Maybe I'm missing something...I don't see them being called kids/children in the article? It seems to refer to them as "young adults"....

Babysitting wages always vary by area :) ~ I used to babysit a lot in our old town (we moved almost 2 years ago) and most of the people that I babysat for were barely making that (or less) at their full time adult jobs, so they certainly couldn't pay the same for a sitter.

I was skirts/dresses only for a couple of years ~ started on my own and then ended up at an IFB church for a while where it was the 'expectation'. We don't attend that church anymore, and I no longer follow that "rule". There's a big rambling story that goes with this, but it's not really applicable to this thread. The short of it? Freedom is an amazing thing. God doesn't hate my skinny jeans ~ and neither does my husband. :w00t:

I have about a dozen gmail accounts ~ it's by far my fave. :)

I think Alberta has always had a late cut off date, unless they made it earlier and have now changed it back? I went to elementary school in Cold Lake and started grade one at five years old... my birthday is near the end of Feb, so I was just barely in before the cut off and I was always the youngest in my class.

"The company said potential for serious health problems is low, but an "uncharacteristic off-flavor and smell coming from the liner in the package" could cause temporary symptoms including nausea and diarrhea." Weird. Sounds like they're hiding something - because a "flavour" or a "smell" (of the LINER, no less) shouldn't cause nausea and diarrhea. (but something actually absorbed into the cereal sure could)

I would be very concerned that a young person may not be able* to give a comprehensive medical history of themselves - or fully understand the risks and potential side effects/conflicts/etc with the meds. *or be willing

Mel ~ no worries. People have lives, I've heard! :laugh: Kirsten ~ I'm curious...what other programs are you considering? (and I'm wondering what these "notes" are?) :) Laura ~ thanks! Independence is a good thing. :D "Internet links" - are they suggested in the guide, or are you talking about links that you put together for him yourself? With regards to the science - I talked with the kids and I think we'll just stick with doing our own thing this year. We'll pick our own topics and have some fun with it. Yes, I do get overwhelmed & stressed sometimes - I'm missing the super-mom-organizing-gene. *grin* ...the planned out day-to-day sounds helpful. Yeah I think we'll end up with the 4 day....I think the 5 day might be a bit much when we add in the other things that we do as well. Susan ~ thanks! Interesting, the idea of breaking it up into unit studies...we're definitely familiar with that concept, as we did KONOS for a bit in the past. Yeah my daughter actually was the one who brought up the "lacking in things to do" - she was looking and noticed. I'll definitely be adding some fun hands-on projects in there ~ we'll build, paint, create, dramatize, etc. I'll check out that history scribe link, merci! :)

I cook them in my steamer thing ~ the kids and my husband like theirs with butter/margerine; I like mine with ketchup. I like everything with ketchup. :tongue_smilie:

I can't imagine it actually being a *law* that you MUST leave... it might be a law that they have to OFFER that option to your child at a certain age, but not that you MUST leave.... I would assume that if your dd says "I want my mom here" then that would be the end of it.

Just cuz I felt like repeating myself. ;) We make educational decisions for our kids based on their own individual needs ~ and we respect the rights of other families to do the same. I've never understood why homeschoolers like to fight this out amongst themselves...

This might be helpful? (as an example - the Mathematics pdf - the actual lists (natural numbers, decimals, etc etc) start around pag 14 of the pdf...i didn't look at all of them, but I would assume they all do it) I got that specific link from here and that one from here. I don't know if that's what she's looking for or not...

I think everyone needs to do what's best for their own family. :)

Oh, sorry! I need to look to see where people are. :001_smile: No problem ~ I don't always check either, and sometimes it's hard to tell. You, for instance, appear to be swinging through the jungle.... ...or you never cut your lawn. :w00t:

It can happen anywhere. It's a recognized power of government. People appeal, but it's a crap shoot. Just another thing to keep you up at night, right? ;) Oh I meant because of the whole different country/different government thing. I don't know what the Canadian laws are... (I'm surprised, though, that people haven't stood up together and fought the law down where it does apply... maybe it doesn't happen enough for people to notice...or a lot are like me, completely unaware that the government has that power.)

ds11 (special needs) will be 19.5 when he graduates ~ he'll turn 19 in the fall of his twelfth year. :) dd13.5 will be 17 when she graduates ~ she'll turn 17 in the new year. (We were looking at 18 before yesterday, but her grade level for the 2010/2011 school year has been changed from eighth to ninth for a variety of reasons.) :)

It's not new. This happened to my great-grandmother back in the 40's. It might not be new, but I wasn't really familiar with it...and I just can't believe it happens. Well obviously I believe it - the OP's pants aren't on fire here - but you know what I mean! ;) I don't know if it can happen here or not - I suppose I could go look it up, but I'm a little bit afraid of what I might find. Yes, I have a little bit of ostrich syndrome going on here. The idea that your home can just be taken away - even if they do pay you, it's still force because YOU didn't put your house up for sale! - is horrible. I don't understand why it's allowed to happen.

I just noticed this thread with various apps listed and remembered this question. :)

*bump* (and a kitty)

I remember someone else posting about a situation like this last year (or year before? something like that) and I was completely shocked that someone's house could just be up & taken away like that! :001_huh:

We've ridden bikes in two provinces with slightly different laws... Prince Edward Island - the law states that *everyone* (of all ages) must wear a helmet when riding or being a passenger. "Passenger" includes child seats and trailers. Parents can be fined if children under 16 do not have helmets, while 16 and older can be fined themselves. (I think that at one time the PEI law was just for 16 and under and it didn't apply to the trail system - they've changed it though) Alberta - the law states that all those *under 18 years of age* must wear a helmet when riding or being a passenger.(including child seats and trailers) Parents can be fined if those who are under 16 do not have helmets, while 16 and 17 year olds can be fined themselves. (The bit I looked up says that this is "consistent with how seatbelt legislation is enforced.) Yes, we use bike helmets.

15 year olds here work at McDonalds, Wendys, Tim Hortons, or other fast food places...or as cashiers....sometimes at stores in the mall...Walmart...that kind of thing.

Lots of libraries carry magazines, including entertainment/fashion types - I suspect that she's talking about things like Cosmo, not Playboy. ;)

A bit? :tongue_smilie: I'd heard this before and everyone was talking about how crazy it was...I wonder why nobody has set out to change that? Teenagers here often have jobs in stores/fast food/etc at 13, can get their beginners license at 14... then you look at a place like Illinois that would say they can't even stay home while Mum runs to the grocery store.

I think you're one of the few provinces that actually set a specific age... PEI doesn't have an age - a single mom friend of mine checked into it with Child Services when her daughter was 10 because she (daughter) was going to be coming home from school to an empty house for an hour due to the mom's working schedule (I actually offered to babysit, but the daughter wanted to come home herself and the mom was fine with it) and was told that it was fine, as long as her daughter knew what to do, had emergency contact people, etc etc.... Alberta also doesn't have any age ~ they seem to suggest 12, but there's no law. It's not an issue for us, as one of ours is a teenager and the other will never stay anywhere alone, regardless of age, but I looked it up out of curiosity.