Well maybe it is true that she finds it hard to "relate" to people her age with whom she has little in common in terms of interests, motivation, and social skills. To me, his question assumes that she is the one with the deficit. Why do adults assume that just because kids share a chronological age that they should also share interests, etc.?

Great news!!!! I bet the AC will get that node and kick the rest of cancer's butt! Praying for you and your family.

We've been through this twice- but in better real estate market times. It's hard in a good market but probably really challenging now. No house is perfect- there are always trade-offs so I wouldn't be too worried about some negative feedback. You fix up and clean up but there are some things you can't change. One house had foundation problems that we fixed but some people wouldn't look at the house for that reason. The second house was located near big overhead power lines that turned buyers off also. Both times, the right buyer eventually came along who was looking for what we were selling.

My seventeen year old very petite daughter shops at http://www.modcloth.com for dresses. She's bought party dresses and work dresses and skirts there. I'm not sure though if a thirteen year old would like their stuff though.

It seems that the admissions offices of colleges have forgotten that the SAT and ACT were originally used to determine a student's capability to do college-level work. So if a student is able to handle college level classes in a community college, it seems that the standardized test score is irrelevant to predicting success in college!

Wonderful Christine- so many prayers and thoughts for you! Remember - any nausea whatsoever- call immediately for more meds, don't try to tough it out- Aloxi, Kytril, & Emend were very helpful to me & I had no nausea at all. There are also drugs to boost your white counts so you can keep on your chemo schedule- Neulasta is what they used for me. And get some help with meals, laundry, and kids- the chemo tires you out after a while. Hugs.

I read that supplementing with zinc can improve focus and concentration in children with adhd. I don't know if this is relevant to your situation but it doesn't seem like it could hurt. Here's the link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/04/040409094643.htm

We are using ChemAdvantage this year. Good labs. Well-structured and fast-paced. WebAssign problems are great and interaction with the student group and Mr. Moskulak are also helpful. Pretty thorough - hopefully good prep for the SAT 2 exam in the spring.

My dd took both and found the ACT more straightforward. However, she did run out of time on the science section and had to randomly fill in answers for the last four questions. Several other kids had the same problem with the science section. She said the math section on the ACT was much easier to prepare for than the math SAT.

Thoughts & prayers & hugs Christine. The MRI is the right way to go to see what is going on.

Went through this twice- second time, toilet overflowed into the downstairs dining room the day the house went on the market. Totally lost it. Ds age 4 says to me "mom what do you care about more, your house or your little boy?" Put things in perspective. Hang in there!

My ds does chemistry on-line with ChemAdvantage. We are very happy with the digital pocket scale and micro chem kit they recommended- good price, good quality http://www.qualitysciencelabs.com

My dd found a terrific apartment and room mate at college on Craigslist. We were very cautious and very lucky though I think!

I once read a book called "Before It's Too Late" by Stanley Samenow that helped me understand the behavior of a couple of children my kids had to deal with. I think if a parent was having serious and recurring problems with a child who was lying and bullying, this book would be a good resource.

Although there are always bumps in the road, maybe you will be pleasantly surprised at how well this works out and will share in the joy of seeing your ds grow into a blessed young man!

If you celebrate Christmas - some kind of homemade tree ornament that might have special significance?

In my state, home schooled students are automatically admitted to the state universities based on a set standard score on the SAT or ACT tests. I'm not sure about merit aid though. My dd got a small merit award based on her grades from the community college and first set of SAT scores. She later took the ACT and scored very high, but by then all the merit aid had been distributed. We're hoping that she'll be able to get some sort of scholarship in the next year or two because she is studying engineering and math.

Vending machine change is always nice to have for family and friends spending a lot of time at the hospital.

If you want to buy her something, maybe some really comfy warm socks and comfy lounge pants that have a drawstring waist in case she has drains. Also the day she comes home from the hospital make up her bed with freshly laundered clean sheets and warm blankets.

Thoughts and prayers and lots of good premeds!

I'd file a complaint of sexual assault with the police and I'd demand a meeting with the principal and superintendent immediately. I'd also document the incident and history in a letter to the superintendent. There are also other parents in the school and church whose kids have been through bullying at the school so you should find them and talk to them. Sometimes, your pediatrician can be a good resource as well. I might also talk to DYFS (or whatever state social services organization handles children/youth services) about how to file a complaint against the parents of the young teenager who is acting out this aggressively in school by sexually assaulting other kids. Personally, if it were a private school, my child wouldn't be at that school for another day. And I'd demand a full refund of tuition for the semester or year. If the school refused, I'd go to the papers, etc. whatever it took to get them to do the right thing. Perhaps small claims court would be a useful threat to retrieve tuition. My daughter was harassed both in public and private schools by other girls. We left the (religious) private school with full tuition refund & she stuck out the public for another year after the harassment there. The public school was actually a lot more responsive to the bullying issue than the private one was. My daughter went on to graduate from community college at 17 and started the 4 year state university with 58 college credits. My younger son is currently home schooled. Thoughts and prayers.

Many years ago, my son was the only one cut from the high school varsity basketball team. He started working out at the gym with a trainer at first and then on his own. Fast forward 8 years later- he's still working out in the gym while finishing dental school! I hope you can find a sport or interest that will carry your son through "real" life rather than focusing on a sport that he can't play after high school run by a bunch of people who shouldn't be working with young kids anyway!

My daughter did Kumon math for two years starting in seventh grade, and my son did both Kumon math and reading for a year starting in fifth grade. In my experience, the Kumon math program works best for kids who learn well independently because the staff at Kumon really doesn't explain how to solve the problems if your child doesn't understand the work. Kumon does provide PLENTY of practice problems and an excellent structured progression into more difficult work. My daughter was able to test into College Algebra at the local community college at the end of ninth grade. My son did well but became frustrated at the more advanced levels so he quit for a while but wants to go back now. I'm not sure I'd recommend the reading program for the middle school years. Maybe their elementary reading is better. It's also quite expensive.

"We have lOVED the guides from Memoria Press. This year we've used Trojan War, The Odyssey, and are just about to begin The Iliad. (They aren't in the catalog)." Where did you get these guides?