I was just checking this board for nostalgic reasons. I used to read it all the time when I was home schooling my daughter and taking her to the rink every day. Fast forward several years--she just retired from the sport after competing at the Sochi Olympics in February. She's on her way to college in August, so no more sitting in cold rinks, talking to coaches, steaming costumes, doing hair, or watching competitions for me. I envy you all so much! Believe it or not, I miss it!

Skating might still be a possibility if you simply determine that she will not compete. US Figure Skating has a Basic Skills program (group skating lessons) which she could begin with. It also sponsors a test system for Moves in the Field, Freestyle, Dance, and Pairs. She could work with a coach to master the skills, take the official tests, and receive a certificate for each test passed. It might give her a nice sense of progression and accomplishment, even without competing. Just a thought.

A persistent tic of longstanding may be a sign of an underlying disorder--Tourettes,for example, or OCD. If this is the case, the tic is not something your child can control without help, and it is probably making him miserable. My daughter has tics associated with OCD, and still has trouble with them from time to time. Talk therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and medication have helped. In case you are finding this discouraging, I should add that my daughter, who is nearly twenty, is one of the brightest and most accomplished young women I know. This is not the kind of problem that a pediatrician can handle, but he or she can refer you to a specialist. Hopefully, this is just a temporary compulsion, but if not, the sooner it is addressed, the better.

I use my Kindle primarily for travel. The only accessories I use are a protective case (if that can be considered an accessory) and a book light sold by OCTO for reading in the dark. I don't know if the OCTO book light would fit the Kindle 3, though. Probably most important is having the right adapter so he can charge his Kindle while he is away.

We've been reading aloud to my daughter since she was a baby, and she is now nineteen! We began, because I couldn't wait to begin sharing with her the books I had loved as a girl. I also had fond memories of my father doing the same with us. The benefits have been enormous. First of all, children can engage with books read aloud far more advanced than what they can read themselves. Consequently, our daughter's comprehension and sophistication of thought tended to be greater than her age or grade level would have indicated. Secondly, it often led to interesting and thoughtful dinner table discussions and was a wonderful way for the family to settle down at the end of the day. I think of it as a second generation tradition, thanks to my father, and I suspect that my daughter will do the same when she has a family.

Our daughter, who will turn nineteen next month, is living at home with us. She has just graduated from high school, and is deferring college for at least a year to pursue her sport. I have to say that living with an adult child has not been a problem for us, and we have not even considered creating a set of rules for her. It is just the three of us, and we are living as we have always lived--enjoying each other’s company, treating each other with respect and consideration, each of us pitching in to make sure all the work gets done. We have not asked our daughter to contribute financially as yet. Training for her sport is a full-time occupation and utterly exhausting. Also, the extensive travel for competition would make it hard for her to commit to a job. She does have a very small job on the side, but it pays very little, and we consider the money hers. I think it helps that our daughter shares our values. Also, training for her sport requires her to live a very disciplined and structured life. Eating poorly, staying out late, staying up late, getting up late, letting things slide--it’s just not an option for her. (I have to admit that her room is a mess, but when we look at the big picture, it just doesn’t seem important.) For our part, we are happy to let her make her own decisions; in general, she makes good ones. I feel as though our daughter is completing the process of growing up in a natural and organic way within our family. We fully expect her to make a smooth transition to college and eventually to living on her own. I also expect that we will miss her, even as we enjoy wathcing where she goes and what she does with her life.

Regarding accounting for the extra year on my daughter's transcript, her transcript was organized by subject rather than year. However, it was obvious to anyone who cared to look that she had extended her senior year, due to the dates on her Johns Hopkins CTY transcript (all her credited high school math courses were taken through them). It was also obvious based on the number language credits she was receiving for her Latin and French courses. As a precaution, I added the following note to her transcript: The student's demanding course load, 30+ hours of athletic training per week, and 18 weeks of travel for training and competition during the past year suggested the desirability of an extended graduation date. Four of eight senior courses have been completed, while four are currently in progress. My daughter also wove her decision to extend her senior year, so that her education would not be compromised, into her application essays. None of the colleges she applied to seemed to be concerned about the extra time, although not all of them accepted her. (She was accepted by nine out of thirteen.) Hope this helps.

My daughter is graduating this month and will be 19 in July. We added a year to high school, because the training for her sport is so intense, and we didn't want to compromise her education. This didn't seem to be a problem for any of the colleges she applied to, including highly selective schools like Columbia and Middlebury, both of which accepted her.

I have been excused twice in the state of Connecticut after writing a letter explaining that I homeschool and that my daughter would not be "in school" or supervised were I to serve. My daughter was under the age of 16 both times. I was recently called again and was happy to serve as my daughter is older now. Turned out they didn't need me!

Blue Hen - ds - University of Delaware, Case Western Reserve, CO School of Mines, Drexel (PA), Lehigh(PA), Rose-Hulman, Tulane, RPI (NY), Stony Brook University --- all acceptances. Brigid in NC - ds - accepted @ Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, North Carolina State (attending) CherylG's ds-UCLA, graduated, UCSB, UCSD, Westmont, all accepted. UMD-attending for master's in engineering. CherylG's dd-SBCC school of nursing-graduated. Creekland's ds - Covenant College, Union University, Calvin College - all acceptances at this point. Deb in NZ's dd - Bay of Plenty Polytechnic (begin Feb 2010) dkholland- ds - Covenant College (accepted), Patrick Henry College (accepted) Grove City College Gwen in VA -- Washington & Lee (attending); acceptances from U Chicago, U Pitt, U Dallas, U Delaware, Hillsddale, UVA, William & Mary, College of Wooster, Case Western Kate in FL-ds-Cornell University (accepted Early Decision so all other apps had to be withdrawn) Kathy in Richmond - ds - MIT (attending), also accepted at Caltech, Carnegie Mellon, U Michigan, and UVA. Kathy in Richmond - dd - accepted at MIT, Caltech, U Chicago, William & Mary, and awaiting 3 more decisions Katia - ds- Ellsworth Community College (AA Computer Science) , Anderson University-attended , University of Northern Iowa (BA Computer Science), Kansai Gaidai University, Kyoto, Japan-attended Katia - dd#1- Hilldale College-attending , accepted at: Luther College, Ball State University, University of Northern Iowa, Oberlin College Conservatory of Music Katia- dd#2 - applying to: Hillsdale College , Warner University (accepted) Lady Lorna - dd accepted at Fordham University, Hillsdale College, The King's College, Middlebury College, St John's College, Thomas More College of Liberal Arts, Thomas Aquinas College, Trinity College. Waitlisted The University of Chicago. Still waiting to hear from Columbia University, Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University LaJuana - dd#1 University of Dallas - graduated Summa cum Laude. Also accepted to Hillsdale. LaJuana - ds#1 University of Dallas - graduated Summa cum Laude. Also accepted to Hillsdale. Attending Westminster Theological Seminary (MDiv). LaJuana dd#2 Attending Oklahoma City University Bass School of Music (Musical Theatre and Vocal Performance). Also accepted at Samford University (AL), Whitworth University (WA), George Fox University (OR), Covenant College (GA), Houghton College (NY), Oklahoma Christian University. LaJuana ds#2 Attending Whitworth University. Also accepted at University of Dallas. (Except for dd majoring in MT and VP, my dc knew where they wanted to go, applied to two schools only, and were