I think it totally depends on the child. My oldest ds started a Karate class with our homeschool co-op this year. He is 9 and has ADHD. Any time before this year, there is no way he could have been quiet and listened to his instructor. However, I have a friend from another board and her son is barely 6 and he is a green belt - working on the next level. It totally depends on maturity and interest, IMO.

Absoultely tragic. :(

Remind her that, when the baby is born, her committing suicuide will hurt the baby so much worse. She is thinking that she doesn't want to physically harm the baby...has she thought of how growing up without a mother...or worse, one that CHOSE to take herself away...will hurt that child for life emotionally? Your poor friend. Has she talked to her previous dr about her suicide thoughts? Maybe the risks to the baby of her going back on her previous meds are less than the benefits she would receive by taking the meds! They told me that when I was pregnant...if my mental state depended on the meds, it was better to take them...especially after the baby was a certail age gestation (I have OCD and extreme hypochondria, but have never thought of suicide...just the opposite actually).

Do you clinch your teeth when you are stressed? I do, and don't even realize I am doing it. I have had TERRIBLE TMJ for years now. One of the best things I have found to help is physical therapy. I can do two or three sessions and it feels a million times better. My chiropractor referred me. They use an ultrasound machine to rub in a medicated gel and then they use the little electro pulse thingies (bio-feedback??) for about 15-30 minutes to finish the session. I swear, two or three times and I feel so much better. I would first see a chiropractor to make sure your jaw is in the correct place - sounds like it really isn't. Then you may want to try the pt. :) Good luck!

I use the Mom's Plan it Calendar http://www.alwaysbrilliant.com/aa/aspx-products/1-1098/2-57580/SC-Froogle/kw-103462/bb/Super-Size-Moms-Plan-It-Calendar.htm

Thanks you for all the responses. It looks like God has said "no more." I tested this morning (still 4 days from AF but 13 DPO) and it was negative. I accept the decision that I feel God has made...even though, as I went through this experience, it really made me almost wish for another. I remembered all of the wonderful things about having babies and for a moment, I felt really sad to see that negative test. :(

It may just be a habit. My older son has a problem with his achiles heel and he started walking on his tip toes when barefoot. OMG it drives us all CRAZY! It looks like he is wearing high-heels. I am taking him back to the doc for x-rays on his heel , but I honestly think the heel is fine now and this is just a habit. Some boys are just more "feminine" than others. I am sure it is concerning, but this very well could be the case with your son. My 5 year old runs like someone has a string in his belly button pulling him forward. He reminds me of Phoebe on Friends. But I am not concerned. Now, if he runs this way when he is 15, well....LOL I will tell him not to run in public, I guess.

I have more than one...unfortunately. There is ususally one in about each room that has drawers. :( My drawers are shallow, so the mess is usually small toys, pens/pencils, and other misc small crap that we hardly use or ever look for. I do not have a big huge junk drawer with papers in it or anything. I file those in a filing cabinet.

The economy is the worst that I have seen it in my lifetime. It is HARD to find employment right now and even people who have jobs are losing them by the thousands. I think that, at one time, it would have been easy and logical to say you or your dh could get a job. I am not as sure now...with the state of things. This year, my dh came home and told me they were thinking of cutting the COL increase. I was upset, but in the end decided that we would just thank God he still had a job. It is BAD out there...as you well know from having to close your business. I do hope your dh is able to find work, but if he isn't, I would not hesitate to make the move.

Just wanted to update for any who are interested with a couple of links to the news stories about my cousin's wreck. http://www.wkyt.com/wymtnews/headlines/36954034.html'>http://www.wkyt.com/wymtnews/headlines/36954034.html http://www.wkyt.com/wymtnews/headlines/36954034.html

Youngest is in bed, dh is in bed, oldest is with his dad in another state, and I am on the computer at 11:30...searching for all the info I can find on long luteal phases and when to test for pregnancy. ;)

Oh man! It would have been ON! No way could I have held my tongue. I hate the way coaches think they can ridicule kids into doing better. UGH!!

That is heartbreaking! What a tough situation you were in there. :( I knew that the cashier really couldn't have said anything back. If I were her, I would have said, "Well, what wonderful advice. Gosh, what would I do without customers like YOU. And you just have a Happy New Year yourself." My mom has been in retail management her entire life until recently. She has been treated so poorly and so rudely by the public that it is just insane. She has been called names, lunged at from across a counter, yelled at, threatened, and so on. I am sure that weighed on my mind and made this situation strike a cord with me as well. It goes both ways though...one day I was out with my kids at the mall and we went by the cookie place to get a cookie and a coke. The cashier was not necessarily friendly, but who cares. As we were starting to leave, my oldest son looked at her and asked if he could put his straw paper in this little tiny trash can looking thing on the counter. Of course, he didn't know if it was a trash can or not...most people don't put them up on counters, so I thought it was polite of him to ask. The cashier looked down at him, rolled her eyes and said, "duh stupid...it's a trash can." OMG it was all my dh could do to hold me back. It really would have been a white trash moment! You can mess with me, but, whatever you do...DON'T mess with my kids! Ever!

Sounds just like my dh when he was a kid. He has a BS in Mechanical Engineering and is a Six Sigma black belt. Currently he is a reliability and safety engineering manager for a fortune 100 company. :) Physics. Do lots of Physics.

