My son and I watched Young Hercules last night. Has anyone seen this? It was definitely MST3K worthy. My son and I were laughing so hard at the giant who was repeating "Give me back my fleece!" and at the final battle between Pelias/Ares (who looked like a character from Trailer Park Boys) and Hercules. Wow. That movie was dreadful from beginning to end. Even my son who's 11 complained about the "cheesy punchlines". Maybe I missed it, but did no one mention The Sweetest Thing? Really? I'm no prude-- I enjoyed American Pie, but The Sweetest Thing was just so ridiculous. Did anyone ever see the movie Nowhere (1997)? I thought it was called Doomed, but when I looked it up it said Nowhere. Weird and highly unwatchable. There were some great movies mentioned on this thread, but not every good movie is going to appeal to everyone. I personally hated Breaking the Waves. As for Christmas movies: Elf is great and The Christmas Story is not. I also hate Love, Actually, though I think that is not a very popular opinion around here.

Thanks for that--very interesting. My son is dyslexic and bilingual English/French. I guess he can't catch a break! I know dyslexia is pretty well-known in France as there are associations, Davis centers, etc.

Enjoy your break and don't forget to come back!

Thanks, I hadn't noticed that. Well, I will need to watch with remote control in hand then. I can only take so much.

I voted Tim, but Martin can be whoever he wants to be and that would be OK with me. Except for the character from Love, Actually. Because I actually really dislike that movie. I have not seen him as Rembrandt, but just put Nightwatching on hold at the library.

I disliked the article. It didn't sound like the author had much real experience in how the French handle ADHD; it sounded more like someone read an report and decided to write an article. The author even referenced the book Bringing up Bebe which is a load of crap (and carp). It's based on an outsider's observations of how she thinks French people handle their children by watching them at the park, etc. and then decides they are doing things so much better. Gag. I love France dearly and think there are many wonderful things about the country, but any article that states that French children are better behaved than American children loses all credibility. It's just not true. What might be true is that French children are better behaved while under the attentive supervision of their parent of teacher, but that's as far as it goes. I did get the impression that ADHD (eta: while living in France, not from the article) is sometimes completely ignored in France. Also, French people do not shun prescription medications.

:grouphug: I'm so sorry you are feeling the way you described at the end of your post. That sounds like it might be depression, but I am no expert. ETA: regarding Facebook, I've never had an account and don't plan to. It's not something that interests me (and I am not a resister of technology or modern culture by any stretch).

My son has been using this one for over 6 months (a few times per week) and we've had no problems with it so far.

She looks great either way, but I love her haircut! It's super cute.

My answer: It's very good. My 11 yo son's answer: It's whatever you want it to be.

Hugs and sympathy! My mom is very much worth celebrating (I am lucky--like your kids), but I know people for whom this is not the case. It's not their fault and they are not being petty by not wanting to celebrate their mother. Please remember that YOU are worth celebrating though! I hope you can do something fun tomorrow. ETA: This post is to the OP and to the other posters who have the same issue.

I think there are good things about American ways of doing things (such as more attempts to eliminate ridiculously unnecessary dangers*) and good things about the way things tend to be done in other countries. There are also things that aren't so good. I lived in Europe for many years and I saw a lot of parenting I found to be terrible. A coldness, lack of patience, lack of comfort offered to a hurt or upset child... Yes, children there have more freedom in some ways, but they are also sometimes pushed into independence they aren't ready for. I see nothing wrong with a 4 year-old using a sharp knife to help a parent cut potatoes into fries (something my son did), but I don't think that means the same 4 year-old should be expected to just deal with it when he falls off his bike or that he is too old to sit on his parent's lap. However, in Europe I didn't have to worry about parents freaking out if my son and another child ran around the playground shooting their fingers at each other. Kids' play wasn't micromanaged there, though sometimes this meant too little supervision (or none at all). *by unnecessary dangers, I mean things like sudden drop-offs with no railing, an ax left (on purpose) next to a playground entrance, giving kids firecrackers to use in a crowded area without any supervision (what could go wrong?), oh and the fire hazards! For example, a big open fire in a metal barrel placed in the middle of a Halloween festival with kids in flowing costumes and capes walking right next to it as sparks flew. I get annoyed when people try to remove every potential danger, but some of the "rules" we have here in the U.S. do make sense (but they can go too far so some push-back is a good thing).