accepted at both.) Laughing Lioness - DS -Boyce College (KY) attending. Accepted to Augustana College (SD) and St. Mary's School of Nursing (SD). Lisa in TN's dd - Vanderbilt University - attending. Liza Q's dd - Saint Francis College - attending. Kings College, St. John's University, Brooklyn College - accepted Luann in ID ds1 and ds2 - LeTourneau University - attending (They both knew they wanted to go there, so this is the only place they applied.) Margaret in CO--dd accepted to Western State College for dual credit, accepted to Hillsdale College, graduated, accepted to CU Boulder School of Music, finishing Master's Margaret in CO--dd accepted to Western State College for dual credit, accepted to USNA, attending finishing Firstie Year, accepted to flight school, acceptances: Hillsdale College, USAFA, USCGA, ERAU (on NROTC), School of Mines Margaret in CO--dd accepted to Western State College for dual credit I'm going to stick my should-have-been-son-in-law (killed last spring), accepted to Hillsdale College, transferred to WVU, graduated, accepted to Toledo Medical College. Mary in GA ds: Clayton State University (attended & transferred) Georgia Tech (attending) Michelle in GA ds- University of Georgia (accepted); Berry College (accepted); Georgia Tech (currently attending) Moira in MA dd -- Acceptances at Dalhousie U (Nova Scotia), McGill U (Montreal) Mommyfaithe's dd #1 (accepted College of St. Rose (NY) attended Sage College Albany, NY Graduated Summa Cum Laude Mommyfaithe's dd#2 Attending Russell Sage College. Accepted SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Albany, waiting to hear from Simmons College in Boston Mass. MSPolly's dd- Acceptances at Covenant(TN), Union U(TN), U of MS, Belhaven U(MS) Osmosis Mom Dd 1, Wellesley College (attending), accepted to Merrimack College, BU, Simmons, Emmanuel College Sharon in MD's ds-Drexel University -attending; UMBC-Meyerhoff program, UMD-College Park-College of Engineering, Messiah College- acceptances Susann-dd-Rose-Hulman, Purdue, University of Evansville, Trine, Taylor, Cedarville-acceptances Susie-Knits ds1 - Rose-Hulman, Valparaiso, U of Evansville, TN Tech - acceptances TransientChris's DS- George Mason U,attending; Hillsdale College- attended, Abilene Christian, Hampden-Sydney, St. Olaf- accepted Valerie(TX) - ds UT Arlington attended Valerie(TX) - dd accepted Biola (CA), Messiah (PA), Belhaven (MS), Mary Baldwin College (VA), UTA (TX), Hardin-Simmons (TX), Univ. of Mary Hardin-Baylor (TX), and Ouachita (AR). I'm missing one. ?? Outtamyshell - BYU Provo __________________ Enjoy your Ordinary Day! DS, 17yo, Senior! Am Lit, AP BC Calc, AP Physics C, AP Econ, AP US Gov't; AP Computer Science, IShop--Finishing 18' strip-built sea kayak, PE-Inline Speed Skating DS, 14yo, 8th grade, WTM Logic stage, FIRST Physics, US History, Alg w/ Dolciani, R&S LA 7, IEW, Intro Logic Cannon Press, Electric Guitar Builder & Player, PE-Inline Speed Skater,2-TIME SKATER OF THE MONTH IN 6M! knot tying, Origami. WTM'er since '99 Mt. Pleasant

