Same here. Dc aren't exposed to many swear words normally (I've changed my ways .... ;) ) but we don't allow the substitutes that are a short step away from the really vulgar terms, and that includes freakin' and frickin,' for us. I remember the first time I heard a 4 yo exclaim, "what in the heck ...?!" Each family makes their own choices, of course, I just knew that I didn't like hearing that from one so young.

Exactly! Years before dh and I got a dog, I helped out a blind young woman. She always picked up after her guide dog. Always. That made a big impression on me. If a blind person can do that, so can I. So can you. When I see people allow their dogs to go in other people's space -- lawns, parks, ballfields, the beach (!) and then start to walk away -- I very nicely say "oh, I noticed you didn't have a bag -- I'm sure I've got one here somewhere (in my car, beach bag)." They always take it and pick up. I agree -- especially since you know it's the same inconsiderate neighbors! Time for some good training. Good luck. :001_smile:

Way to go, Mom. Sounds like you've got an excellent team together. I have no doubt that more than one of the dads driving me home was tipsy or flat out drunk when I was a teen. It was another era .... Much better to protect our dear dc. : )

:iagree: AND pay her well. Throw in a bit extra if you were longer than you thought or it was a long sitting period or if things are especially well done. I was very conscientious as a sitter too, but the most important thing to me as a parent now is that my dc are well taken care of and like the person they're with. Iow, I'd rather have him/her sitting on the floor playing games with them than washing dishes, kwim?

Then again, the 80-plus Hefner and 25-yo bunny was pretty gross too. Glad she saw the light (after she got famous of course.)! :tongue_smilie:

This is exactly why the actions of Anthony Weiner were so disgusting. He may not have been physically intimate with those he approached, but a 46-yo man "sext-ing" with a 17yo high school student, among others in their late teens, 20s -- something wayyy off there. He might not have send the nude/semi-nude photos to the youngest of his fans, but the sexual innuendo is unmistakable. Ick. Her physical maturity has certainly been enhanced. Wonder who's footing those bills hoping that she'll get her big break? There's more than one older adult here who could be seen to be taking advantage of a beautiful young teen here. :glare: Hollywood encourages those things, but I'm often shocked when parents of 15-16-17 yo stars stand by while their teens "date" other stars in their mid-20s and 30s. :001_huh:

You're right...he's pretty boyish looking and she's definitely not your typical 16 yo. Plus she's had a good bit of work done if she's truly just 16. Interesting that on the link there was a photo of Joan Rivers off to the side -- someone else who's a big believer in plastic surgery. Imo this is too big an age gap mostly because it's such a huge experience, life experience and life expectation gap. I wouldn't want my own children to got this route, but if it works for the two in this photo .....

We did for special things like art and science experiments -- last year -- and it worked really well. Then our schedules changed and we weren't able to this year that's just finishing. In our experience, the kids really looked forward to the schedule and would remind me if we were forgetting or rearranging. Plus, it helped me to make sure we did some of the cool things and not just let LA & math take over. :001_smile:

:iagree: That's pretty much it in a nutshell.

Yes, I did send them a nice big box once. Are they still active? I thought it was on hiatus for awhile...?

We've lived a couple different places. I sell only the very best of our stuff and give most away. When we factor in the hassle, shipping, reduced prices, etc., dh and I have just figured it makes more sense for us to donate the books and materials somewhere that can use them. We also give to friends and fellow homeschoolers a good bit. I've been fortunate to buy used a few times and received almost everything as advertised. A couple descriptions of very good condition were optimistic at best. It makes me wary, I guess. But, as we head into the upper grades and spend more for curriculum, we might rethink this. :001_smile: ETA: Sorry to hear OP so frustrated. It takes some of the excitement away from clearing shelves, making money and finishing a deal.

YES! Very fair child has had no trouble with sunburn for years because I bought him an all-in-one suit when he was a preschooler, now he wears rash guards with jammers or swim trunks. I think it looks cool when girls wear these too. We used to see them all the time in our beach town.

Nicely said. Yes, treat each other like you like each other. The ebb and flow of "romance" is part of the journey, but it's wonderful to be with someone who knows you as well as your spouse does and still surprises you, is your best friend, shares with you. You may hit a period of time when you ask, "wow, is this it? is this all there is?" and then you turn a corner and your heart flutters at the sight of him, or he does something really generous or he's just awesome with your kids, then you know what you've got together is good. It's not always easy, but it's important. Kind of like when one of your kids is going through an unattractive patch (behaviorally), you try to look at him/her with eyes of love. You do the same for your spouse. I probably haven't answered your Q either, but this is what has worked for us. :001_smile:

:lol: We've had young friends get these -- all kinds of colors. Sometimes seasonal, sometimes for a favorite sports team, school colors, you name it. If it makes the discomfort of braces a little more bearable for dd, I agree with you -- let it be her choice. (maybe not day-glo....!)

