My boys are all grown now and remember to flush...and usually put the lid down. Several years ago I asked them why it was so difficult for them to flush when they were younger. They all agreed that they thought something "bad" might happen - like the toilet explodes, a geyser shoots out, it might suck them in, etc. I'm guessing that they saw too many cartoons and their vivid imaginations just worked it up from there. Whenever company was expected, one boy was always assigned the chore to flush all toilets and close all lids.

No ideas for you, but I just watched the video and had no idea it was a WTMer! Way to go! Congratulations and best wishes on his new found popularity :)

Oh, I'm so sorry! I would be freaking out as well. Praying that all is well or will be well soon.

A co-worker of mine is retiring and moving to Florida. She is a pharmacist. We are having a retirement party tonight and I need an idea for something fun/trivial to get as a send-off. She is selling everything and starting over. She will be living in a community that uses golf carts for transportation. Ideas? FOLLOW UP: OK, I like the idea of a gift card. What value would be appropriate for something from Williams Sonoma? I was thinking $50 but that won't get much at WS. I've worked with her part-time for a year and in that time I've been on opposite shifts with an overlapping 1.5 hours. So I don't really know her that well, but she is nice and I want to do something nice for her.

DS lives in an off campus condo with 4 other fellas. They rent each room individually. Each is responsible only for his room. The landlord (condo-owner - not a rental agency) asked that we give him 10 dated checks - one for each month - and he deposits each one on the 1st of each month. That sounded really odd to me, but it has worked for 2 years now. It has made life nice in that I don't have to remember, he doesn't have to remember, and no one has to remind us lol.

My graduating mechanical engineering senior is so totally burned out. He said he would just prefer not to even bother about graduation ceremonies. He's beat down, sleep deprived, and existing on fast food. I look forward to having him home to pamper him a bit and hopefully get him back into a positive outlook on life. At least there is an end...graduation!

Yes, I think this is something he needs to get a handle on. His work with the race team for the past 4 years, though, has been helpful with that I think. And his work with our professor friend has introduced him to the field of patents, property rights, and non-disclosure contracts. We've had some rather cryptic conversations...in which I tend to ask questions he cannot answer due to being bound by those non-disclosures lol. I think he just needs to start somewhere and then fine tune his interests. Right now he's looking at the job market like a great list of restaurants (he's a foodie). There are so many things he likes and would be interested in doing that it's hard to make a decision. But he needs to dive in somewhere...

I know that would appeal to him. He has always been ahead of the pack intellectually so it's hard for him to think of starting at the bottom and slowly climbing the corporate ladder.

Nan, thank you so much for taking the time to help us. I'll forward this to my son and see what he thinks. Our friend is awaiting more funding - basically she's just about broke. She has been contacted by one large computer company...the product has the potential to span many industries. She is talking with some venture capital groups, and sending out product for testing to another lab for confirmation of results. It's been a lot of fun watching this take shape from an idea to a product. I can see why my son is interested in this sort of thing. We live in the oil/gas area (Oklahoma) and ds has absolutely no interest in that which makes things more difficult. He isn't particularly interested in aerospace either which seems to be prevalent here. He is interested in Tesla, SpaceX, high end race cars, etc. And he is interested in the financial world. He has so many interests that I think he is having trouble seeing himself doing just one thing for a period of time. Thanks again, you've been a great help.

If God were small enough for my mind to comprehend, he wouldn't be God. People worship that which is beyond themselves. Do we ever really know someone? Even our spouses occasionally surprise us by their actions. And often, later, we see the wisdom in their actions. So why does God behave the way he does? To answer that, one needs to develop a relationship with him and get to know him. And, yes, I believe much of his motive stems from allowing us free will. As a loving parent watches their child, he watches us. Do we micromanage our children? Most of us don't. We counsel, scold, educate, but ultimately our kids make their own decisions. And those decisions have consequences - some good and some bad.

Karma? Irony? We just recently learned about his prison sentence. So...being the curious person I am, I dug around on our supreme court network and discovered the crime. The boys were home for the Easter weekend and we all had a hearty laugh (I feel rather guilty about that) about the irony of it. It had always hurt my feelings that they felt that way about my boys because I have wonderful, kind boys.

Nan, he may not be looking in the right places. If you have any suggestions on where to find something like this, he'd be forever grateful. He did some amazing work on patents with a professor friend and he was hoping she might have funding for a full time employee, but she's not quite there yet. She told me that he did what needed to be done in order to get a patent on their "item". And it was all based on his math skills and teaching himself what he needed to know.

Possibly, but I think it's more of a depression brought on by lack of sleep and not feeling appreciated. I don't think he could accomplish the amount of work he is putting out and keeping his grades up if he were clinically depressed. I *do* think it could go into that, though, and I'm watching closely. I truly think he needs some time to sleep, time to do nothing but build legos (he got the big Tumbler from Batman for his birthday and it's sitting on the dining room table), reconnect with old friends, and eat good quality food.

Son is graduating with an ME. He is top in his class at large state uni. Looks fantastic on paper, is somewhat socially awkward. He has been accepted to graduate school in a top 10 engineering school. He has until the 15th to accept or decline. I talked with him last night about his plans. He says that if he wants to live the graduate student life, the place is excellent, but he is tired and just wants to do something else. He has been heavily involved with the race team (building formula cars) which has added to his resume but taken away from his life. He claims to have stayed in the lab for 48 house last week and slept there a few of those. He is tired of being away from home, tired of not having a social life due to the deadline constraints of senior year. He did 2 summer internships but not in ME...they involved working on some patent designs for a professor friend of ours. He loved it and learned a lot. He is sick of ME right now. He has not received any offers for employment but I believe that is because he has been too selective in his application process. He is angry, disappointed, hurt, and so physically tired. He thinks something is wrong with himself. He has friends who have jobs awaiting them, but they all did internships in their field. I have always felt that ME was not what he would enjoy. This son has so much intellectual talent as well as varied interests. His ideal job would be to work with a start-up and take it to production. However, no one is interested in hiring a newly out of college with no experience person for that. He's to the point that he just wants to be done and make some money or do something different. I can understand that. He feels that the pay he would get as a starting ME is not equitable to the amount of time he has suffered (poor fella - reality bites) Last night I just listened to my hurting son and offered options: he can take time off and go to Capernwray Bible school in the UK where his brother did a year. He did 2 months there in his senior year and loved it and was disappointed that he didn't do a full year. He can seek to defer entry into the graduate program, he can try to get an engineering co-op (post-graduate)...there are lots of ways to go. He liked the idea of going to Capernwray best. I noticed a distinct growth in his brother when he returned from there...a self-confidence that was not present before. I think this son needs a healthy dose of comfort, rest, and friendship. Gah! It's so hard to know what to recommend! I don't care if he's the local trash man as long as he's happy and good. But he wants to make his mark on the world :) I wish he were 5 years old again - I could fix anything then. Any advice? UPDATE: Today is the deadline to answer yes/no to the grad school offer. DS has asked for a year long deferral and they have granted that :) I talked with him on the phone yesterday and he sounded like a different kid. He is upbeat and excited about what the next year holds. Right now he is the lead senior on the race team and they have lots of deadlines to get the car ready for competition in Michigan and Lincoln later this spring. In addition, he is coordinating "Parents Day" which is this weekend...he has to line up the speakers, order the food, etc. On top of this he has the usual senior year stuff. I think the idea of making a decision that would impact him for the next 2 years was just too much to add to his plate. I've fowarded the information and advice you all have given him and I think it's made him feel more "normal". Thank you all!

This is us as well. I might even say we were knocking on the door of the tier 5. A funny thing happened once in our hsing community and for which I was unwittingly at fault. Apparently this beautiful, ideal family (tier 2) told other folks that they did not want their son (one and only) to play with any of my sons (4) because of the video games we let them play. This was when the boys were all early teens. It seems that one of my sons traded video games with their son. In the exchange, my son got a game that was questionable in my book and the other boy got a relatively harmless game. These parents had NO idea their son had possession of video games and were shocked when he came home with one from us. Today, their son is in prison....for burglary...of video games

BTDT - 4 boys within 6 years. I love this quote that another WTMer has on her signature line. Over the years I have found it holds true. "If you don't listen eagerly to the little stuff when [your children] are little, they won't tell you the big stuff when they are big, because to them, all of it has always been big stuff." - Catherine M Wallace My boys are now older and the rewards of the early effort is certainly being shown. Those early years are soooo long....and so short. There is an end to the early chaos...just hang on and get through it :) I learned to get up earlier in order to have just a few minutes of "me" time. Those few minutes were precious :)

Even if they aren't as popular as you once thought, if she wants to enjoy them for a few years, I'd say to go for it. Just don't invest a large sum of $$ in getting expensive earrings. I got my ears pierced at 16 and had lots of fun with it. In the years with kids, I didn't wear them as much. Some of that was because I have sensitive ears and have to get more expensive earrings...and with 4 boys in tow, shopping wasn't very high on the to-do list. Since I've gotten older and have more $$ and can shop alone, I am having fun with them again.

I could not answer the last one because none of my sons have pierced ears (or anything else). And for some reason it won't let me vote...telling me that I have to have at least 1 post in order to vote LOL. I'm in the 50-59 range and I wear earrings almost all the time.

Thanks, Susan. This is how I feel, too. For so many years I've worked to fulfill others' dreams/potentials/etc. and now that the boys are all grown up (sorta) I want to do something for myself. And since I was a little girl, I have always wanted to fly. But it's surprising how many people are telling me about recent crashes, their buddy had a friend who died in a crash, etc. I want to get the ground school stuff done at the very least...that isn't dangerous lol. Then I'll reassess.

Any advice? I've always wanted to fly...really want to fly helicopters, but may change my mind once I'm into it lol. We live in an area that has a lot of "flight schools". Our local community college offers a program. How does one go about finding a good program? What should I be looking for?

No help, but just want to tell you that I was born in Lubbock and my parents still live there so we visit often :) My dad would tell you which corners of which buildings on the Tech campus he built lol. My son and daughter-in-law (and my new sweet grandson) will be moving to Midland (about 90 miles from Lubbock) in June. Sorry, just rambling and remembering :) Watch out for the tumbleweeds and the sand/dirt storms...and the geese! Lubbock is much bigger now than when I lived there. Plenty of restaurants to choose from, the medical care is very good...and my sons' favorite aspect of Lubbock is that the roads are so wide! They love to drive there because of the wide open roads. I believe the homeschooling community is fairly large and active. My folks previous neighbors owned a jewelry store and they homeschooled their kids. I believe Lanny is correct about the SW being the better area...it's also the newest. My folks live around 98th and Indiana in a lovely neighborhood. They walk to the parks without fear. If you go farther south there are some nice new subdivisions. Their area is more established...not old...maybe 1980s...large trees, quiet. There is a good sized "elderly" population there as well as the student population. Best wishes and success in your move!

Church in 15 minutes; then getting the last one back off to college post-spring break; then tackling the mound of laundry that came home with us from San Francisco. At some point today I'd like to work outside just a bit. My daffodils are gorgeous right now and my magnolia bushes are just budding :) It's going to be a gorgeous spring day.

You have probably already researched it, but I wanted to mention my state of Oklahoma. Personal freedoms are typically valued and respected. Sometimes the crazy "out there" lawmakers make the news, but in general we have a very balanced view of personal freedom vs. governmental regulation. (Oh, and I'm a native Texan lol). And Oklahoma isn't as hot as Texas :) Check out "green country" (NE Oklahoma)

Creekland, any change from your normal habits is a warning bell that needs to be answered especially on the heels of cancer. Has your doctor mentioned any appetite stimulants such as megace? While the weight loss might be a bit of a bonus at this time, it can complicate a recovery process basically because of being nutritionally deficient. Definitely make this a point to bring up with your doctor. It isn't something to just mention in passing. It is important. :grouphug: