I thought about this. But- if I did it we would have very little wiggle room whatsoever. For example, last week we were able to go to a museum event during the day because we could afford to lose that time and be able to make it up. Actually dd will be done with her 1st semester of work in every subject (she has done more than a semester in most) this week. We won't have school on Halloween, and then we will focus on political science until the election. She's been invited to the beach for a week in Nov. and will have off from Thanksgiving until the 2nd week in January. Then we will plug along until she finishes her 2nd semester. BUT- even when we are "off" school, there are still structured learning activities that take place. It is very very very hard to get a kid back on track after a really long break, and I find that keeping some minimal structure helps there tremendously.

Oh yikes! If they are going to do this, why not set aside the funds for college education or further vocational training after high school? Increase the amount of scholarships available, but not this. :glare:

Well, at 16, I would let my dd have a lot of input into the decision. I agree that there should be every effort made to find out if there is a underlying cause of her issues. I'd also keep in mind that there are other reasons a 16 year old would want to start the pill. Not that she is thinking of becoming sexually active right now- I started on the pill at 16 and wasn't sexually active until I was over 18. But it is something young women think about, and as a mother I will try to be sensitive to that when my dd is that age.

As you should be. Working moms on the average are healthier both mentally and physically. Your kids are not as prone to the same kinds of problems kids like mine can face from having a parent around all the time. Out of all of my daughters friends, only about 4 or 5 are kids with SAH parents. When I think of the most successful, well-rounded, well behaved, responsible kids I know- both their parents work. I find it sad that in 2008 people still spout off a bunch of ignorance about working mothers. I always hope those people don't have daughters. I could only imagine the sadness of growing up in such a household as a female in 2008.

So you are disagreeing with something you don't understand? Why not take the time to make friends with some career women? Find out what their life is REALLY like before you judge. When a mother goes to work, she does not give up her role as mother when she leaves her child with a nanny, family member, babysitter, or at daycare. Where I live, latchkey kids are a thing of the past. Most kids in school whose parents work full time go to after school activities or programs where they do homework, have snacks, and both organized and free play. Working mothers are not mothers that can't stand to be with their kids. I know SAHMs who act like they can't stand to be with their kids. Some women are just not the type to be Holly Homemaker. I am one of those women. The only reason I SAH now is because I homeschool. If my dd's needs could be met in one of the local schools, I would be working FT. So a mom who has to work is excused from your bias because she HAS to work. Somehow that mom who has to work can't also enjoy working more than staying at home? You might disagree with that choice for *your* family, but that doesn't make it a wrong or bad choice for other families. There aren't just good mothers who work FT, there are GREAT ones. There are also SAHMs whose kids are a complete mess and would be better off if mom worked. I know SAHMs who plop toddlers and preschoolers in front of TV for hours and hours, all the time spouting off the evils of daycare where their children would learn to be independent and be participating in developmental activities. Like you said- you have no clue. How can you be so judgmental about something you have no clue about? Oh so a few hours is okay- but it's not okay for a mom with kids in school to work FT? That makes NO sense. My dd intends to have a career and a husband who stays at home. She knows she may not fall in love with a man who would choose that path, but we have friends who are taking that path, and she digs their lifestyle.

We are a churchgoing family, but education, from our homeschool's perspective, does not involve religion- only academics and the arts (the real ones not just the Jedi ones lol).

All those fears about "tainted candy" and "razor blades in apples" are pretty silly IMO. I still check my kid's candy when we get home, but more for open wrappers that could be unsanitary.

I think some slack homeschoolers try to use "relaxed homeschooler" as an excuse. I think the OP got the difference spot on- working toward a goal and continuously making progress toward that goal. I think some parents choose philosophies which work best for the parent, not the child. I know some total unschoolers with kids who exceed grade level expectations, and some people who use Abeka or other boxed curriculum and have kids who are a year or more behind (I'm talking typical, not special needs kids).

Some of the best moms I know are working moms. I know plenty of women who would be miserable staying at home. I've known plenty of women who were SAHMs but were miserable and went back to work. I know lots of moms who work because they have to and some because they choose to but don't wish they could be SAHMs - and a couple of those women have children that are homeschooled. Balancing a career and family is 1000 times harder than my own situation and I give serious props to those women who are excelling at it.

