He'll forget about it eventually. My mom said I walked in on my parents several times and I obviously needed to mentally block those images! :) My eldest son also walked in on us once (he actually picked the lock!! So, we got a better lock) and hubby talked to him a bit about it, but he just let it go. My husband thinks it's good for them to know how normal it is anyway. :)

Thank you, Susan, for giving me the courage and support I needed to homeschool my children 6 years ago. I always turn to your materials first and I appreciate that you've helped me teach my children history, grammar & writing in such a simple & engaging manner. Thank You!!!

One of my sons is just like that. He came home from preschool one day when he was 3 and threw something at one of my twins and swatted the other one on the back...they were only a few weeks old! He's almost 6 now and it hasn't improved. I finally started implementing some ideas from "Transforming the Difficult Child" and I'm starting to see some improvement, especially when I take the time to notice him and make comments when he's doing something and trying to completely ignore him when he's misbehaving - which is hard with two younger sisters to protect! I just calmly tell him to sit down in time-out and time doesn't start until he's quiet & still. My eldest son had ADHD and he was a handful as well, but he didn't have the rage issues that this one has. I guess we got stuck in a pattern of giving him attention for negative behavior and he continues to seek it. :glare: Anyway, I would definitely recommend reading that book if you don't see any improvement.

I'm in. I wanted to do it last year, but I knew it would be impossible. I have a little better handle on the little ones now, so I think I can handle it. :001_smile:

I don't play, but I've left those decisions to Dad and he says Halo isn't that bad (he's been playing video games since he was a kid), so they all play together.

My oldest son thrives on structure and check-off boxes, but I want to take a break from having to plan for him next year so that I can focus on his younger brothers and the twins. My problem is, I worry that taking a DVD-approach will make his ADD issues worse, but OTOH, I don't want to bore him to death, either. Would either Calvert or BJU work for him, or is there another fully-planned out curriculum that I am missing that works well for this age as well? Thanks!

I will be watching this thread closely. Thanks for all the suggestions so far. I am also using Saxon, so I will have to take a look at CLE. I've looked at workboxes, but it looks like way too much work for all my younger ones. My 5yo has been doing Kindergarten work (much to my dismay - I try to encourage him to just PLAY) for the last year, so I have to include him as well. I've set aside 30 minutes at the beginning of the day where my oldest plays with the 5yo, and I'm considering using BJU Science next year for my boys to watch together. I tried to follow a schedule, but life gets in the way....

I used A for my first son, but I just skipped it and moved right into B with my next son (and plan to again with the 3rd). Maybe it's having experience with the program or having older brothers to help you learn faster, I don't know. But this time around it hasn't been necessary.

I can't answer all of your questions, but we just gave up on CC after just one semester (and unfortunately we'd already paid for the whole year) b/c it works well for some of my boys, but not all of them. The program itself was fine, but I had trouble with some of my kids at the same time. For instance, the 4yo didn't want to go to class, then the 10yo would talk out of turn in class, and the 6yo needed help finding his supplies. It seemed like I was running between their classes trying to constantly "put out fires" with my boys that the whole program became too overwhelming and I decided we'd all be happier back at home. It wasn't even worth going for the morning session, in my opinion. But, my kids are still young and it may be easier when they're older.

I weaned my twins last summer and it's taken 6 months for me to begin to feel somewhat normal again! I'd never experienced ppd before, but I certainly felt it after I quit nursing this time (they were 15.5 months old when I weaned). I absolutely believe that it's a hormonal shift we have to go through all over again! Good Luck!

I tried that this year and I was asked to re-write my Christmas list because it wasn't "selfish" enough. :glare: I truly enjoy receiving curriculum and extras that we need for our homeschool. I don't enjoy receiving another bath set, self-help book disguised as fiction, or sweater.

I am using OPG with my 3rd son now and I've decided it's best to keep soldiering on with this same book. I use the whiteboard for the sentences, take breaks as needed, backtrack if necessary, but I continue until we've completed the entire book. I made the mistake of not completing it with my oldest and I really regret that now. So, sometimes when I'm covering a new phonetic sound that he may not know, I call him into the room to make sure he understands it, too. I've decided that it's a great resource (I've tried many!) and I'm just going to keep using it for all of my kids. Lisa

I appreciate you starting this thread. I have wondered the same thing at times. My 4yo also has an "inner drive" to do schoolwork just like his brothers, so I just had to get it together and get his schoolwork list ready, too. He does have days when he doesn't want to do anything, so I just tell him to go play, but he always comes back to the table to continue his schoolwork. I just assumed that he'd always be that way, so it's nice to hear that I should expect him to not be interested at some point and that will be OK. In fact, next year, I'm implementing a new schedule where my 11yo will spend the first hour with my 6yo working on math, spelling, & reading for about an hour while I spend time with the 4yo. I will just let him decide if he wants me to play with him or do schoolwork with him (he is about to turn 5), and I will just try to stay this relaxed with him going into K & 1st grade.

Yes, this is *exactly* how I feel. I am printing this out so that I won't forget to do this every single day from now on. It is hard to not lose my temper as the day progresses and his behavior deteriorates, but hopefully the behavior will begin to improve with time. Thank you so much!!!!

