Except that she has five kids and another on the way, so this is an ongoing situation. The chances that any school activities they choose would all be at the same times, and/or that they'd want the young drivers transporting all the younger high-schoolers are iffy.

This was my thought too! I'm so glad you are still in a medical facility that could treat this. And I'm sorry. I know this is scary and discouraging.

I see why people are choosing D. But my first reaction is A. Because over time, all of your kids will benefit in being close to the school they will be attending as far as friendships, extra curriculars, and time saved in commutes. You can all participate more in the community life that tends to center around school life if you are on-site. It sounds like your kids would really enjoy that. It is true that college costs are huge. What are the possibilities in the other town/state as far as summer jobs through high school? How about acommunity college? Is there a good local tech school there or near there if you have one/some who want to go a different route? Any commutable universities? Just wondering if there are other amenities that would add to the value of living there that might make it even more worth the cost.

I love to hold newborns, but I'm not going to hold one unless I am asked or unless I am helping out with a new grand baby. I figure the baby gets passed around enough, and I don't want to add to its stress or discomfort. I am also one who will not engage much with children at large gatherings. If I already have a relationship with a child, and they want to interact with me, that's different. But I much prefer to interact one-on-one in a less stressful environment than a large gathering.

I think I remember your mentioning how much you like to teach (if I am wrong, just ignore this). Teaching positions can have LOTS of stress, and take up much more time than they appear they will. But if the part about it you enjoy is the public speaking part (that's me--I like public speaking and teaching in conference-type settings), or some other aspect of teaching, there really might be something to explore there without completely changing fields. Maybe do some brainstorming and research into new options, and maybe we can help you do some research into it more if you list for us the things you like for now, the things that drew you to law in the first place, and the things that are calling you into a different field.

I don't know if this is feasible, because I don't know much about how the field of law works. But would it be possible to morph to a different area of law that you would enjoy more? Look at the things you do enjoy about your job, look at the outside skills you feel you are good at, and find an area that is more compatible with those two things than your current job--is that something that could work?

I think it would be easier to start them with laughter, but end them with tears.

Yes, I was going to ask, can you do both?

There was a huge lawsuit over this several years ago because a woman suffered irreparable damage due to a nurse doing this very thing. It was horrible. https://www.cosmopolitan.com/lifestyle/news/a62592/caroline-malatesta-brookwood-childbirth-lawsuit/#

If there is room, I'd want a table to the side that could be used for games/puzzles, etc., in addition to comfy furniture.

Good Night, Good Night, Construction Site I Love You, Stinky Face

Now what I'm about to say usually happens a few days later than these concerns, but one thing I don't see mentioned is that the tendency to pass newborns around from one person to another isn't necessarily good for them in another way, either. Newborns' muscles are still pretty soft, and when they get passed around, it tends to make them sore, which makes them fussy, because they are uncomfortable, possibly in pain. I'm not talking about simply holding your baby, but constant picking up and moving from one person to another is a lot more than what happens when just the mom and dad soothe the baby. Their muscles start toughening up quickly, and within a few weeks, it is a different story. But at first...

This has been on my mind as well. With consideration for how difficult it would be emotionally, I am concerned about your going home while still sick, and them realizing that you cannot enforce the rules like you could previously.

Without googling, I think it just makes them gassy. When I was a kid, I liked to munch on them sometimes. ETA: Oh, for some reason, my brain turned this into sweet potatoes. I liked to munch on raw sweet potatoes. And my mom told me it would make me gassy. I never tried it with white potatoes.