You know, it's like I tell my dd, you can act anyway you want. However, if you want to be accepted by a certain kind of society, there is a certain way you need to act.

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/poison/halloween.asp

At age 5, my daughter went to a human body exhibit and saw fetuses in different stages of development. We have never censored media in this house. Dd7 has seen several rated R movies. We talk about sex frankly and openly here. Dd has seen graphic images from history, including the holocaust. All that being said, I have seen some of the "images" used by those kinds of extremists, and if I encountered them, I would do everything I could to make sure my child didn't see them. It's not just the images, but the context in which they are used, which - even though dd is very mature for her age- are too much to process for a young child with little background on the topic IMO.

I consider it to be a volunteer position. It's work that I do for free for the benefit of someone else.

Well, the trick to makeup is to make it look natural, unless it's evening. Every day I wear a mineral powder foundation, a bit of eye shadow, liner, and something on my lips- either a light neutral lipstick or just a gloss. That is a lot less makeup than most of my friends wear. Now, on a day I know I'm not going anywhere, I don't wear makeup at all or just foundation so I don't scare people. I just asked my husband, and he said he didn't care one way or another. He said most men are lookin' at your boobs, not your makeup :lol:

I have a dd that will stop mid-assignment and talk. My Sunday School kids are notorious for this too. Something I found that works is making sure there is time for free discussion both before and after the lesson, assignment, whatever. Then, I give a reminder that we had our free discussion time and we can have more if we get on with the lesson and finish in time. You could try a point system. For every time he listens attentively, he gets 3 points. For every time he interrupts he gets -1. At the end of the week, how ever many points he has earned can be cashed in for privileges, ice cream, whatever. If he has negative points you could come up with consequences if you want. I've never had to go that far. ;)

We got dd her first potty at 18 months. She wasn't even showing the kinds of signs your dd is then. We did not give up the pull-ups though, and she was 2.5 before she was totally accident free. At 2.5 we took her crutch (the pull ups) away and it was within 3 days that we were accident free.

How about passing out condoms on Halloween instead of candy? ETA: Orange, glow-in-the-dark ones!

HELP? Help do what? Do they buy them a housewarming gift? Bigotry is bigotry, no matter how big of a cross one wants to hang around it to pretty it up. You can put lipstick on a pig.........

My absolute favorite Halloween game of all time is bobbing for apples. If you don't want to do the whole thing with the tub of water (some people think it's messy and unsanitary) get a post with some rings at the top, some clean sticks, and some string. Put a stick through the apple, and tie the string to the stick. Then tie it to one of the rings at the top of the post - you can adjust for different heights of different kids. In the past, I've had 3 go at a time. They put their hands behind their backs, and the first one to bite their apple wins. The great thing is all the kids get a healthy snack. Another idea is a mummy wrapping contest. The kids pick partners and each team has a couple rolls of TP. One stands still and is the "mummy". The partner, on the word go, wraps the "mummy" in TP. First one to wrap their partner wins.

You meant to say bigots, not Christians, right?

So you would be okay if I went to a family style restaurant where your family was eating, jumped up on the table and sang "Shout at the Devil" very loudly on my birthday because that's how I chose to celebrate? And you would be okay with bringing your kids to an Easter egg hunt advertised as a family-friendly event only to find pamphlets about devil worship stuck inside the eggs instead of candy/prizes because that is the way the organizers chose to celebrate? That's cool.

Yeah, maybe we should just cancel Halloween. That's the "goal" right?

Like expressing your anger and bitterness over the fact others are celebrating a fun day you don't believe in by telling kids they are going to hell if they don't believe the same thing you do.

Not "stuff"- CANDY - or a FUN trinket of some kind. I don't take my daughter trick or treating so she can knock on stranger's doors and ask for STUFF. I am having flashbacks to a scene in an Adam Sandler movie where he takes a little boy trick or treating. The man who answers the door doesn't have candy, so Adam Sandler makes him give the kid CD's, his watch, etc. It's with the people who turn off their lights because they don't want to participate. It's with the kids who don't make fun of the other kids who aren't allowed to dress up. It's with the members of churches, synagogues, and mosques who share in fellowship with each other but don't try to cram their personal version of their personal religion down other people's throats.

I once took dd to a soccer game. She played the whole game. When we got home, I was helping her off with her cleats and shin guards and she felt hot. Her temp was 101. Don't feel bad. I think this happens to most of us.