Having my daughter's IQ tested has opened up a lot of doors for her and gotten our family a lot of help. Most of what we struggle with as far as she's concerned is social and emotional. Knowing that she's gifted and what that really means (not the public school definition of it being better than, smarter than or more successful than) has helped her tremendously. Relationships with true peers - kids her age that like to read the same books, and discuss similar topics have been invaluable. It's not about challenging my dd to be the best she can be. Any parent has to do that. Not every parent has to deal with the issues that parents of highly gifted + kids deal with on a regular basis.

The Conservatives should be happy. It was during Bill Clinton's Presidency that a lot of their heroes became popular- like Rush. :tongue_smilie: I've seen elections come and go. I have never seen anything like this. I think race has a lot to do with it. I think a lot of these people who say they are scared really are. Fear and ignorance go hand in hand. I live in the South, and anyone who doesn't think race is going to play a part in this election is sadly mistaken. Parabola, well said. And you are right, this board is certainly no representation of the real world. Most people I know who are McCain supporters want their 13 year old son to know how to put on a condom and want their 15 year old daughter and her girlfriend to be able to go to prom together. Just as most people of the Muslim faith are peaceful, loving, and kind humanitarians, most McCain supporters don't act or think like extremists.

Holy cow- come down here to the lower 48. You will find mentally and physically ill people lacking care right here in my town. The stigma some put on mental illness alone has kept even those who can afford it from getting care. As for jobs being available for everyone - that is so just not true. Maybe if you are white, heterosexual, have an address, transportation, etc. etc. etc. The attitude about being happy all the time comes mostly from the HAVES not the HAVE NOTS. I know children for whom happiness means they get to go to school where there is good food to eat. I know children for whom happiness means getting to visit their mom who is dying of AIDS. It is very easy to sit in a comfortable chair and judge.

Instead of you doing your nails, you could all do your nails together. You could also do facials and pedicures. My dd and her friends love this stuff.

Human beings have always and will continue to use God to justify doing terrible things. Some people take the Bible literally and some don't. Some personify God, some don't. There are such varying beliefs within Christianity, even within the different flavors of Christianity. I will explain this here exactly the way I have explained this to my own dd. The Bible was written by men long ago. The writings were influenced heavily by the economic and political climate of the world those men lived in. Some of the stories told in the Bible are true. Some of the stories are embellished or even made up to help teach the people of that time and influence them. Some people claim God commanded us to invade Iraq. That is not what I believe. I believe that is men trying to shape God into a form to suit their own needs, just like some of the writers of the Bible did. Now, keep in mind this is me and what I believe. Faith is a very personal thing for me. I think it is for a lot of people, so I am sure there will be 100 different answers, none of them wrong here.

I'm in NC too, and for quite a few people I've talked to, Palin is the dealbreaker on their voting McCain. McCain's "health of the mother" comments on the debate last night prompted a friend (pro-life Christian) to call me and tell me she was now going to vote for Obama. He alienated a lot of women outside his base with that starement, I imagine. McCain/Palin have made the mistake of pandering to their untra-conservative base way too much. It's turned off a lot of independents and moderate Republicans. Signs for Obama are in such high demand in our town, we just got ours this week.

At 5, dd knew it all from a biological standpoint. She knew about how her body was going to grow and change, sperm and egg, the correct terminology, etc. She's a smart kid and asks a lot of questions, and I will never give her "cutsie" answers to serious questions. Now, at 7, she knows the whole deal. We talking about dating, boys in the back seats of cars, birth control, infidelity, and whatever happens to come up- usually from something we've seen on TV or something a friend said about a situation, etc. She talks a lot more now about her body changing and asking questions about that and taking care of herself. She's been to a recent gynecologist appt. with me and stayed up at my head end, but still got the idea this was nothing to be afraid of. I think it is going to depend on the kid as to what you tell and don't tell and when. There is no magic age, and I could imagine a kid being a little freaked out if they aren't ready. My dd is mature for her age and I know she won't go off and try to teach her friends what she knows. She knows these are things that are discussed between parents and children when kids are in elementary school.

I sent mine out on the back patio with the bike. For a month, she didn't really care that much about learning to ride it. Then, she decided one day she was going to do it. She came in a little scraped up, but she taught herself to ride that bike and we were both so proud!

You know- The idea of Obama wanting to take to the rich to give just to the poor is ridiculous. yes, the poor do benefit a great deal from certain government programs, and those programs need to be funded. So do Social Security and Medicare- programs that are not only for the poor. Tax cuts to businesses to go green are going to have to be funded. Health care is going to have to be funded - and not just for the poor. I could go on and on about things this country needs to do to get ourselves back on track. These things are going to cost and the money has to come from somewhere. Where most people get eaten up by taxes is at the local level- NOT at the federal level. I hope everyone is talking local taxes just as much as they are the federal ones. So this "rob from the rich and give to the poor" is just another talking point and nothing more.