Wow, that is a great idea! I searched the boards, but I never found that thread. I am going to try the "extra love & cuddle" technique and I bet that will get us through the thick of it. I'm not sure how the "Time-In" process works yet (is it just a place where he stays with his favorite things to get away, or do I go with him?), but I'm willing to give it a try, too. In the past, I've always continued to play with/baby my older kids along with the new baby, but having twins is a whole new ball game - all of a sudden, every lap is taken and I don't have enough bandwidth to attend to everyone. I guess we all need a little time & attention sometimes. Honestly, I feel a lot better just getting the problem out there and hearing some feasible ideas. :001_smile:

Yes, he is quite capable of being the best-behaved student in the class. He is very smart - he listens, does his work, and is the first to put things away when told to do so. We are participating in Classical Conversations this year, so I take turns helping out in each of my boys' classes each week. His tutor has asked me to not help out in his class anymore, b/c he acts out whenever I'm in his class. He holds his fingers in his ears, refuses to participate and makes a general nuisance of himself. However, when I'm not there, he usually behaves like a dream - although there are times when he decides that he wants my attention, so he'll start misbehaving in order to get the tutor to pull me out of another son's class to attend to him. Since that's not fair to my other child, I've simply taken him out of his class and put him in the nursery temporarily - that seems to stop the behavior pretty quickly, since he hates having to be with his baby sisters. But, the actions are obviously deliberate against me; does that still constitute needing to be evaluated? And if so, how do I go about getting that kind of help? Thanks!!

How would I know this? I'd never really considered this. He's always been my healthiest child since I began eating healthy when he was just beginning to eat solids, so he ate a lot of fruits/veggies as a toddler. Now that he's older, he is more picky - he prefers oatmeal for breakfasts, sandwiches, chips, pizza, etc. I will definitely look into this. To the PP, I probably don't spend as much quality time with him as we'd like. He is definitely happiest when he's alone with us (mom & dad), but his behavior returns immediately once he's back with the family. The problem is that I feel guilty that I don't spend enough time with my sons who are not as needy as him, so I try to compensate by giving them my attention. I appreciate all of your suggestions so far and I will be giving them a try in the coming weeks. We have spanked him, and aside from me hating to do it, he seems to actually enjoy it (negative attention), so I've rendered it useless with him specifically. :glare:

I need some advice on how to handle my almost 5yo son. He is my 3rd son and was thrust into the role of "middle child" once my twins were born almost 2 years ago. However, he has always been a difficult child - well, actually, he was a great baby, but the temper tantrums began in earnest when he was 1yo and they never ended. I assumed it was b/c he's always felt an internal pressure to "catch up" to his brothers - for instance, he taught himself how to ride a bike last summer while we were teaching his 6yo brother, and he's always been verbally advanced, so I've begun teaching him how to read. But, he also bites and picks at his nails and has some minor sensory issues (hates bumpy socks, etc.), which could be a result of anxiety. Nonetheless, he is a very difficult child. He literally spends all day, every day trying to annoy me (spitting at his siblings, interrupting me, invading everyone's personal space, etc.) and I'm not sure what to do about it anymore. He's obviously doing it for attention, since he will happily take the negative attention of being disciplined over no attention at all. I've tried ignoring him completely (unless he hurts someone), time-outs, removing him from the family completely (outside childcare), tomato-staking, but I'm not sure how to handle this. I'm at the point now where I think he should go to public school next year, but since he's already reading (and he's my most "gifted" child), I would love to keep him home with us. I just need to get this behavior under control quickly. Any advice from those of you who've BTDT would be greatly appreciated. TIA! Lisa

My father physically abused my mom & brother from my earliest memories. He chased us out of the house several times so we had to sleep in my mom's office. Then, she took him back and forgave him the very next day...every single time. :glare: My mother took her anger out on me verbally and became so self-absorbed that she completely neglected me from my preteen years on. Now, she's a total basket case. My older brother has been a meth addict for over 20 years and has absolutely no contact with my father, who has since divorced my mom and remarried.

My twins (#4 & 5) are 16 months old now, and although the last year or so has been a blur, I do think we got *some* schoolwork done because we've progressed nicely in most areas. I tried to send the 3yo off to preschool (I mean he was 3 for 1 week when then twins were born) but he was very upset by it. He would come home and hit the babies and was very angry at me - he felt like I was trying to get rid of him. I thought he'd enjoy it, but it was more trouble than it was worth! I know it can be done and your older children will be an immense help. Now that mine are toddlers, it is more difficult, so I have to put them in their room with the gate up for a little while to get some schoolwork done with the boys. They cry at first, but they have each other, so they start playing together pretty quickly. It's really great - they always have each other! Good Luck! Lisa

for all the wonderful suggestions! I never would have thought of those places. I am in Austin, Texas. I'm off to check on chairs!:001_smile:

I can't figure out how to change my title...I am looking for student CHAIRS, not desks. Sorry!

Does anyone have a recommendation for where to get decent-quality student chairs - either roller or fold-up? I need to buy at least 3 of them and the cheap ones I've bought from Ikea have all fallen apart in under a year. Any suggestions? TIA!

:iagree: We are also a RightStart math family. My second son just finished up Level B for Kindergarten. I think he learned so much from his older brother (who also used RS) that he was ready to zoom right through it. I'm amazed at how well he can add double-digits (and sometimes triple-digit) numbers in his head. However, you should know that Level B is mostly addition and they don't really get into subtraction (deeply) until Level C. So when he took a Singapore placement test in the middle of the year, he didn't do well with the subtraction. But, he'll be up to speed next year for sure.

I can relate to this. My dad calls once a week to talk to me (OK, to see if I'm "still alive") and I feel like it's an obligation. I don't know what I'd do if that happened to him. Part of me says I'll be glad that Karma is finally paying him back and part of me has too much empathy to not feel bad for him...even though he doesn't deserve it. I'm sorry... :grouphug: