We pay $25/hr to a college senior who comes recommended through my oldest son's high school tutoring center. He has been excellent - my son has raised his honors geometry by two grades in just a few weeks. It is worth every penny and I would pay more. Hardest part is scheduling. We are in the Pacific Northwest.

I agree with all of the above. We were looking to buy for 2+ years (we wanted a LOT and had little money). At one house we went to, the elderly homeowner left her underwear on the floor upstairs. When she was showing us the house, she didn't notice them and my husband and I tried to just pretend we hadn't seen them but that was AWKWARD! An open house that we attended where it was just the realtor there and it had crumbs all over the counter top, spilled coffee and a sink full of dishes. Why wouldn't you take the two seconds to wipe up your morning mess and put your dishes in the dishwasher or even in the oven? I could tell some serious horror stories about foreclosures that we went to. One house was obviously used by a bird breeder. Bird feces and urine ALL over walls and on the floor, in the grates on the floor, feathers everywhere. You could tell where the cages were. It was bad. It even had a detached basement that reminded me of Silence of the Lambs. It had some weird shower thing down there and plexiglass cages. We finally found a fantastic foreclosure where the old owners even left manuals for us. The paint was terrible (orange stripes in the kitchen, neon green bedroom, purple bedroom, horrific cabbage roses wallpaper bathroom) but that wasn't a problem considering the price!

I wouldn't put it as a health issue. I would put it as a "don't ever pressure my teenager like that" issue. We are trying to teach our teenagers to think for themselves and to resist peer pressure. For adults in leadership positions to pressure her and encourage other teens to pressure her to the point where she felt she had to do something that extreme is NOT okay.

I completely understand the parents who are posting that a 16 year old should have some privacy and autonomy. 15 years ago, I would have said this was the type of parent I would be. Now I realize how much my oldest needs me to continue checking in on him, guiding him, etc. Not because he is inherently untrustworthy, as he isn't, but because he feels safer knowing I am checking in on him. I guess every child is different and some children might choose to go underground if a parent just said "Give me your passwords, text messages, etc". That isn't how I handle things at all. We talk about everything. He feels safer knowing that I am checking in on him. Heck, by his age I was living on my own and had been for years but that type of responsibility is something my boy isn't ready for. I want him to be able to make mistakes and to know that we are here for him to help him through righting those mistakes. I also feel that most kids who pull the "you don't trust me, you need to prove you trust me" card are manipulating their parents. If they have arrived at that place with their parents over a period of time, that is different. But if there is an agreement in place where it is known a parent is allowed access, then for them to suddenly start using that would concern me. Online dangers are extremely real and scary in the fact that our children are being exposed to people and situations that they most likely would not be running into in real life.

When I got that virus, it turned out the virus was the pop up which then infected my computer when I clicked on it thinking it was the solution. I was unable to do anything on my computer and had to have it wiped. I was able to save all of my files though. The virus came from something on facebook, in case you were wondering.

For the fever and stomachache, I would treat at home, unless the fever is not brought down by fever reducer (if you use them). The severity of the earache would be my determining factor. Earaches can be SOOO painful. I've had one in the middle of the night where it hurt so badly, I wanted my husband to knock me out! If she is in extreme pain from the earache, I would get her to the doc ASAP. If it seems like it is just pressure from fluid, I would try some home remedies (google home remedies for ear pain). Poor baby - hope she feels better soon!

I have a 15 year old boy who is very responsible, very mature, a very stereotypically good kid. He goes to church on his own, because he wants to. For his winter break, he volunteered at his church to help pack boxes for the homeless. For his spring break, he went to Mexico on a mission trip with his church to build up an orphanage. He plays sports, is in the IB program at school, and is just applauded everywhere we go by everyone we know as being a great kid. He has not given us reasons to not trust him EVER. We have always required that we have passwords to all of his email accounts, his FB, his phone, everything. We even have family locator on his phone. I check regularly to make certain he is attending school (they have an online system that shows his attendance and his grades up to date). It isn't a matter of not trusting him specifically, it is a matter of not trusting teenagerhood. Teenagers don't think things through. They are impulsive. At 16, it might seem like a great idea to post a pick of yourself nekkid or close to nekkid on FB (trust me, I've seen some of my son's friends do this type of thing). If a child has a parent who is showing interest in their activites, they might think twice. We've talked to my boy about whether or not he feels we are intrusive and he actually said that he likes it. It gives him an out when other teenagers are pressuring him to do things that aren't his style. Both my husband and myself were allowed to run free as teenagers, allowed to make our own decisions with little parental input, "trusted". When I told my mother about how I routinely check in my son's room, she was aghast that I would break his privacy. I see it as a safety issue. Had someone checked in on me just a little more, I might have been saved from countless horrific consequences. I was a really good kid who was trusted by everyone, and who ended up hooked on drugs and an unwed teenage mother. Of course, YMMV :)

Thank you for the update. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.:grouphug:

Many prayers being sent your way.

Definitely get lead paint testing, inside and out. It is expensive to have lead paint abatement done as there are very specific rules about it. We ended up walking away from a house in October due to the lead paint issue. I know nothing about asbestos. Good luck!