This reminds me that one time ds and ddil were at a conference with their 5yo and 3yo. The children shared that their dad was really scary. The leaders asked them about that, and were reassured, "Oh yes, he is really really scary!" What the leaders did not know was that one of the kids' favorite things was to be "scared" by dad, who would hide and jump out at them to the response of screams and laughter. That experience was really sobering (and yes, scary) to ds and ddil, who are great with their kids, and whose kids are all over them, cuddling and hugging, etc. It didn't help that ds is a big man.🙁

And that is one reason why, when seeing or hearing concerning things coming from little ones, a few good questions are in order before jumping to the worst conclusions! Sometimes there is a very simple explanation with no deep and dark meanings.🤣

I have called my parents Mama and Daddy all my life. My dad died when I was in my 50s. I'm in my 60s now and still call my mom Mama. From the time we were married, we lived long distances from our parents, so it had nothing to do with our maturity or dependence on them. My kids have always called us Mom and Dad. I'm not sure why that instead of Mama and Daddy, because both dh and I used the latter with our parents.

My mother used to be in a group at her church that they called Round Table. Each month, a member of the group would read a book and then report on it to the others. It was usually missions related--a missionary biography or autobiography (the missions emphasis is possibly why the group existed to begin with?). After the meeting, others would usually request to borrow the book, and it would then make the rounds. So like GH is talking about, only one person per month. Of course, snacks and coffee were served.

Personally, I would have her go to one where she lives, since she doesn't have anybody where you are anyway, as long as you think she will follow up on it. It would be a lot easier for her to work out appointments. I would probably start with a GI doc (who might take it more seriously), but she should probably have a general practitioner, and a GI doc might have to have a referral to them. Ask her to make sure you can get her medical information, and hopefully access to her portal. ETA: In the meantime, she might try a modified elimination diet--such as leaving off corn syrup, etc., to see if it has any effect. Are there foods/drinks that she started eating/drinking in the last year or so, or has she changed her diet since going to college?

My son's gf can't eat anything with corn syrup in it. Which rules out lots of packaged sweets and sodas. She has anaphylactic allergies to tree nuts, but peanuts just make her nauseated. Etc.

My mother occasionally suffered from a bleeding ulcer. Thankfully, it was never in a life-threatening range or anything. But this was before it was discovered that H. pylori was a bacteria that caused ulcers. She was told it was from worry. So she would beat herself up for worrying, and try to do better, while at the same time, she didn't actually feel like she was worrying too much. And she would have to follow a specific diet. When really, all that time, she just needed antibiotics. But doctors didn't know back then. I guess it is from her experiences that I want to encourage following other leads first. Anyway, that may not be your dd's problem (I looked up the symptoms and nausea is included), but I know it is frustrating for people (usually women) when their symptoms are dismissed and given an emotional cause when there really might be another cause. Not that therapy isn't a great answer for the problem of being overstressed, but it isn't going to help much if she has something else going on.

Personally, I would start with the physical angle, since she doesn't seem to have other signs of a stress reaction. I'd start with allergy testing/intolerances, because allergy food tests are quick and easy to do. Intolerances can be more difficult. And thorough bloodwork, including a check for H. pylori. Those two things can rule out or find some of the most simple answers. It's hard when something is assumed stress-related when there is actually a physical cause, because it can cause a person to start doubting themselves and how they feel.

If the kids ask about it, I think a simple and true answer could just be, "I decided we needed something easier to keep clean, and this way, we can just wipe them off!" They might complain that they aren't as soft, but you can still move it back to the cleanliness factor. Really, it's more sanitary anyway.

I think that is @popmom's daughter/s?

Take a look at American School. It has been awhile since I have been on their site, so I don't have recent info. However, when one ds was looking at high school (they also have earlier courses), we were on a tight budget, and couldn't afford some of the other appealing options. American School was very reasonable. He has always been a no-frills-let's-get-the-bases-covered kind of guy. American School fit the bill perfectly, and prepared him well for college work. It was not busywork. It also gave him time for his hobbies, which he studied in college. One thing I was concerned about that ended up not being an issue, is that their exams were all open-book. I was afraid he would not learn how to take exams where he had to memorize information, but it wasn't a problem. The tests were thorough enough that he had to learn how to synthesize information, interpret information, etc. So he essentially learned higher learning skills than one tends to learn in a system that is more focussed on memorization. He took a mix of online and correspondence courses. Some of his classes were completely online, like the maths. Others, he used physical books (which he preferred), but took the exams online.