He probably feels bad about it now but maybe cant admit it. Maybe gently ask him if its possible to get them fixed first, just to make you feel better? It really shouldn't be a big job to get them fixed. I would not feel comfortable going that far with no brake lights.

We got our first computer in 1996 and while I cant remember if it was the first time I ever saw the internet, it was certainly the first time I had access to it. I joined an attachment parenting forum and a spiritual forum- and I remember getting up in the middle of the night for a pee and having to turn on the computer to see if anyone had responded to my posts, or to follow a thread that was exciting. My dad had a computer when I was in my teens, for work, but I dont think it had the internet, and it didn't have WIndows either- it seemed very complicated to me and I had no interest in it back then. The internet....wow, that really opened things up for me- and the world.

I wish ours would die. But I think dh would just buy another one.

DH and I have never slept well together and have always had our own rooms. For us it is in a way part of our spirituality to also give ourselves and each our own space, and to have our own room to "be ourselves" in, our own sanctuary. Dh's room is full of electronics- he has his computer and TV in there and he watches TV till late. Mine is a meditation space with deliberately no electronics. So no, we don't sleep together and we are fortunately both ok with that most of the time. For many years the kids shared a room but we never have!

Dh and I have never slept well together and have always had separate rooms to retreat to. So it was easy to co-sleep with my kids. My firstborn however, although she slept either in bed with me or next to me in a cot from birth, was pretty ok when I moved her to a nearby room when I was heavily pregnant with ds. I felt I needed the space, and it allowed dh to attend to her during the night more. I often feel bad that I did that though. When ds was born he was a demanding baby, cried a lot, hated to be put down- so he slept with me till he was 2, and dd was in her own room from about a year old. Then when ds was 2 I moved him in with dd and they slept together in a double mattress on the floor for years. SO dd, the easygoing one, didnt get as much co-sleeping time as ds. But when they were 7 and 8, dh and I separated for 18 months. I put the 3 of us in a room together for that 18 months and we loved it. They had bunk beds right next to my bed. I think co-sleeping is very natural and I believe we are built, primally, to co sleep. Our society values independence in young kids too early and it leads to a lot of insecurity- it backfires. But that is what attachment parenting is all about. My 2 kids became very independent adventurers who have never been homesick, love to go on camps away from mum, from a young age etc- wheras I remember that sickening homesick feeling very acutely from my childhood.

I find it interesting that....the issue of isolation or not enough socialisation is the one most people are presenting as the reason people are resentful of their homeschooling experience (whether they were socialised a lot and were just extroverts, or were really isolated for religious or demographic reasons, or simply neglect.) I have had this discussion before with local homeschoolers and....I think the homeschooling community in general is rather defensive and perhaps in some denial about the S word. (socialisation). We know there are plenty of bad things to say about school socialisation. We know many homeschooled kids are just fine with regular but not daily social outlets. But...there ARE kids (such as mine) who needed a fair amount of socialisation to feel happy. Daily. More than apparently many other kids are content with. I think I would have liked it, if I was homeschooled, if I had had much less socialisation than my kids needed- but I am a natural introvert, they are extroverts. I found many homeschoolers unwilling to discuss the issue at all, yet in our real life social groups many, many kids were very hungry for more frequent social contact and LIVED for our various activities.

I think the sense that there is something far, far greater than myself, something (not necessarily personified as "God") that created all of existence including myself...is natural and intrinsic, and it doesn't take a book to prove it. In fact, it might be more easily and simply acknowledged and accepted without the intermediary of books which are man made interpretations of what we can directly experience if we are simple enough.

Yes, but a good organic association will restrict the selling of cross contaminated products. Certified products are certified for a reason. We have a farmer here whose organic certification was revoked because of cross contamination from Monsanto canola, I think it was- or wheat- and also Monsanto was going to sue him. There has been a big fundraising to help him with court costs. The other thing is, we get a lot of irradiated food- our quarantine laws are very strict (for good reason) but you cant import food that is irradiated and call it organic here, even if it was grown organically.

It's a common sign of pin worms- worm the child and see if that helps.

There is also the Body Ecology diet which I have heard good things about- candida related. Bodyecology.com

Lol Melissa. I think we have lost our taste for bitter things as our foods become sweeter and blander. I think bitter is an important component of our diets- it is especially important for the liver. However...bolted lettuce is not where I would start slowly getting used to adding the bitter taste. Beer and dark chocolate could be a better place to start :) We have evolved to avoid the bitter taste because many poisons are bitter- but a little is still important :)

The yoghurt is still full of wonderful stuff- I wouldn't worry about that. You are certainly not draining off all of that with the whey. I use whey for soaking grains. So when I want to cook brown rice, I use a spoonful of whey in the water I soak the rice in overnight, before cooking it the next day. I do the same with porridge- soak in water plus a bit of whey overnight before cooking. It helps break down the phytates, making the grains easier to digest. I just made sauerkraut- I have whey in it to add beneficial bacteria.

Yes...and many, many foods are hybridised to be higher in carbs, because sweet foods sell better. Foods like apples and oranges are far sweeter now than they were decades ago. Grapes too. So even if you come from the Mediterranean, if you are eating seedless grapes now, thats a different food to a traditional grape. Any seedless (i.e.hybridised) fruit is far sweeter than its traditional food ancestors. So not only are people eating more processed foods- if we turn to the fruits and vegetables of our ancestors, unless we are very careful to choose non-hybrid traditional varieties- probably only available in certain organic farms or if you grow your own- we are not eating the same foods anyway.