If I remember correctly, we had a similar survey sort of thing in 10th grade. The truth? Everyone lied. The kids who hadn't done much of anything, admitted to a bit so they wouldn't feel weird, the kids who had done things, either added more (mostly the guys) or subtracted a bunch so people wouldn't know. It was a joke. It might be anonymous but it gets people talking and comparing notes. Dc are just shy of this age range. No way would I want them having this kind of survey. No doubt some kids will be unaware of some of the acts, etc., described so this just puts images in their heads. We can't "acquaint" kids with sexual information and then be horrified when they're oversexualized at younger and younger ages. ok [/rant] This stuff just makes me sad for the children involved. I would be very suspicious of any real benefit it's supposed to bring.

I saw the man interviewed a few months ago. Amazing story, amazing perseverence. If you're in the midst of the war scenes, some of the best is yet to come. There's a documentary coming out concerning the Rape of Nanking that I just read about. The review said it's very well done, but obviously the subject is the systematic brutalization of Chinese by the Japanese during this period. So many millions of people died in the 20th century. It's not easy reading or listening, but it's important for us to know the history....I'm old enough to remember some of it. : (

Seen the youtube "50 states in 2 minutes?" Could be subtitled insulting all 50 states with catchphrases, but it's bitingly funny.

This is exactly like what my dsil did when she was homeschooling and for the same reasons as you list here. Thanks for reminding me of this, I'm going to start some pre-planning soon and this will give me a framework. I'm definitely finding that as they get older, the planning has to be more purposeful to actually finish at the end of the year.

LOL You're right. There are cases where a days-old infant's circumcision has gone wrong. But the huge majority of them are very quick and painless. Delaying this til a boy is a teen or adult does make it much more of an issue for the procedure and the recovery. And there in lies the persuasion, I suppose. Using alarming language with coy disclaimers to be "accurate" are disingenuous. And quite dismissive of the religious significance that many are observing.

Research perimenopause. Hormones start wrecking havoc with your system way before actual menopause. For some, it's a prolonged and quite inefficient shutdown of the reproductive cycle. Some symptoms -- vertigo, disorientation, indecision, "out-of-body" feelings, shorter/more intense cycles and flow -- besides the traditionally mentioned hot flashes, weight gain and mood swings. There are holistic "remedies" that help alleviate the highs and lows, but mostly it's about managing the changes. Amberin and similar drugs do help some women. I've had friends go through menopause in their mid-late 30s all the way through mid-50s. But mid-40s is about when many start to experience perimenopause. Good luck.:001_smile:

Thank you.

:blink: Totally agree with you here. How do we leap from a quick minor procedure for a newborn, often based on religious belief and/or long-term health implications to child abuse??? Beyond. the. pale. ktgrok, your advocacy for a particular viewpoint is quite clear. But others have a different pov that is equally valid for them, no need to be so adamant that all accept your pov. In fact, if you google SF's proposed ban of circumcision and comics, you'll see the anti-Semitic nature of the proposal, at least from one perspective. It's ugly. For those that do so due to religious belief, this is important to them, not whimsy or the current vogue or whatever.

It's my understanding that there is circumcision in Christian and Muslim families as well as Jewish. Calling this procedure, which is done shortly after birth, "cosmetic" or merely to follow the father's wishes, is somewhat uninformed wrt the significance of the ritual. Regardless, we definitely believe it's the parents' decision. Sadly, the San Francisco initiative has taken a definitely anti-Semitic turn recently when one of the pro-ban groups published a comic.

Or the Costa Rican boys.... :sad: There are however many women who will use their children in very vile ways to get what they want -- a relationship, drugs, money .... Evil is evil and is not biased by sex/gender, religion, race or ethnicity -- regardless of Elizabeth's skewed experience and unkind generalization. Several of my acquaintances are strong and moral men who, as prosecutors and judges, have brought women to account for their abhorrent treatment of children.

As for me, I prefer discussing things with my kids and making that a part of our future life to thinking it will never happen to MY son. And if men want to not be "condemned" for their gender, then might I suggest not Twittering your peepee or raping the girl who lives next door? :blink: I am not getting this line of thinking at.all. I certainly talk with my children about being decent to people, respecting girls and having good morals and actions. Dh and I correct their words and behavior when they're off-track. But I can not imagine looking at them and seeing future rapists. Your last line. WTH? The eponymous Congressman was engaging in that behavior. As to the second part -- who are you talking to? The small group of men who frequent this board better take heed of this warning, I guess. :confused: :glare: