Some kids, like my DD, need to be explicitly trained about social cues. I found this book particularly helpful in that regard. http://www.amazon.com/The-Unwritten-Rules-Friendship-Strategies/dp/0316917303/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363835631&sr=8-1&keywords=unwritten+rules+of+friendship I used it as a read aloud with my (then) 6 yr old DD.

Wow..it looks like he has a teacher who is willing to go the extra mile. That is so rare! I have been afterschooling my high IQ DD for the past few months.(she was homeschooled earlier) She does not get any differentiated instruction and the teacher really does not have a clue or experience teaching such children, but we manage. Her strength is math/science/spoken language. She reads a lot/works independently on them, so those areas are covered without any prompting from my side. What we do work on is her written language, which lags behind her spoken. Right now, she is learning how to write descriptive sentences. Looks like his teacher is a willing participant in making sure he is engaged in class. (IOW, do not feel guilty that you are making her 'homeschool' for you) Your plan of suggesting homework at his ability level and supplementing with fun activities at home sounds great. Fwiw, I suggest *meeting* the teacher every month, instead of exchanging notes, to ensure that she and you are on the same page.

What do you mean by 'play' with fractions? Tactile material or worksheets? If you mean doing arithmetic operations with fractions- www.math-drills.com has a fraction section. http://www.homeschoolmath.net/worksheets/fraction.php too.

150 is a very high dose to begin treatment with. A doctor with some knowledge of thyroid disorders always starts with low dosage and a recheck every 4-6 weeks. If the dosage is too high, it can cause a LOT of unpleasant symptoms (ask me how I know). Heart palpitations, jitteriness, diarrhoea, insomnia, bone loss.... I 10th the suggestion of going to an endocrinologist.

Don't miss list Ritter's frozen custard Donatos Pizzeria( thin crust, edge to edge topping...yumm) Columbus zoo COSI Easton town center North market ( international) German village The small eateries around OSU. Eclectic and fun. They cater to the student population which is international.

How about Audio books? LEGO? (meant for children under 3) Montessori material for fine motor skills? (number beads etc)

I guess if it were my DD who got so influenced by a witty, charismatic speaker, that she gave up college, I would be hopping mad too. I've seen, heard SKR over the years on TED and IMO, he is only skilled at talking/speaking. He emphasizes the same issues without offering any practical ideas. I haven't read of him doing anything constructive wrt his views on education. (I could be wrong). IMO, the world has too many well intentioned people pointing out problems in the education system but very few who offer solutions and then put them into practice. Personally, I prefer Sugata Mitra to SKR. ;-)

Super!!!

Thanks!

Have you considered buying a trampoline? I've had a mom tell me that it was a godsend for bad weather and when children are restless indoors. Wrt the normal time for kids to entertain themselves...I have no idea. I have only one Dd 7.5 and she is a complete extrovert. She can entertain herself for an hour tops. After that, she wants ( and needs?) interactive play or talk.

DD 7.5 sleeps for about 9-10 hrs. Her bedtime is 8:30 pm, but she stays up reading for 30 min or so and wakes up at 6:30 am. She sleeps relatively well, unless overtired/exhausted. She goes to school full time and we afterschool for about 45 min-an hour after she gets back at 4pm . She plays outdoors between 5-6:30 p.m. everyday. Weekends are relaxed and she sleeps better..maybe 10-11 hrs. Bedtime is the same, wakes up later than usual.

3.5 months is OK for layover. Ideally, there should be a 6 month gap between leaving and returning back to the U.S. (at least back in 2011...don't know the immigration rules now). For a layover, I wouldn't worry too much. Especially as he has the multiple entry 10 yr visitor visa. To cover all bases, has he tried contacting the airlines and asking them? When we lived in the U.S. and had relatives come over on the 10 yr visa, very often the airline staff knew the visa regulations or would help us get in touch with the right authority . They're also more accessible as compared to the immigration dept.

For natural beauty, Costa Rica, New zealand, Hawaii. For culture, Turkey, Morocco. Have fun planning!

He is not lazy. Any child who can physically exert himself to pick up everything on the bathroom floor and throw it down the chute, is not lazy. ;-) Unmotivated yes. Lazy no. Under challenged yes. Lazy no. Fwiw, I know what lazy is. I have seen it in adults. I have yet to see a consistently physically lazy child. All you can do, as a parent is guide, hopefully with positive reinforcement. Trying to stamp out what you erroneously see as character flaws will only harm your relationship with your son. I will echo the other ladies up thread and tell you that your son does not sound lazy to me. You have received wonderful suggestions and commiseration from the lovely ladies on this thread because we understand what it is like to be a frustrated parent, hope it helps.

This cracked me up! :D. Btw..I prefer to use 'laidback' or 'easy going'. They don't have the negative connotation associated with lazy. My 2 cents? If it is his inherent nature, all you can do is wait until he finds something that Pushes him to become enthusiastic. Maybe all he lacks is enthusiasm? He will work hard when (not if) he finds his passion. My younger bro was, I think, the most easy going, chilled out guy I ever knew. Until he started working in the corporate world. And he's been a dynamo ever since.