A class or two where they have to sit still can give him that "school" experience and maybe turn him off it! My dd handled homeschool Latin classes but my son..he'd rather do just about anything else than sit there and be taught like that. As for school buses- maybe a normal bus journey somewhere might help him quench that desire. My kids definitely wanted to feel that peer thing- we got involved in a lot of group activities over the years. As a mother who is dedicated to homeschooling it can be heartbreaking when your kids want to go to school to experience certain experiences- fortunately where I live the parents/kids organised homeschool balls and sports carnivals etc Not all kids need those sorts of things but mine felt they did and I am glad they had access to them.

I dont suffer too much from the guilt thing but I over extended myself so many times I think I just learned that I can't do that. It backfires- if I say yes to a playdate I don't want to give, and I get exhausted, chances are I will lose my temper, say something I regret, or in some other way behave in such a way as to remind me I didn't want to say yes in the first place...yet I did. It's not worth it. But staying within my own boundaries and only saying yes when I actually mean it, I don't get resentful. I think my dh taught me that- he is an expert at saying no and not feeling guilty :) But the above quote is what jumps out at me from others' responses. We all have our own dynamic with our kids but sometimes we forget to let them know how human we are. I know my mum forgot- she took the "mum" role and forgot to teach me that she was human. She would be super mum, then she would explode and be horrible. Then supermum again. I have tried not to do that to my kids- I will do what i can do, and I will give what I can give- but I have limits, and health is one of those limits for me too. They just have to understand.

It sounds like isolation is a common factor in those who resent having been homeschooled, and possibly an alternative style of education, or lack of education, that made them feel disadvantaged or different. I remember reading an account of an adult who was unschooled who was choosing to homeschool his own daughter however did not feel he was given enough of an education and intends to do it differently himself. He was not rosy eyed about homeschooling at all which was actually quite refreshing to read. My kids would have resented it if I hadn't made sure they got a lot of social time. I feel lucky that we had a social group that worked for us, and even though my kids are no longer homeschooling, ds15 just spent the weekend with homeschoolers. He has many friends from different groups, but he told me the other day that although he is at school now and he enjoys it, he "will always be a homeschooler at heart.". That touched me, because so will I :) I think the difference for him is that he can see that all those other kids know nothing else- school is all they have known- and they are stuck there no matter what till they are 17.5. He, on the other hand, was not institutionalised for almost 8 years, and now that he is back there, he knows if it doesnt work out I will find another way for him. So he's not a prisoner, which those other kids literally are. However, I do feel that experiencing both school and homeschool has been the right thing for him. And for my dd, it has been perfect that she has attended college at an early age. They would have resented homeschooling any longer. The idealism of parents can be both beneficial, and a dangerous thing.

I just got access to Netflix..(there are ways...) and am happily ensconsed in Jericho. I have watched 9 episodes in 2 nights and have knitted a lot! I have the flu- it seemed like a good thing to do! I realyl got Netflix because I wanted to watch season 6 of House but it doesnt have it, unfortunately.

Yes, it sounds like good theory- unfortunately, wheat isnt what it used to me since it is so hybridised and resistant to bugs and pesticides...and dairy isnt what it used to be, either. As a type 0 positive, I do find I relate to not being able to refrain from meat easily, though I would ethically prefer to be vegetarian. I think that is heritage- my system likes meat and struggles without any. So, English, Irish, perhaps back to Germany about 400 years ago- what would I eat? I am fair and blonde. I do love potatoes, cabbages, those sorts of things. I love bacon, if I am honest :) I like kangaroo meat. Did they really have a lot of dairy? I do eat dairy but have a feeling it's not ideal for me.

I read that book years ago- yes, I think it would help only because it helps you learn to diffuse problems and help them feel heard. My kids are not lovey dovey but I would say they are good friends- but they are boy/girl 17 months apart. They breastfed together for years, then slept in the same bed for years, then shared a room until dd was 12. I am not sure how any of that contributed to their relationship though, and as I said, they are not lovey dovey. I know they do communicate deeply with each other at times and share things they wouldn't share with their parents- I am glad for that. I have seen it many a time when the boy is older, he feels protective and adoring towards his younger sister. My girl is the older- she has had to develop saint-like patience to deal with her challenging younger brother, but I think she was born like that. I think a lot has to do with their individual personalities. My brother and I weren't especially affectionate growing up but my parents weren't either and we weren't hugged much at all- but we love each other deeply. I tihnk many of us grew up in an age when showing a lot of affection was more taboo than it is now- that is my experience anyway. I would just continue to be affectionate with them I have a friend who has made her 2 daughters share a bedroom for many years into their teens just so they would have to learn to get along. They are close.

I would say yes if SHE feels ok about it and can contact you by phone perhaps if she feels homesick. But I lean towards that type of parenting. Say yes whenever possible, rather than no. And my kids are adventurers and I dont think they have ever been homesick in their lives. I see being a homeschooler as a wonderful opportunity to let my kids do unusual things, not so much to keep them protected at home.

Dh and I are both firstborns and it shows! We both try to boss each other around!

I dont see how you could make an informed decision from asking for negative anecdotal cases here. Of course they are out there, but you won't be able to make an statistical comparison at all, so how would it contribute to an "informed" decision?

A multivitamin with plenty of Bs in it for you. Other than that...as others have said, exercise, chores, walking. And maybe a comedy family movie with your dd7 ?

Yes it is reassuring- but also sobering that they are taking it very seriously, by the tone of the article and responses.

:iagree: and the other one by the same author- How to Talk so Kids will Listen and LIsten so Kids will Talk Similar methodology.