Of course! Not as an adult, but as a child, yes. Yes, she is old enough to know better, but nobody knows her situation...not even the OP. Maybe she has some sort of issue. Maybe she is abused. I guess they could blow her off and if she's being abused nobody will ever know. Or they could befriend the family and find out what the situation is. People going around blowing people off and never giving second chances doesn't make the world a very nice place. I said earlier to let them play supervised, not send the kids over blindly.

I voted the day I sent them to Kindergarten, but that won't be until September. But we already missed the Kindergarten sign-ups at the city building, so I guess that was probably the actual time. I was having panic attacks that week because it felt like I had to make a concrete decision that week. I mean, I'd already made the decision, but that made it REAL for me.

I can't absolutely see how sleep deprivation could trigger something in someone with a mental illness. I don't have a mental illness, but I remember what sleep deprivation did to me. My oldest didn't sleep more than 2 hours at a time until 5 months, so 5 months solid of no sleep. I couldn't find the right words (I remember trying so hard to remember what a toothpick was called and couldn't), and irrational things seemed so rational (I could just leave the baby here and run to the store....there's nothing wrong with that. I NEVER did it, but it crossed my mind!) Then my second was born before my first turned a year....I don't even remember my second son's first year. And I had EASY babies!!! I can only imagine what that would do to someone will mental illness.

Mine are the same...when things are a mess they fight instead of play. Sometimes I'll totally organize the play room while they are sleeping and the next morning they play SO well!

They are terrible for outside when it's cold out. They have to warm up or something, so you turn them on and they are super dim until they warm up. And I live in an old house with old light fixtures. Some take "decorative" type bulbs. Like my one bathroom....it's a giant round bulb. Am I supposed to stick an ugly curly thing in that or are they making them that look like a ball?

Yep, look anywhere warm. Appliances are a great start.

Wow!!!! So what was with the organic one from the regular store?

Apparently Army Guys can play with any other toy....Star Wars, Knights, etc. :lol: I'm trying so hard to convince my kids to give up their Weebles. My five year old asked for the new Weeble Treehouse last Christmas. I thought he was way too big for it, but he was so in love with it. Well, it hasn't gotten much use. But for some reason he wants to hang onto it. I don't get it. There are so many things like that I just want to get rid of. I hope he's not going to be a pack rat!

My parents got married 6 weeks after meeting and will celebrate their 41st anniversary in August. :)

My old church did the boxed things, but it was always (and still is) free. Yes, it was an outreach thing. Not to get people to come to church there, but to teach kids about Jesus. I know it's a huge part of their budget, but it's something they feel is worth it.

I say a mess in a box is better than a mess on the floor! I might have to just do the same thing. I'm about to have some sort of breakdown over toys around here.

It was one incident. Yeah, a bad one, but one. I wouldn't say never talk to the kid again. She's a child.....I can't understand why a second chance isn't in order.

Awwww!!!! :grouphug: I imagine it must stop some time! I wouldn't rush it...nothing wrong with missing him!

I have mean little neighbor kids, but my kids are 4 and 5 and play only in our own yard, so that helps! The little boy we've had issues with has gotten a lot better over the past year because he knows how he's allowed to behave here. At first he called my son "little black boy" because he couldn't remember his name. I put a stop to that fairly quickly. But it's hard. He's 6 and knows the word "sex," talks about very violent video games, all sorts of stuff. (he has teenage brothers) It's been VERY difficult and I don't know how to handle it, either! I guess you can't just keep them away from your kids. My kids want to play with this kid...I've just made sure it's on my terms with my supervision.

Definitely be cautious and watch out for her. I'd think with a teenage son, if he's looking for something it's someone to help him parent.

I'd say you do have the right to tell her to cool her jets. But she might not respond the way you'd like her to. I remember feeling that exact way when I started dating my husband. Except I was 16. :) I would hope if something horrible happened one day and I ended up dating I'd be more rational in my old age, but I guess love just does weird things to people. She probably feels like since her kids are grown she doesn't have responsibility and can just be care-free with this man. She doesn't realize, maybe, how much you all rely on her, even if it's emotionally or for short periods of time. Right now she has stars in her eyes and only sees this guy. If you talk to her, do it gently and make sure she knows it's not a matter of choosing between him and you or anything like that. But also be a little sensitive and try to see it from her perspective. She's been lonely and heartbroken for five years. This is new and exciting and she might be feeling happy for the first time in a long time. It wouldn't really be fair to take that away from her, either. And you never know....they might be together for the rest of their lives and this man is going to be part of the family whether anyone else likes it or not!

Oh my goodness...that one scene where the person was standing in the corner of the basement has stuck in my mind for all eternity. Dangit....I have to go to the basement for some laundry now and I'm totally freaked out! :tongue_smilie:

I live in Ohio and never have people ignore me or seem insulted. However, when I visit my in-laws in Illinois it's a different story. I used to get really upset about it, but I've learned to deal. I mean, I'd try to talk to a cashier....just say "how are you" or whatever...and they'd completely ignore me. Nobody says hi to each other. But my MIL HATED living here in Ohio for the short time she did. She couldn't believe people had the audacity to say HELLO to you when you were walking down the street! She found it to be very rude. So, I guess maybe when I say hi to people when I go visit there they think I'm rude!!! :001_huh:

I watched my last nephew be born. My sister did great (natural water birth), but there's no way I could let my kids see me do that. I know I'd never want to see my mom in that kind of pain...I wouldn't be able to handle it. I don't know for sure my kids would be the same, but I wouldn't want to find out. There's just something about seeing your parent in pain/scared/sad that is incredibly hard for a kid...even when we're grown up.

My kids were adopted, so they were bottle fed. So no feeding problems, but then I didn't figure out my youngest was tongue tied until he was 18 months. A dentist clipped his and it was no big deal at all. He layed in my lap with his head on the dentist's lap, he clipped it, it bled for a second and it was over. Then we went for ice cream and he never realized anything ever happened. I'm SO glad we did it. My sister's dh didn't have it done until he was a teenager (when he had his wisdom teeth removed) and by that point his muscles hadn't developed, so it didn't really help much.

Here's the story: http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/women/andrea_yates/index.html

I just looked at the Florida laws. It says consent can only be revoked if it is was obtained through fraud or under duress. A LOT has changed with adoption laws since 1990. I know everyone has a scary story, but look at your laws, follow them and things go smoothly. The horror stories you hear nowadays are of the birth parents changing their mind before termination of rights.....a couple is chosen, the baby is born, two days later the birth mom changes her mind. Which she has every right to. But yes, that is horribly painful for the adoptive parents. But once they sign to terminate rights, there's not really any way to change it.

Oh yeah...no counseling required in Ohio. It all really does depend on your state. You can look up adoption laws for your state here: http://laws.adoption.com/statutes/state-adoption-laws.html

I've been through two domestic, private, open adoptions, so feel free to ask any questions you have. It does depend upon the state...each state has very different laws. I am in Ohio and we only needed one attorney, a homestudy (which was in no way "intrusive" and didn't involve our sex life) and a background check. I do know agency homestudies are more involved, but I wouldn't say "intrusive." In Ohio the birthparents can sign termination at 72 hours after the birth of the baby. After signing they can not get the baby back unless they prove they signed under duress. Our entire adoptions were $3,000 each time, most of that being attorney fees, but also including $750 for the homestudy, $100 for the background checks and some living expenses for birth mom.

I'm in Ohio and they are free around here. I, too, have only heard of charging from message boards.