What does the color of his skin matter? If it was a 300 pound white boy who was in that video roughing up the store clerk, yeah, I'd call him a thug. It's hard to imagine a girl in that situation, but if it was, I'd call her one too. Was the cop supposed to let him do whatever he wanted because he happened to be black? This wasn't some nice kid walking home to Grandma's house, minding his own business.

My BIL is a police officer. He said they were taught that if they used their weapons, they were to shoot to kill. You don't fire the gun unless the situation is dire and you don't mess around. In real life, it's not like the Lone Ranger, grazing the guy's hand so you can grab his gun and tie him up.

If the "teen" is a three-hundred pound thug who is charging at the cop, the policeman isn't supposed to shoot?

What I did with my poor speller was make him write EVERY word he misspelled in EVERY subject five times each. There was a lot of moaning and groaning, but guess what -- something clicked and he learned that paying attention to how words are spelled is worth the effort. He still misspells words now and then, but overall, he is much, much better.

I got porcelain in my entry way and kitchen and I LOVE it. It is so easy to clean and so far (we've had it a year), we haven't had any scratches, chips, etc.

We believe that Adam and Eve truly had free will. After they fell, sin entered the world and humans in their natural state are in bondage to sin. So evil in the world comes as they act freely out of the evil in their hearts, but God controls it so it accomplishes His purpose. Do you know the story of Joseph in Genesis? His brothers wanted to kill him but sold him into slavery instead. Later he tells them, "You intended it for evil, but God intended it for good." So they were acting on their own evil intents, but God directed it to accomplish His will. Is it God's will for partial birth abortion to be legal? We believe there are two aspects to God's will. His revealed will -- His law -- and his secret will -- what He is allowing to unfold on earth. So partial birth abortion would be opposed to God's revealed will, but not to His secret will. Psalm 139 says, "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." So, when I was 17 and my friend died, I suffered greatly, but yes, I believe that was planned by God and someday I will understand that it was best. I am in a hurry and don't have time to look up the reference, but there is a verse in Corinthians that says our sufferings can't compare to the glory that will be revealed in Heaven. We suffer here for a little while, but it is for our ultimate good. One of the psalms (119?) says "It was good for me to be afflicted." Hebrews 12 is talking to Christians being persecuted for their faith and calls their suffering discipline and encourages them to see it as a sign that God loves them. It says, "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." I hope that helps!

Wow -- I am glad my kids were little back in the dark ages. I never thought twice about leaving them to pay for gas or something like that. I had six kids in nine years -- taking them all in could turn a five minute errand into a major event. As long as someone there was old enough to get me if they needed to, I didn't worry. I remember one time, my friend was in the hospital and I had her kids for about a week. Between us at that time, we had a seven year old, a six year old, two five year olds, a three year old, and a one year old. I had them all in the car and I had to stop at the post office. I live in a small town. The post office is one room with a huge window -- you can see the car the whole time. I parked and told them I'd be right back. Friend's dd said, "You can't leave us. Someone will steal us." I told her, "Don't worry. NO ONE would steal this many kids!" :)

I actually came to be a Calvinist through struggling with the question of how God would allow suffering. I came from an Arminian background and felt that the answers I heard there just weren't satisfying. I think the Heidelberg Catechism summarizes the Calvinist position well: Q. What do you understand by the providence of God? A. The almighty and ever present power of God by which God upholds, as with his hand, heaven and earth and all creatures, and so rules them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and lean years, food and drink, health and sickness, prosperity and poverty—all things, in fact, come to us not by chance but by his fatherly hand. Q. How does the knowledge of God's creation and providence help us? A. We can be patient when things go against us, thankful when things go well, and for the future we can have good confidence in our faithful God and Father that nothing in creation will separate us from his love. For all creatures are so completely in God's hand that without his will they can neither move nor be moved. So yes, we believe that no suffering comes except by the will of God. For believers, there is great peace to be found here. Whatever comes our way is sent by our loving Father and is for our ultimate good. To me the best analogy is a Rubik's Cube. We see one side, but God sees the whole cube and he is completing it without any wrong moves.

Yes -- Land's End. I can't remember how small the waists go and I'm too lazy to look, but you can get them any length.

Sorry, but I think there's a difference. The world isn't trying to force us to accept lying, judging, gossiping and stealing. We're not considered hateful if we call those things sinful. I think Christians need to stand firm and be uncompromising in teaching our kids that homosexuality is unacceptable and sinful, because they are being bombarded constantly by the world telling them otherwise, for example, that being opposed to same-sex marriage is the same as being opposed to biracial marriage. I wouldn't be friends with this woman if doing so will give your kids the message that her lifestyle is ok.

Danielle, I haven't lost a child, but I have had exactly the same questions when a close friend died suddenly when we were 17. It seemed impossible that a loving, all-powerful God could have stood by and let that happen. I read When Bad Things Happen to Good People. The author's answer is that things happen that are beyond God's control. He is crying and asking why along with us. That was comforting at first, but that's not the God of the Bible. I pushed people at my church for a better answer and all I got was trite things like, "God will bring good out of this somehow." I was like, He's GOD. He can bring about the good some other way. What helped me most was talking to my friend's dad, who is a pastor. He encouraged me to deal honestly with God. To honestly face my questions, my doubts, and my anger, and to take them to God, because He loves me and He cares about what is in my heart. I did that and really went at it with God and came very close to unbelief. And then God answered me. He opened my heart and led me to believe in what I couldn't see. If you'd like to know more about how that happened, you can PM me. I don't want to get into it all here. I just want to let you know that I am a Christian and your questions make total sense to me!

^ Yes! I LOVE Peace Like a River. Also, the Book Thief, which is sad, but I wouldn't call it depressing. It's long, but it's a fairly quick read.

In 9th, I just did whatever year of the cycle we were on. (I have six kids and kept everyone in the same time period as we cycled through.) So, if they were at the last year of the cycle, they did modern history and lit. On their transcripts, I separated it into two courses -- a history course and an English course and split the works they read accordingly on my course description. We used Pennsylvania Homeschoolers for AP US and European History.

I kept the 4-year cycle through 9th grade but then left it. I would have liked to have followed it all the way through, but I also wanted to be sure to do things in a way that would be objectifiable (if that's not a word, you know what I mean!) and understandable to college admissions people. My kids did AP US History in 10th and I planned an American Lit course to go along with it. In 11th, they did AP European History and AP English Lit.

We have our kids finish most of their APs, etc. by the end of junior year. My senior is doing a half-time internship at an NIH lab. At the CC, he'll take linear algebra in the fall and differential equations in the spring. He is doing AP Macroeconomics with PAH, but he won't take the exam. At home, we'll do English, French, and German lit courses that he designs (reading what he wants/writing essays.)

When my kids were small, they often got a high fever in the summer that hung on a long time. Then when the fever finally broke, they'd get a rash. It was a virus -- roseola or something like it. I wouldn't worry.

This spring I made my new daughter-in-law a binder of my recipes for a shower gift and my girls were going crazy. I said they'd get one when they got married and they said I loved my son's fiancee more than them. They threw such a fit that I emailed them the file. So all summer, my two older dds and my son and his new wife have been making my recipes (many handed down from my mom, grandmother, MIL, etc.) and telling me how they've tweaked things, added this or that, etc. I think it's great, but I wouldn't be upset if they came up with their own favorite recipes!

You could choose a conservative county (e.g., Western MD) and ask. I am in Frederick, and they are very homeschool friendly.

I am in Maryland and there is no home visit requirement, at least in my county. We do need to meet with someone from the Board of Ed twice each year unless we are in an umbrella group.

We are paying for college for six kids out of our retirement fund. I tell them to remember that when we're old! :)

Many, many years ago I was on a transatlantic flight with four-month-old ds who screamed every time I sat down. A group of Marines happened to be on the flight and they were standing in the back chatting because they were big guys and uncomfortable in the cramped seats. At some point, they offered to hold the baby so I could rest for a bit. I very happily handed him off. :)

I read an interview with a doctor who said it is very difficult to maintain the proper standards to prevent infection/transmission in the environment they're working in. He was in a hospital where most of the staff fled. He and one other doctor were caring for fifty very ill patients on their own.

In high school, we buy our kids the basics -- a couple of outfits each season, replace what's worn out, etc. So far, in college they've all started buying their own clothes, not because we've required them to, but just because they want to have more stylish clothes. We still always give them clothes as gifts for Christmas and birthdays.

The top Ivies (H/P/Y) have always been cheaper than any other schools my kids have gotten into, including those with merit scholarships.

I'd put it on a bowl of ice in the fridge just to be safe.