That's the part I don't understand. When she runs (and sometimes just walks), she literally trips herself. Her feet turn in and trip the other one.

DD7's feet turn inward when she walks/runs. Our pediatrician said she should outgrow it, but it's still there. She is getting hurt at soccer as she trips a lot. She's in the younger kids group, so it's not serious injury, but I'm going to have to pull her out of sports that involve running after next year if they don't straighten up. She is unusually clumsy. Any suggestions? I tried to google but it just said that pigeon toed people make great athletes (which makes no sense).

I wanted to mention that occasionally children will have pre-pubescent puberty. You may want to google it and read a bit. If it sounds similar then there are doctors that can help with the behaviors. Good luck :)

They have asked if I would homeschool him over the past few months. I've been hesitant on a number of levels. First, I'm bringing our middle daughter home to homeschool and I anticipate she will be a challenge (in a good way, not bad). I offered to tutor him on Saturdays for two hours a week but ONLY if they allowed the school system to test him for a learning/reading disability. For those familiar with the STAR testing in public schools, his range is 1.4 - 2.8. Last year the school was able to successfully put him in a remedial reading class which he seemed to like. This year, my SIL said she wasn't putting him in with a bunch of "R word" kids and refused all services. Until they accept that he has a learning disability of some type (and one that is probably correctable, my brother didn't read or write until third grade but he is a huge reader now and enjoys it - we all love to read), I'm worried they would blame me for his inability to read. It is quite likely that he won't finish high school although I think my brother/sil are the only ones who don't realize that. If someone else has custody of the kids, I would truly do all I could to help him (including paying for tutors with experience to teach him to read). Both kids are nice kids, but they are lazy. My niece loves school and I've seen her fight to remain a member of various organiations at school and refuse to socialize at family parties until she finished her school work. School is her strength, but she is left alone at home a great deal and is starting to have older 'boyfriends'. :( Nephew is nice and my kids absolutely adore him. He spends time with all of them, including my oldest either playing video games, riding bikes or tossing footballs with them. He's very gentle with them (which completely wins me over). But, he's lazy. I tried to hire him for work and it's like watching molasses go uphill. Yeah....bad habits.... *sigh*

I would prefer that they go to my dad's house. I will try that first and see if I can help out financially or something.

I wanted to mention that I've also had excruciating ear pain when dental work has gone wrong.

I'm so sorry. Mental illness is such a difficult thing for everyone. You will be in my thoughts tomorrow.

I don't think it would hurt to try for a week or so. If you try it, I hope you post back and let everyone know whether it worked or not. :)

At this point, nobody has suggested to my brother/SIL that someone else raise the kids. It's being talked around and my mother and father (divorced and re-married) are waiting on my brother to bring up the subject of needing a place to live. My Dad has offered them a place to live before, but he had conditions for them living with him, which were: 1. Dad would pay all of their bills, but they would turn over any money they receive so he could pay bills first, then they would receive an allowance and the rest would be saved for them. (Dad would pay all electric, food, etc). 2. They would learn to cook and clean and would actively participate in those activities. 3. There would be earnest job searches to any place wanting to hire someone, even if it was work they felt was 'beneath' them. I thought my Dad was generous. My SIL said she would live on the streets first. My Dad's offer is still open. But, they are also prepared to take a hard line and tell them that they (bro/sil) can't afford to keep their kids. I realize this all sounds horribly sad, but they were at a university ball game recently over an hour away (which involved gas, not sure about tickets, but also eating from the concession stand - none of it is cheap). They went out to eat at Outback Steakhouse just a few days ago (and it's an hour to get there). They had a huge Christmas. If you look in their freezer, it's full of liquor bottles (they aren't alcoholics, they just enjoy drinking). Their mortgage payment (since we're in a low income area and they have made numerous 'deals' with the bank) is down to $250 a month. They could do this, they simply don't want to settle in and figure things out. We've all tried to hire them to do housework or yard work but that doesn't work either. They show up late (or not at all) and sometimes take up to a week to finish a 4 hour job (working just a bit one day and coming back other days). My Dad/step-mom are both retired and on a fixed income. My mother retires next year (step-dad is retired). They can't send money any longer. My brother simply must grow up and realize that we can't support him. Kids yes, him/sil, no. Thanks for the information about the land. The problem with them coming here is that I don't think they'll ever leave until they have trashed the place so bad it's condemned. Then they would probably sue us if they were hurt. And who would pay for electricity and water? We would have to do that as well. And they always show up now in time for meals, that wouldn't change at all. I know that adding a kid would cause a bit of stress to our family. But, the girls love both their cousins and I think we could make it work. My understanding is that they have two more weeks until they are evicted.

I know it would be difficult, but I don't know how we could do more. If my mother couldn't do it, then my Dad would probably offer (he lives a few miles down the road). Honestly, I'm not sure which child is in more need, my niece who wants to go to college (and has the grades for it) but nobody is helping her or my nephew who still can't read (and who hasn't been tested even though dyslexia runs in our family).