Brigid in NC - ds - accepted @ Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, North Carolina State (attending) CherylG's ds-UCLA, graduated, UCSB, UCSD, Westmont, all accepted. UMD-attending for master's in engineering. CherylG's dd-SBCC school of nursing-graduated. Creekland's ds - Covenant College, Union University, Calvin College - all acceptances at this point. Deb in NZ's dd - Bay of Plenty Polytechnic (begin Feb 2010) dkholland- ds - Covenant College (accepted), Patrick Henry College (accepted) Grove City College Gwen in VA -- Washington & Lee (attending); acceptances from U Chicago, U Pitt, U Dallas, U Delaware, Hillsddale, UVA, William & Mary, College of Wooster, Case Western Kate in FL-ds-Cornell University (accepted Early Decision so all other apps had to be withdrawn) Kathy in Richmond - ds - MIT (attending), also accepted at Caltech, Carnegie Mellon, U Michigan, and UVA. Kathy in Richmond - dd - accepted at MIT, Caltech, U Chicago, William & Mary, and awaiting 3 more decisions Katia - ds- Ellsworth Community College (AA Computer Science) , Anderson University-attended , University of Northern Iowa (BA Computer Science), Kansai Gaidai University, Kyoto, Japan-attended Katia - dd#1- Hilldale College-attending , accepted at: Luther College, Ball State University, University of Northern Iowa, Oberlin College Conservatory of Music Katia- dd#2 - applying to: Hillsdale College , Warner University (accepted) Lady Lorna - dd accepted at Fordham University, Hillsdale College, The King's College, Middlebury College, St John's College, Thomas More College of Liberal Arts, Thomas Aquinas College. Still waiting to hear from Columbia University, Harvard University, Princeton University, Trinity College, Yale University, The University of Chicago LaJuana - dd#1 University of Dallas - graduated Summa cum Laude. Also accepted to Hillsdale. LaJuana - ds#1 University of Dallas - graduated Summa cum Laude. Also accepted to Hillsdale. Attending Westminster Theological Seminary (MDiv). LaJuana dd#2 Attending Oklahoma City University Bass School of Music (Musical Theatre and Vocal Performance). Also accepted at Samford University (AL), Whitworth University (WA), George Fox University (OR), Covenant College (GA), Houghton College (NY), Oklahoma Christian University. LaJuana ds#2 Attending Whitworth University. Also accepted at University of Dallas. (Except for dd majoring in MT and VP, my dc knew where they wanted to go, applied to two schools only, and were accepted at both.) Laughing Lioness - DS -Boyce College (KY) attending. Accepted to Augustana College (SD) and St. Mary's School of Nursing (SD). Lisa in TN's dd - Vanderbilt University - attending. Liza Q's dd - Saint Francis College - attending. Kings College, St. John's University, Brooklyn College - accepted Luann in ID ds1 and ds2 - LeTourneau University - attending (They both knew they wanted to go there, so this is the only place they applied.) Margaret in CO--dd accepted to Western State College for dual credit, accepted to Hillsdale College, graduated, accepted to CU Boulder School of Music, finishing Master's Margaret in CO--dd accepted to Western State College for dual credit, accepted to USNA, attending finishing Firstie Year, accepted to flight school, acceptances: Hillsdale College, USAFA, USCGA, ERAU (on NROTC), School of Mines Margaret in CO--dd accepted to Western State College for dual credit I'm going to stick my should-have-been-son-in-law (killed last spring), accepted to Hillsdale College, transferred to WVU, graduated, accepted to Toledo Medical College. Mary in GA ds: Clayton State University (attended & transferred) Georgia Tech (attending) Michelle in GA ds- University of Georgia (accepted); Berry College (accepted); Georgia Tech (currently attending) Moira in MA dd -- Acceptances at Dalhousie U (Nova Scotia), McGill U (Montreal) Mommyfaithe's dd #1 (accepted College of St. Rose (NY) attended Sage College Albany, NY Graduated Summa Cum Laude Mommyfaithe's dd#2 Attending Russell Sage College. Accepted SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Albany, waiting to hear from Simmons College in Boston Mass. MSPolly's dd- Acceptances at Covenant(TN), Union U(TN), U of MS, Belhaven U(MS) Osmosis Mom Dd 1, Wellesley College (attending), accepted to Merrimack College, BU, Simmons, Emmanuel College Sharon in MD's ds-Drexel University -attending; UMBC-Meyerhoff program, UMD-College Park-College of Engineering, Messiah College- acceptances Susann-dd-Rose-Hulman, Purdue, University of Evansville, Trine, Taylor, Cedarville-acceptances Susie-Knits ds1 - Rose-Hulman, Valparaiso, U of Evansville, TN Tech - acceptances TransientChris's DS- George Mason U,attending; Hillsdale College- attended, Abilene Christian, Hampden-Sydney, St. Olaf- accepted Valerie(TX) - ds UT Arlington attended Valerie(TX) - dd accepted Biola (CA), Messiah (PA), Belhaven (MS), Mary Baldwin College (VA), UTA (TX), Hardin-Simmons (TX), Univ. of Mary Hardin-Baylor (TX), and Ouachita (AR). I'm missing one. ?? Outtamyshell - BYU Provo