How funny that I was posting about my printer woes at the exact same time! I'm eagerly watching the responses.

We are starting to print off our hsing materials and I am running into a really big problem. Printer ink. I seem to go through a ton of it. Printing off a 46 pg document took an entire ink cartridge with our current printer (Lexmark Z611). I have it set on the lowest settings as far as using ink but still uses it all very quickly. I'm happy to buy a more expensive one that won't use ink quite that quickly but am not sure what or where to find it. HELP!!

This whole thread is making me go :eek: Huge hugs to all those who have to deal with those nasties. I've seen them a few times when I've visited down south but we don't really have them up here, thank goodness.

So glad. We can skip a lot and had planned on skipping today but my DH couldn't lie to my mother (I like my mother, mostly, but can't stand stepfather or stepsibilings). It wasn't as bad as some of the holidays we've attended but I bit my tongue so much it was almost bleeding by the end of the night ;)

We have my 15 year old and my DH in braces right now. With my DH having been out of work for the past 6 months, $300 a month is getting a bit difficult to do. Luckily, my son's bill will be paid off in June and DH is going to do some work to pay off his bill. I can't wait until we don't have that payment anymore. We are going to save it for a Disneyland vacation!

Talk to an attorney. Try to find one who will do the initial consult for free and then, if they say you have any wiggle room, hire an attorney to negotiate for you. Oftentimes, officials will respond in a completely different manner to an attorney than a regular joe. Of course, there may not be any wiggle room for the city but, no matter what an attorney may give you some ideas of how to proceed. I'm sorry you are in this position.:grouphug:

This book has been very helpful to me in working through some of the hurt my parents have caused me: http://www.amazon.com/Toxic-Parents-Overcoming-Hurtful-Reclaiming/dp/0553284347 :grouphug:

Redsquirrel, I was typing away while you were posting and you said exactly what I wanted to say in a much more succinct way! Sorry to be a parrot.

My understanding was that a part of her motivation to pick this specific experiment was due to the recent glamorization (if you could call it that) surrounding teenage pregnancy. Now that teen moms have their own reality shows and that a famous family who was extremely "family values" based has a teenage daughter who gave birth out of wedlock and has made large quantities of money from it, teenage girls seem to have a different perspective of teenage pregnancy. Yes, there is still a huge stigma and life is extremely difficult for teenage girls who get pregnant, but they see these famous people who are famous simply because they got pregnant and think it will all be okay. I was a very young, unwed teenage mother and work with young unwed teenage mothers and their idea of how things are going to be is very different from the reality. I think something that can bring attention to the reality is a good thing. I do agree that there are many things in this specific experiment that I consider unethical and just plain wrong. I think her heart was in the right place but the way she conducted it was poorly thought out.

I had a hard time enjoying teA when my little ones were little. Separating myself as a Mom from myself as a teA drinker was really difficult for me. I was always in Mom mode, finding myself thinking about laundry when I should have been brewing instead. It has gotten much better as they get older and I rediscover my love of teA. If teA has never been your idea of a good time, then I would suggest working on what makes teA good to you. Sometimes that means figuring it out on your own and then sharing what works with your DH. Or, if that isn't something you are comfortable with, making it a game for yourself and DH.

I know nothing about testing yet so can't help you on that one..... Playdoh recipes I can do. I made the playdoh for our preschool co-op for years. I always used a cream of tartar recipe and used kool-aid for the different colors. Didn't do glitter very much as it did make a bit of a mess but it was fun occasionally. I made new stuff once a month so it lasts for quite awhile in a tupperware container. Good luck!

:iagree:

After posting to this thread last night, today I again approached my DH about homeschooling. He agreed that we would try it next year! I'm going to homeschool!!!!!!! I've been pointing out the issues I see with ps and pointing out what we could be teaching our children at home, etc, on a regular basis lately. He has said once or twice that he would consider it but he wanted to see a detailed curriculum before he agreed. I've been researching like crazy and have picked up some ideas but am overwhelmed. But he is seeing how my daughter is being crushed by the school, her self-esteem is ebbing away, and he is seeing the cuts going to be made locally. All of that is combining to help change his mind. Also, we are going into it with a short term approach of taking it a year at a time.

I'm so glad to hear these stories. If I could, I would be hsing right now. My DH is currently not on board but after watching what has happened to my little girl's spirit in first grade, he is reconsidering. It helps that my daughter's girl scout troop leader is a hs'er who is completely "normal" and has "normal" childen. Once I started talking to him about hs'ing on a regular basis, we've also run into a ton of families who hs. His last worries should be dealt with once I decide on curriculum (:eek:) and show him a set schedule with activities and our academics planned out. I think his two biggest worries are that our children will not get enough socialization (I'm hating the socialization they are getting at school!!!) and that I will let them watch tv while I play on the internet all day.

I've only given my 125 lb golden retriever with very long hair a bath twice (both times after he was skunked in the middle of the night). I used lots and lots of old towels and a blow dryer. They were both miserable experiences for both of us. Otherwise he goes to the groomers every couple of months during the winter and we wash him outside and let him dry outside during the summer on hot days.