I've received lots of good info, so derail away! :D

We have a situation in our family that seems to be getting bigger. My brother and sis in law are truly lazy. No flames please, but our family (extended) can no longer help them. Their house has gone into foreclosure (again) and they said that this time it looked really bad. They have asked if they can come live with us since we have a spare farmhouse. (The farmhouse is 175 years old and contains four rooms total - plus, it's being used by my husband to do repair work for computers which is a part time job). We told them no. They asked my mother if they could come move in at her guest house (which is a one room shed, although it does have a bathroom) and she said no. My brother is unemployed. The company he worked for laid him off quite a while back (I want to say a year or more?). They asked for volunteers to be laid off first and he volunteered. (He said it was too stressful to wonder if he would be laid off and decided it was best to go ahead and have it happen). He figured that the extra benefits given to our state due to high unemployment would last for a while, but apparently he is losing his unemployment in the next few months. (He has not interviewed anywhere). My SIL doesn't work. They have been in trouble with CPS before over the condition of their home and inappropriate clothing/food for the kids. They eat out every meal and they are simply wasteful. We have tried to help them. They have taken from us, stolen small items and regularly ask for money. I've tried letting them work for me, but the work is done slowly and very sloppily. If it's yard work, they end up pouring the leftover gasoline into their own cars (I caught them last time :( ) and they have broken our equipment twice (we paid to repair it). They are now saying that when the time comes for them to move, they are simply going to come over here and dare us to make them leave. (My mother and I have adjoining acreage, so 'here' means both of us). My brother has a sense of entitlement although I'm not sure why. If that day comes, I was thinking about making them leave, but offering to keep my niece (and finding a place for my nephew - we have all girls and simply don't have the money or space). Niece is almost 17 and nephew will soon be 15. I think losing their kids might be the only thing that makes brother/sis in law wake up. I can't do anything else. If they show up here, do I call a social worker?

Honestly, no, I don't tip. However, if I had known I would be back so late, then I would not only have tipped a bit more, but I would have made sure the parents were aware as well. I can only imagine that she thought you knew it would be a late night because it was a bit late in the evening when your DS went over?

I love Chic-Fil-A! They have the best service. I wish they could come to our house. Can you imagine the following? Me: Girls, go clean your room before dinner. Girls: It's our pleasure!

My husband makes a huge salad with spinach, cucumber, jalapenos, tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, pecans or almonds, etc. He puts oil and vinegar on it. Then he chops it up until it can literally be eaten with a spoon it's so small. I'm trying to eat more salads as well and I've found that it's so condensed, I can get a lot of 'healthy stuff' in me with just a few bites. He saves me half a cup of it when he makes his salads in the mornings. (I'm hoping to increase it, but I'm really not keen on lots of greenery - especially cold green things. I love warm spinach salads).

Thanks for all the responses. :) DD is actually really good at things that don't require intelligence, it's just her intelligence is commented on more often. Her karate instructor told me that DD is "unusually and exceptionally gifted and talented in learning karate". She's the fastest runner on her soccer team and has absolutely no fear in charging towards the ball. Because she's small, during cheer season she's top of the pyramid. Her teachers in the past have told me that DD is looked up to by the other kids in the class and they go to her to solve problems and disputes. Recently, the teacher told me that she asked the class a tricky question and DD was the only one to choose a particular answer. The entire class changed their answer to match hers based on faith that she was right (and she was). These are the things that I told DD would disappear over time. Eventually kids will learn their own confidence and not always follow her. She will meet other kids who are good in karate, etc and who are smarter than she is. That concept she has difficulty with. She doesn't do volunteer work (although I'm determined to find something for both of them next year). Her drive seems to be more towards accomplishments than building relationships. (I've wondered more than once if she didn't have a touch of aspergers). Her sweetest moments are towards our oldest daughter - she helps dress her, feed her, etc. (We all do, our oldest needs a lot of care). I'll order "Mindset" as well. I need all the help I can get. :tongue_smilie:

Thanks for the replies. I'm going to start sending her to her room when she does it. And I'm going to ask DH to think twice before speaking as the tone/joking of his comments escapes her. I'm hopeful that it will tone down the attitude we're seeing recently.

I know! I used to work at McDonalds in my (much) younger days. Occasionally someone from the corporate office would come out and time the drive-thru. The stopwatch will stop once they are pulled forward if they have to wait. (Even with nobody behind you, if they were timing you then their time stops once you pull up).

It is so hard for us to go anywhere. My oldest daughter (with autism) has unusual behaviors, is prone to urinating anywhere when she feels overwhelmed and sometimes just melts down and shrieks. Our middle daughter cannot have gluten (and can have reactions from trace amounts which causes almost immediate pain and vomiting). Our youngest can't have milk and if anxious about going somewhere just curls up into a ball of feeling bad. I am always so grateful for the people who take the time and trouble to invite us over and cook for us. When I saw the list of things you had to work around, I almost cried. I can't imagine someone taking the time to go to all that work. I have no idea why that lady behaved as she did. I'm sorry she did.