CherylG's ds-UCLA, graduated, UCSB, UCSD, Westmont, all accepted. UMD-attending for master's in engineering. CherylG's dd-SBCC school of nursing-graduated. Creekland's ds - Covenant College, Union University, Calvin College - all acceptances at this point. Deb in NZ's dd - Bay of Plenty Polytechnic (begin Feb 2010) dkholland- ds - Covenant College (accepted), Patrick Henry College (accepted) Grove City College Gwen in VA -- Washington & Lee (attending); acceptances from U Chicago, U Pitt, U Dallas, U Delaware, Hillsddale, UVA, William & Mary, College of Wooster, Case Western Kate in FL-ds-Cornell University (accepted Early Decision so all other apps had to be withdrawn) Katia - ds- Ellsworth Community College (AA Computer Science) , Anderson University-attended , University of Northern Iowa (BA Computer Science), Kansai Gaidai University, Kyoto, Japan-attended Katia - dd#1- Hilldale College-attending , accepted at: Luther College, Ball State University, University of Northern Iowa, Oberlin College Conservatory of Music Katia- dd#2 - applying to: Hillsdale College , Warner University (accepted) Lady Lorna - dd accepted at Fordham University, Hillsdale College, The King's College, St John's College, Thomas More College of Liberal Arts, Thomas Aquinas College. Still waiting to hear from Columbia University, Harvard University, Middlebury College, Princeton University, Yale University, The University of Chicago LaJuana - dd#1 University of Dallas - graduated Summa cum Laude. Also accepted to Hillsdale. LaJuana - ds#1 University of Dallas - graduated Summa cum Laude. Also accepted to Hillsdale. Attending Westminster Theological Seminary (MDiv). LaJuana dd#2 Attending Oklahoma City University Bass School of Music (Musical Theatre and Vocal Performance). Also accepted at Samford University (AL), Whitworth University (WA), George Fox University (OR), Covenant College (GA), Houghton College (NY), Oklahoma Christian University. LaJuana ds#2 Attending Whitworth University. Also accepted at University of Dallas. (Except for dd majoring in MT and VP, my dc knew where they wanted to go, applied to two schools only, and were accepted at both.) Laughing Lioness - DS -Boyce College (KY) attending. Accepted to Augustana College (SD) and St. Mary's School of Nursing (SD). Lisa in TN's dd - Vanderbilt University - attending. Liza Q's dd - Saint Francis College - attending. Kings College, St. John's University, Brooklyn College - accepted Margaret in CO--dd accepted to Western State College for dual credit, accepted to Hillsdale College, graduated, accepted to CU Boulder School of Music, finishing Master's Margaret in CO--dd accepted to Western State College for dual credit, accepted to USNA, attending finishing Firstie Year, accepted to flight school, acceptances: Hillsdale College, USAFA, USCGA, ERAU (on NROTC), School of Mines Margaret in CO--dd accepted to Western State College for dual credit I'm going to stick my should-have-been-son-in-law (killed last spring), accepted to Hillsdale College, transferred to WVU, graduated, accepted to Toledo Medical College. Mary in GA ds: Clayton State University (attended & transferred) Georgia Tech (attending) Michelle in GA ds- University of Georgia (accepted); Berry College (accepted); Georgia Tech (currently attending) Moira in MA dd -- Acceptances at Dalhousie U (Nova Scotia), McGill U (Montreal) Mommyfaithe's dd #1 (accepted College of St. Rose (NY) attended Sage College Albany, NY Graduated Summa Cum Laude Mommyfaithe's dd#2 Attending Russell Sage College. Accepted SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Albany, waiting to hear from Simmons College in Boston Mass. MSPolly's dd- Acceptances at Covenant(TN), Union U(TN), U of MS, Belhaven U(MS) Osmosis Mom Dd 1, Wellesley College (attending), accepted to Merrimack College, BU, Simmons, Emmanuel College Sharon in MD's ds-Drexel University -attending; UMBC-Meyerhoff program, UMD-College Park-College of Engineering, Messiah College- acceptances Susann-dd-Rose-Hulman, Purdue, University of Evansville, Trine, Taylor, Cedarville-acceptances Susie-Knits ds1 - Rose-Hulman, Valparaiso, U of Evansville, TN Tech - acceptances TransientChris's DS- George Mason U,attending; Hillsdale College- attended, Abilene Christian, Hampden-Sydney, St. Olaf- accepted Valerie(TX) - ds UT Arlington attended Valerie(TX) - dd accepted Biola (CA), Messiah (PA), Belhaven (MS), Mary Baldwin College (VA), UTA (TX), Hardin-Simmons (TX), Univ. of Mary Hardin-Baylor (TX), and Ouachita (AR). I'm missing one. ?? Outtamyshell - BYU Provo

The sameness of the programs has alot to do with the "new" judging system (instituted after the 2002 Olympics judging scandal.) Certain elements really rack up the points and the skaters would be crazy not to incorporate them. My daughter is an ice dancer, and I know her coach really works to integrate the required and high scoring elements seamlessly into the program so that is still looks like a dance, but it's hard. Skaters also often use the same music or style of music over and over if the judges seem to like it--although that can sometimes work against them.

My daughter took the NLE every year from 7th grade on, partly to provide outside confirmation of her language abilities. (Of course, I was thinking about colleges, but it turned out my daughter wanted confirmation for herself.) She was fortunate enough to receive four gold medals, one for each year of high school, which looked lovely on her transcript. She also received an additional award for the consecutive gold medals, which, again, I was able to add to her transcript. The nice thing about the NLE is that you can use the results as you see fit. If you feel they enhance your child's overall record, then you can make them part of his/her college application. If you feel they detract, then omit them. Hope this helps.

FYI, private tutors in our area charge $75-$100 per hour. (We live in a particularly pricey area.) It sounds to me like she wants a baby sitter rather than a tutor.