Aaah, college! The days when we could have platonic male friends without being misunderstood. The women were great to chat with too, but like you said, they're not completely themselves around men.

The days when my DD saps all my 'talking/listening' energy is when I turn to books and quiet time. The constant chatter gives me a sensory overload. I do long for stimulating coversation and I try and get my quota for the day with friends over the phone and/or if we meet up. But, since I am a SAHM, my circle of adults is pretty limited. On days when everyone but me seem to be busy, I find my DH has a willing ear at the end of the day. So, yeah, it's not just books for us introverts. :-)

IMO, A mom sets the tone for the home. So, I try to get my 'sanity' time which charges my batteries for the rest of the day. I tell my (only) DD7 that I need an hour or so everyday, alone, where I can hear myself think. She reads, draws, plays with LEGO..some such to entertain herself for that hour. If she is throwing a bazillion questions at me, I ask her what is her motivation level. Where 1= Motivated enough to find the answer independently by going through reference books. And 5= Superficial interest. If it is 5, I give her an answer to the best of my knowledge. If she isn't satisfied, I help her look it up in the hazaar (roughly translates to thousand) encyclopedias we own. It has definitely gotten easier after she started reading because she can access the source directly without needing me as a medium. Another factor that has played into this, is that she is enrolled in a B/M school in the past 2 months and that takes up her social energy. I notice that her verbosity has reduced significantly.(Whether it's a good thing remains to be seen ) If she needs much more stimulation than I offer under the best of circumstances, I take her to the nearest playground and let her loose. If the weather doesn't cooperate, she plays with friends/me indoors. Board games and the like. She can draw, craft to her hearts content. HTH

Thanks! Thanks! I don't know how I forgot about Kipling! She didn't take to Riordan nor Harry Potter. I'll hazard a guess and say it's because both of them have larger than life male protagonists.

I didn't ignore it. My DD7 headed back to school a month ago for the very same reasons your son mentions. To 'feel a part of the gang'. IMO, it is a valid reason to put them back into B/M school and furthermore, I did not want to homeschool a reluctant-to-homeschool child. Her academic needs are not accommodated at all (she is accelerated), but, her overwhelming need to 'be a part of a group' has been satisfied. She is doing very well socially and greatly enjoys school, particularly the group activities part, which she missed at home. We may homeschool her again in the future. That door is always open. For now, she is happy at school,( although I have some misgivings) and that is all that matters. ETA: the quality of schools in India is relatively good. I don't know much about the middle school scenario in the U.S., which will be a huge factor in decision making.

Added. Thanks!

Thanks everyone! The reading list for 2013, as it stands right now. Mandy and Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews All of a Kind Family series Poppy series by Avi The Name of this Book is Secret series (narrator talks to reader like Series of Unfortunate Events) The Anybodies series (same as above) The Ordinary Princess The Great Good Thing Search for Delicious The Penderwicks series Moomintroll books Ella Enchanted (Levine also wrote Princess Tales) Dealing with Dragons series Tuesdays at the Castle Neverending Story and Momo by Ende Anything by Astrid Lindgren Silverwing (and others in the series if it's a hit) Guardians of Ga'Hoole Chronicles of Prydain Penderwicks Five Children and It / Phoenix and the Carpet The Reluctant Dragon / Kenny and the Dragon Swallows and Amazons Redwall The Great Brain Twilight Land Coraline Little Lord Fauntleroy The Guardians of Ga'Hoole The Doll People The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rats From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler ETA Dark is rising series Gypsy crown series She has already read Mrs Frisby and the rats of NIMH and Eva Ibbotson (one of her fav authors). I just forgot to add them to her log.

DD7 likes books with dark humour, adventure and mysteries. Right now, she is reading "Little Women" A brief look at what she has read last year and enjoyed Sophie's world- Jostein Gaarder All books written by E.B. White. "Series of unfortunate events", the whole series. C.S.Lewis "Narnia series Phantom tollbooth All books by Roald Dahl. Secret garden Little princess Railway children The wind in the willows Bridge to terabithia All the books by Eleanor Estes Pinocchio Wizard of Oz and other books by L.Frank Baum. All the books by Kate D'Camillo Michael morpurgo-(books written for children) Alexander McCall Smith- (books written for children) Black Beauty Andrew Lang 12 fairy books. Stephen Hawking trilogy for kids -George and the secret key to the universe etc. She has also read and enjoyed Enid Blyton. Especially her "Brer Rabbit" series and "Famous Five". Were not enjoyed/left halfway: Heidi David Copperfield A.A.Milne "Winnie the pooh" Hans brinker and the silver skates The hobbit Help?!

Looks like the teacher has very limited experience and bandwidth, if you will, with a child such as your son. In this scenario, I suggest pushing for a grade skip. A different teacher might be able to help or at least, be encouraging. If all else fails, there's always the option to homeschool.

Awesome! AFAIK, The only thing that is not paperwork/worksheets to do independently in class without being a distraction, is a book... I send books with my DD to read at school. Horrible Science, story of science, etc. From time to time, she does enjoy the class activities in Science. Some of them are very engaging. His teacher was lost when he mentioned Pythagoras?!? And she teaches kids who are in the 75%? Mind boggling.