I would do so much better if you posted a picture. I am thinking little pink or blue boots with fur trim :)

Well, usually at midnight, we snore in harmony together in our beds. LOL

:) My husband is a slow and patient and shy person and my 5 year old is as well. I can see them in that cashier and maybe that is part of why it rubbed me so wrong. I told my friend that I met for lunch just after the incident that even if the rude woman never listened to a word I said, I hoped the cashier did and that she was able to let the woman just roll off her back.

Sorry... I did not read through the other 6 pages, so I did not know that you couldn't "make" him go. My ex husband does not have custody...I do. He gets to visit and we can move anywhere we want and my son does not have a say in it...of course he is 9 and not 15 too. I pray, as well, that this decision just never has to be made and that your dh finds work where you are. :)

I am sorry, but it wasn't until I read, "his other homelife isn't so great...." that it became totally clear what I would do. No way would I go and leave him there. He is 15. You are his mom and he should go with you. He can use the plane tickets to see his girlfriend...not the other way around. He is 15. His life doesn't depend on this...but yours and the livlihood of your family DOES.

I wasn't actually in a position to speak with the cashier directly based on the way we were standing (had I not walked over and began talking to the rude woman in the front of the line). I was on the other side being helped by one cashier while this cashier was helping the older lady. There was a person that stepped in line behind the older lady shortly before I finished, so I couldn't really just get in line and speak with her. It is kind of hard to explain. I did, however, just put a call in to the manager and let them know that the girl handled herself really well and make sure the older lady had not complained about her to them...basically making sure they had the full story just incase.

Yes, I think that saying something to the girl who was crying may have been even more tactful and just having ignored the older lady entirely. That probably would have made more of a statement to the rude lady than anything I said.

You became a Christian...maybe he did too. Turn to God in this. I don't think that things happen for no reason at all. Maybe this man has regretted what he did to you - the one sin that he needs to confess or admit or apologize for. I would make sure that you are with DH at all times and not waiting alone. If he was in an ICU waiting room, chances are, he is also at risk of losing someone he dearly loves. Very often, facing the demons that haunt your past remove the power they had over you - and give you the closure you need to truly move forward. This happened almost 25 years ago and this man very well may have changed his life completely. Isaiah 41:10 encourages us “'Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” In Psalm 56:11 the psalmist writes, “in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” “I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4). “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).

I have always wondered what my answer to this same question would be. I mean, I could always say, "of course I would," but then I thought...would I really...when it came right down to it... Today I was returning a calendar to a drug store. I stood in line for a moment and then started talking with the cashier whom I have known for some time (just from seeing her there). We chatted as she called for a manager to approve the return and I noticed the woman behind me moved to the other line. The cashier in the other line was a young girl - probably still a teenager and very new. She is quiet and shy and very, very nice as she was my cashier yesterday when I purchased the calendar I was returning. So, as I stood talking to my cashier, the woman who had moved line got up to the front of her line (new girl's line). The woman was in her mid to late 60's and the first thing out of her mouth was, "YOU NEED TO MOVE FASTER! No, I am serious...she (points at my cashier) did 6 people and you did 2...I have no idea why they would hire someone so slow." The poor little girl got a terrible look on her face. She kind of whispered, "I'm sorry," as her face reddened and tears just started to roll down her cheeks. All the while, there I stood, getting more and more and more angry with this rude woman. When my cashier finished with me, I just could not hold my tongue anymore. I walked up to the woman and asked her if she knew why this young lady was crying (I had my 5 year old with me and this definitely wasn't some white trash type confrontation...I was speaking very calmly and quietly). She looked around, obviously in lala land and said, "who?" I said, "this lady...the one you were so rude to just a moment ago." She told me it was none of my business. I told her that when I witnessed something so terrible out in the open like that, it became my business. I told her that the girl was new, she was learning, and that she was doing the best she could. I asked her if she needed to belittle others to make herself feel better in life. Then she told me that she didn't need to hear this from me. I replied that this cashier had not needed to hear her rude comments either. Then I turned to the girl and told her that she was doing a great job and to please not listen to the opinion of this woman as it is obvious she needs something more in her life. Then I turned to the woman and simply said, "I'll pray for you." And walked out. I shook for at least 10 minutes after it happened. I was just so mad. This poor girl did NOT deserve that. And then I did pray for the woman...and for the young girl. Bless her heart. Would you have done the same???

I spoke with my mom just a bit ago and she was telling me that once Ashley (cousin) was checked out at the hospital and cleared to go home, they broke the news to her about her friend who passed. Her first words were, "why did she die?? Why didn't I die??? Why am I still alive?????" That just breaks my heart so much for her. Just a child and having to live with such grief and guilt. I can't imagine the feeling of, "if only..." Bless her heart. :(

Sounds like you found a perfect solution. My 9 year old is still in a booster in my car because the seatbelt does not come across him properly due to the way the seat slants. In my dh's SUV, he fits fine and does go booster-less. Oh, and he is totally embarrassed that he has to sit in one at all! My 5 year old is in a highback booster which I am constantly watching him in the rearview mirror in and telling him to sit a certain way because I am totally paranoid. :(