) and haven't bothered with my diploma. I don't really care to display them at home...everyone here knows about my degrees.:lol:

I use the workbook only. It is open and go that way.