THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Where was this when I was in high school? I think I might have had a clue what all those English teachers were saying! Seriously, high school lit has been stressing me out and this has brought some light to this tunnel!

Wow, how lucky you were! I hope all goes well with the testifying. We had some teens try to steal beer out of our garage. A neighbor called me to close the garage door right away. I went out and saw a glimpse of a shirt going around the corner. The kid got away, but dropped the beer. They also tried to steal some out of a fridge in my neighbors garage while they were having a cookout. The nerve!

I think that was hyperbole. But back to the OP, as I posted in a previous thread about this, I am disgusted by the entire concept. These poor babies lose their loving caretaker to be put with these selfish brats. Zero to Three has weighed in on this.

You've received some great advice. I want to make one more suggestion - Siblings Without Rivalry. This book helped me see the subtle things I was doing to set my sensitive younger one up for a bad attitude/bad behavior. It is hard to be the younger one especially if the older one is so "good." Now, I agree that the behavior needs to be stopped. Sometimes, understanding where that behavior comes from and what the triggers may be can be helpful in solving the problem.

Here is my list from another post: Ellen's fav parenting books

Do they have an emoticon for vomiting? I wouldn't even train an animal like that!

I read a lot because I really wanted to parent my kids differently than I was raised. The 'rents weren't bad people, but I never felt loved or good enough for them and it really warped my relationship with God. My favs: The Baby Books (sears) The Discipline Book (sears) Kids Are Worth It (Coloroso) The Complete Book of Christian Parenting and Childcare (Sears - comforting to read when surrounded by Ezzo-ites telling me I couldn't possibly be a Christian if I didn't withhold food, set them up to fail and then spank, or believe that children needed the evil beaten out of them.) How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk (Faber and Mazlish) Loving Your Child is Not Enough: Positive Discipline that works (Samalin) If Joanne's book had been written when my kids were younger I am sure I would have been a groupie :)!

:iagree: Amen, sister! I can't say that I have always had the self-control to not spank, but, in the end, it was never effective. It hurt the relationship, which is a much more effective parenting tool.

The whole premise really disgusts me. I don't care if the parents are watching nearby, the baby doesn't know that. All the baby knows is that the parents are not there and that these selfish strangers are causing distress. I could not watch my child cry and see others not responding to that cry. UGGHH. I don't know who is more selfish - the teens or the adults who handed over their babies.

ROFL. I almost spit my gum unto my screen! You can spot those bee sting lips a mile away.

We've never used them because they weren't available when we started. We just go through the text together. If I feel that a lesson could use some manipulatives, we pull some out. After that, they do the corresponding exercises in the workbook. On occasion, we have used the supplemental materials, such as challenging word problems and extra practice workbooks, but not regularly. I am very glad to have them for the New Elementary Math Series (grades 7 - 10) because there are things in those books that I don't remember how to do (or are just plain challenging for even me who majored in math.) However, they don't have them for the upper levels, which has me a little nervous. I may need to hang out at the SingaporeMath boards when things get tougher.

Mine is a baseball tan - not a farmer's tan ... from many innings watched at the ballfields. we are almost done!!

Our prayers go out for you, Joanne and your whole family. May God guide the judge in deciding the best interest for all involved. Blessings,

Another thing that impressed me was that she clearly expressed her joy in her children despite how annoying these little ones were at the time. I think that is just as important (if not more) as correcting undesirable behavior. Oh, if I could be more like that!

I guess I don't see this as permissive, but understanding the developmental capabilities of children that young trying to behave for that long. She was, perhaps, not in a situation where she could attend to their needs as she would in other situations. I saw the behavior as developmentally appropriate and expected for that age. Mom not paying attention to them and they, being very little, doing what they could to get her attention.

{{Jeanne}} My middle son was like that. He was only happy if held by either myself or dh or if he was being entertained by big brother. He has sensory issues and that was probably the first clue. Before panicking on the sensory stuff, can you see a chiropractor with experience with pediatrics? Sometimes, birth can cause some misalignments of the neck bones (especially if they pulled on the head.) I had a childbirth student who had a baby who cried all the time. In desperation, she took him to a chiropractor. After the first adjustment, the crying reduced by 50%. Another suggestion is cranial-sacral therapy. I hope you find some peace soon.

Praying here.

If they work in your home and you supply the cleaning supplies, they may be considered a statutory employee. That means that the person hiring them may be responsible for the employer portion of the taxes. This may make it more difficult to get work if the person works as an independent contractor rather than or a service. It is somewhat of a gray area and rarely enforced, but I have heard of cases where it has become a problem. http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=179118,00.html This was a big issue for me about 15 years ago - not because I was cleaning houses, but because I was an independent contractor in information services. The company was going to let go all their independent contractors because the IRS was going after the employers of independent contractors for the employer portion of income taxes and FICA. We all had to become part of corporations to not be let go.

That is great advice. I have a small quibble ...

{{Tammy}} Prayers for your family.

I read this article right after I read about the Mike's as the official beverage of the WTM. Can you say crew cut, braids, modest dress and ... a Mike's? Let's see what the author has to say about that :O!

What year model do you have? 2003 How much gas mileage do you get? 30 - 32 mpg city driving. We have a manual transmission (dh likes sticks.) Is it roomy? We think so. We are able to fit our 3 kids in the back including one booster seat. Our kids are 14, 12 and 8. I've ridden in the back and was comfortable. By the time dd8 is large enough to go without a booster (it may be legal now, but she is thin), it will still be roomy enough for 2 teenaged boys. Now 3 teen boys may be a different story. Has it been dependable? Very much so. We bought ours used and have never had a problem with it in the past 2 years. It is the same as they Toyota Matrix (which is why we could get the stick - I will not drive a stick from an American auto company - too many lemons.) Do you like it? Yes, very much. It is a sporty little car that is fun to drive. I like fold down seats for hauling stuff.

Agree here. My son taught himself to read at age 4 (or probably before, but I thought he was memorizing.) The only thing we would do was point out letter sounds in books. He loved any and all books on the alphabet. His favorite book at 6 months old was a small board book that I picked up at a garage sale that gave a picture for every letter of the alphabet. I think we would play little rhyming games in the car. I would not do a formal program, but just make phonics part of everyday conversation.

Wow. Tell us how you really feel!! Gotta love it - even if I wouldn't let my kids read it.

Rows. My A-R side is showing:)