I feel safe at my library. I feel safe letting dd7 be alone in the library and walk to a nearby business for a few minutes. She knows enough about how to take care of herself and I pity the fool who tires to touch her or get her to leave. And I am sure if someone flashed her she would not be scarred for life. She knows what a penis is. She would probably laugh at the sicko. I will have to go talk to her though, because I don't think we've ever discussed flashers. Like another poster said, I refuse to live in fear. I can not believe some right wing group is trying to make people afraid of the library in order to further their agenda. That's outrageous!

mindware.com is one that hasn't been mentioned yet.

OMG my dd is gonna love this!!!! I bet my dh will chuckle too. Thanks for posting.

Yes I have had my dd's IQ tested, my IQ has been tests, and so has my dh's, and it is relevant to ability. What it is NOT is a sign your kid is going to get straight A's, be seen as the "smart" one, go to an Ivy League college, and land a six figure career. So many people equate IQ with achievement. Actually, an average bright child has more of a chance than some highly gifted kids of doing the things listed there. The kid who has C's and D's sleeping in the back of the class might just have a high IQ. The main benefit of having dd's IQ tested is it gained her entrance to a program that has helped our family tremendously. We have a lot of resources to help guide our dd to success rather than cleeping in the back of the class. The biggest issues that dd deal with are not academic, but social/emotional. It was much harder when she was younger to connect with other kids her age- because the disconnect between the interests and abilities was SO great. Now, she can tolerate those situations better, but she still gets frustrated. She also has a very low BS tolerance (gee, wonder where she got that from?) so we have had to teach her ways to get through a simple thing like a class with agemates, or a birthday party with agemates, simple things most parents and kids just take for granted. I think our public school system and thier treatment of the gifted has helped spread public ignorance about giftedness. I also think the anti-intellectual climate of our society at present has also done a great deal of harm.

The rebate idea is very interesting. It might be a bit tricky to come to compromise on what qualifies as "necessities of life". For example, I would hope right off the bat books and educational supplies would qualify. I'm sure other people would disagree. I would also hope that the current public assistance agencies are not done away with either. My FIL is a CPA, he doesn't think the "consumption tax" as he calls it is necessarily a bad idea. He says he will still have plenty of work to help keep him in his "fat cat" lifestyle ;):tongue_smilie:I'll have to ask him more about it and what he thinks about the rebate idea, and read more about it as well. ITA that it will take a loud public to get either major party on board with it.

Maybe we should start a "group" :tongue_smilie: I will go even further and add that I'm not the only pro-choice homeschooler and church member out there either.

Which is one reason why I and millions of other women will be voting for him. :)

I would suggest making a point to go out into the world and talk one on one with some people who are pro-choice. You will learn that most of us are not pro-abortion. Actually, many of us give time and money to charities that help the women who choose life.

Yes, this is exactly why I oppose it. It would raise taxes on the poor. I guess you could hand out a "get out of tax free" card- like a supermarket savings card- to people who qualify. But the potential for abuse of that system is just insane. And when folks who don't need the cards start abusing the system, many will blame the poor.

Most women I know have a babysitter or daycare available for when they work, including volunteer work. When people volunteer at our church, our church provides child care for them. No one is "raising" anyone's children. When military husbands go overseas, they leave the woman to take care of the children. What is wrong with having men take on this role? Certainly we don't need to go back to the days when the only option a woman had when she had children was to stay at home- even if it made her bitter and resentful.

I have never, in all my born days, EVER met ANYONE who was pro-abortion. I am sure there are some out there, just like there are some doozy right wing nut jobs out there who bomb abortion clinics. I've never met one of those either. There is nothing unintelligent about being against a woman's right to choose. There is something extremely unintelligent and ignorant about saying pro-choice = pro-abortion.

Please provide proof that Obama actually said all of this part here. I have searched and can not find anywhere he actually said this.

Yes, and this is bothersome- it happens in the public school community as well. Gifted is equated with academic knowledge or achievement. Little Johnny is 4 and he can read! He must be gifted! It all comes down to an ignorance among the general public as to what giftedness is all about.

This is awesome too! I am so glad my dd will probably get to have a President who will preserve her rights (and mine). Things like this put the minds of so many women voters I know at ease. Thanks again for sharing!!!!! BTW- I'm not pro-abortion. I don't know anyone who is. That is a ridiculous thing to say- and again- meant to incite fear in the unintelligent and anger in the bigoted.

What an inspiring thing to read this morning. Thank you for sharing that!!!!!

My daughter is gifted. The "gifted" program here is made for high achieving teacher pleasers. No 130 IQ score needed to get in. It is a pull out program where kids get additional busy work, but still have to do the work they are assigned in the regular classroom. There is as much difference between my dd and a child with an IQ of 130 as there is between a typical child and one with an IQ of 70. The schools here do not differentiate for levels of giftedness. Plus, these programs are only available for 3rd grade and up, so my child at age 5 would have gotten a grade skip and still had to sit in a class full of kids who could barely read or not read at all, and were learning addition and subtraction in math. That's insane. This is why we homeschool. The local gifted programs can offer my child nothing academically, socially, or emotionally.