My soon-to-be-11 yr old has had so many changes in the past few months. Some are good, some are bad, but there is one behavior that is driving me nuts and I'm not sure whether to address it or if I'm being over-sensitive. She has always been a daddy's girl. My husband and I are both overweight, but he eats a healthier diet and exercises. He'll tease me about my diet saying things like, "Mama doesn't eat salads, they have too much green", etc. He's joking when he makes these comments but my daughter has started repeating them and they don't sound like jokes when she says them. She's also very precocious (I hope I'm using the right definition of the word). She excells in everything she does. Literally, the only thing she has ever lost was a beauty pageant. She's been told how smart she is all her life (and she really is) and I'm proud of her academic accomplishments. But it does give her a bit of an attitude and bossiness. I've tried both ignoring her comments to me and addressing them with her and telling her that they hurt my feelings and she owes me more respect. Neither approach works. Today, I had a day off (which is very, very rare). My husband offered to watch all the girls so I could go shopping for some much needed clothing and haircut. I was a bit depressed because I've gone up a size. We had some events happen to our family last November and I had to quit my martial arts class and I did start eating more junk food than usual. I decided today that I needed both diet and exercise, but went ahead and bought new clothes so I could be comfortable. I like my haircut too. When I came home, my daughter looked at my haircut and told me that she "disapproved, didn't like it but would withhold speaking her piece at this time." It's our anniversary (15 yrs) so I ignored it so I could get our dinner on the table (we had a special meal for our anniversary). Is this just puberty talking? Should I ignore it? Am I over-sensitive?

I yawn a lot when I sing and frequently when I read out loud. (I love to read and was an early and huge reader). If you don't think it's related to reading/boredom/sleepy, then maybe breathing properly?

My daughter is 12 yrs old and considered severely autistic. Ironically, she is also considered very easy to work with and bright. Over the past few years, we have noticed behaviors that seem to be increasing in frequency and severity. It started with anxiety type behaviors - she needed to tap doorways before entering or leaving and would need to kick her foot to the side if she walked too close to anything (to tap with her foot against the object). We started her on medication for anxiety and these decreased but we started seeing twitches in her neck that would cause her to rapidly jerk her neck to the side. We have gone through various med changes and movements through the years including rapid eye blinking to the point of eyes squeezed shut, facial grimacing, arm/leg flail, etc. Currently, her arms will flail above her head, sometimes once, sometimes several times. Her head will jerk back or to the side. Her hands will contort and fingers will flicker or contort and freeze into weird positions. Sometimes she will make sounds (like a hard 'ch' sound). She's currently on risperdol (.5, 2x a day). She's non-verbal and her comprehension is low. We are trying to teach her questions (and have successfully taught "I am feeling _____" and she provides the word sad, angry, happy or sleepy) but otherwise she can't answer questions. She knows how to read and can take AR tests at school on a 1st grade level, but questions about herself are not possible yet. We have not had a psychiatrist for over a year and a half. Our insurance will not cover the autism diagnosis. I finally found a psychiatrist who will take us and we will pay cash (full price) for visits. We see him next Wednesday and I hope I like him because I have no other options. She has no flailing or tics that I've noticed when she sleeps. I have looked at tardive dyskinesia and it's possible. I am wondering if there are any other things I should look into to ask him about? I've assumed the behaviors were anxiety related in the past or simply "part of her autism" (and I really hate that phrase). Thanks for your thoughts. ETA - She enjoys school and is happy there. The flailing will occur whether she's happy or sad. We have ruled out major seizures although the school notes several absence seizures frequently. MRI's and EEG's are clear.

It was rude. My kids come first. If they show poor manners when I'm on the phone, it's better (in my opinion) to deal with it immediately (rather than give in simply because I'm on the phone). In situations where I know I'm going into an important phone call, they are threatened with dire consequences should they interrupt me for foolishness. They can always interrupt in emergencies. I would expect people to be understanding when talking with parents of young children.

Some of them are literally falling apart. I'm going to clean them carefully by hand and then box them up with a short note about where they came from. I might need to bag them up in plastic or something. I like the idea about shadow boxes for some of the valentines. Prariewindmomma, I'll have to order them. Thanks :)

Any suggestions for me? I finally received my grandmother's cedar chest from my Dad. Inside, in a bit of a jumble, were many things. Several of my dad's baby clothes and (I think) my grandmother's baby clothes. The most beautiful thing inside were vintage valentine cards with real ribbons and fabric that my Dad had sent to my grandmother and some from when she was a little girl and receiving them from my grandfather. There is also an all-cloth A,B,C book in excellent condition. I want to take the time to preserve them in some way - bag them up or put them in a scrapbook (which I'm not sure about, I don't want to damage them). There are many newspaper articles that I'd like to save. I'd also like to start storing our baby clothes, etc in the chest. That would free up space since we're not planning on storing blankets or anything in there. It would be like a memory chest or something similar. Any suggestions for me?