That was great--I voted for them. Are they in that same category?

Bienvenue, Tiphanya. You are in a good location to homeschool as there is so much in Paris. So many workshops and educational things to do as your daughter gets older. When I lived in Europe, I would visit Paris with my son once or twice per year. He did workshops at various places including the Architecture museum and the musee du quai branly (I think they have workshops every week there). Homeschooling gives you so much more time to take advantage of all Paris has to offer, rather than trying to fit everything in on the weekend. There are also regular meetings and outings of homeschoolers in/near Paris, which are not always easy to find elsewhere in France.

OP, I get it. You tried to renew, knowing full well you would pay the one-day fines you already had, but could avoid a second day of fines. The computer system should have let you to this, but didn't. It's the same at my library--I can renew even if something is overdue, I just have to pay the fines already accrued before renewal. The system does mess up sometimes. I am happy to pay any fine I owe, but have had to explain a couple of times why the computer is wrong (one time I had already paid the fine, and another time it showed a return occurring one day later than it actually did). I am glad they believed me, but I don't consider that to be "special treatment".

:lol: That's Ok, it was the show with "more music and Les Nessman", after all. Thanks for posting the picture--Herb's suits and ties were the best. I remember those! And also "you got the knife, I got the gun, c'mon boy we're gonna have a little fun..." I used to run around singing that and making up extra lines to it. That's really annoying about the music. I still would like to watch the shows again since it's been forever--I used to watch them after school when I was a kid. I'll have to watch a couple with DS and see if he likes it.

Carp-tastic just doesn't work, unless you're referring to Herb Tarlek.

Agreed. I think it's a good idea to teach kids what it means to be a reasonable person.

I sometimes hear someone snoring in the study area, and it's always an older man. Today it was so loud someone who works at the circulation desk complained to someone who works at the reference desk and he then told his assistant to go wake the man up. So, was the person who was whistling young? For some reason when I read the OP I figured it was an adult male. I'm not sure why; I guess they seem (to me) to be more likely to whistle absentmindedly.

Staring at the back of the people in front of them and liking it!

Suuuuure you do. What are you going to say next? That your son experiences life beyond his electronics, in the real world? :rolleyes: :D

My son and I ride scooters often and I can't imagine either of us riding without shoes. However, we aren't outside barefoot a lot, either. I would be uncomfortable supervising a kid doing that if I didn't know that his or her parents were OK with it. If it's just to learn a lesson, I'd prefer that be done on the parents' watch!

I'm not sure anyone is trying to excuse rude behavior.

Ah yes, those amazing mothers of yesteryear. Always patient, always happy to sing itsy-bitsy spider, spending their days talking to and entertaining their kids with nothing breaking their stride... Please, lady.

I don't see anything wrong with a kid playing on a handheld device at a restaurant or in a waiting room, etc. What is the point of making a kid sit doing nothing for a half hour or more in a doctor's office? Sometimes we have had to wait hours. I bring paper, pencils, card games as well as a tablet or phone to play games on. I think it's a problem when someone is attempting to walk and use the device at the same time as then they are even more oblivious than usual to other people (and even more annoying than usual). I think it's perfectly reasonable to be annoyed that someone blocked your way and were so engrossed in their game they didn't hear you say "excuse me" several times. I don't see what that has to do with a kid playing a DS in a restaurant (ftr, I usually bring a pad of paper and a pencil for my son because he loves to draw. ETA: but there have been times that he's the kid glued to his portable gaming system).