My opinion: yes, absolutely, no question - you should go to a counselor. I don't know how old your dd is, but your description would have me on the phone in a heartbeat. I have been though some dark times, and counseling has been invaluable. I would make the time, make it a priority, and go. :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: ETA: I will come back and edit details out of this in a little while. Done.

I am not reading through all the responses because I am supposed to be concentrating on chemistry with my ds (bad mommy!) and instead I am scrolling through the board.... I used to belong to a Yahoo group that had an amazing number of member created files to run a summer correspondence course for your kids. It was so. much. fun! I think it still exists.... maybe HogwartsSummerCorrespondenceSchool ? It would definitely be worth joining and perusing the files. Have fun!

I agree with Lulu, 100%. :) Just wanted to throw out there.... I think once there are any outward signs that something like this is taking hold it has been percolating and developing for a while. I say this not to scare you but to encourage you to keep on the path you are taking and follow your gut. At the heart of the matter is some quest for control more than anything else... and at this moment it has manifested around eating and food in your dd. Even if she were to suddenly begin eating normally, it would still be beneficial to help her find ways to examine that aspect of herself. You are absolutely doing the right thing, mom. Hang in there! :grouphug:

(((Lisa))) & (((Lisa's daughter))), I agree with pposters. In our case we visited the pediatrician and talked it over in front her (a wonderful, wonderful woman). It helped tremendously have the doctor suggest visiting a psychologist - then it wasn't a result of me 'overreacting'. We both went... together and separately. I am sorry you are going through this... it is very scary and you are doing the right thing trying to figure it out now. Feel free to pm me. Hugs to you both...

Call it Courage Carry On, Mr. Bowditch Little Women (I still have the tear stained copy of my youth - a favorite!)

I love this. Ditto. :)

Mine has lots of homework, too... next week is the last week of classes and there are project reports, problem sets, and a paper due. She's found her old spot at the 'school table' and fits right back in. :)

I am so thankful to have dd#2 home this week. Her school gave the kids off the Wednesday before Thanksgiving for the first time last year, so she lucked out in that regard and got home late Tuesday night. Last night she went to TaeKwonDo for the first time since her last exam and was promoted to second degree black belt (so proud of her for sticking with it!). Today we had a wonderful dinner with grandparents and skyped with dd#1 who is studying in Spain. Enjoying the time with dd2 and looking forward to having everyone home for a simple Christmas together in a few short weeks. Love seeing the changes and hearing about the adventures. And ds is beyond happy to have his partner in crime back in town. :) Wishing everyone a peaceful December...

I have found lots of great recipes including this Creamy Potato Curry at the Forks Over Knives website. So delicious and easy! We usually substitute spinach in for the kale, just because we keep it in the fridge all the time --- and the rest of the ingredients are always in the fridge or freezer.

I found a Le Creuset 2.5 l soup pot yesterday at a local second-hand shop for $45! I wasn't looking for it At ALL, so I figure it must have been looking for me. :) It's the perfect size, and very, very bad. For so long I have been happy with my 6 and 8 quart Lodge dutch ovens, but if all of the le creuset cast iron is as nice and light (comparatively speaking) as the soup pot is, I am going to have to think about switching over. Darn, darn, darny-darn! I was so happy in my ignorant little non-le-creuset bubble!

I teach beginning trumpet, and the horn makes a big difference. I have never seen a Glory instrument in person, so that makes me very skeptical of it's quality. Part of the issue is that I can tell you that a Yamaha 2335 is a good solid beginner horn (and it is...), and you should be able to get one from Craig's list with case and accoutrements for ~$200-250, but if you pick one that has been dropped at all or has had undetectable-before-playing damage to the valves it could be very frustrating to play on. Like a PP said, old Holtons, Conns, and Yamahas are good and can be (dare I say?) cheap, but you have to know what you are looking for and preferably have an experienced player try it out before purchase. Last summer I did an experiment and ordered three older trumpets off of ebay: a Conn Director, a Holton, and a Yamaha to compare them to the new Yamaha 2335 I own and was seeing in the classroom. My favorite, easiest to play, and closest to my professional level Bach was the Holton. It was much more solidly made and free blowing than the new Yamahas. But again, you would need someone play a horn to see what was still in working condition and what wasn't. Is there anyone that could do that for you? Long story to say.... you should be able to pick up a *very* workable instrument, albeit older, for even less $ than a newer beginner Yamaha - perhaps around $100 - most likely being sold by a private individual. You just need help making sure anything you look at is in good shape. Older brands that have the chance to be really good starter horns: King, Yamaha, Conn, Holton, Bach, Getzen....

You can definitely grant a high school diploma. :) Hopefully your school district will be cool, and if you report all the way through you will get a letter from the Superintendent. If not and it turns out to be absolutely necessary (in the case of a particularly sticky SUNY school or something), the 24 credit route can usually be handled fairly easily concurrently with college enrollment. Both of my girls got the letter from the Super, but neither one has been asked to produce it yet.

OP and PPs ... it sounds like you are dealing with encopresis, which definitely needs medical intervention for the physical symptoms and consequences. It is also sometimes exacerbated by anxiety (if your child has OCD or anxiety tendencies), so if you think that might be the case it might be worth looking into addressing those things, too. At some point, it's just beyond what a kid can handle or control. We went through this, too, and it wasn't an easy fix. :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

Aw.... :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: Hugs all the way around. We've done this twice - (and then there was one). This last launch was hard because dd#2 and ds played in a band together and were basically each others' best friends. I'll be honest here and say that the first few weeks were pretty tough for my son, and I did wonder at the time if it might lead to a long term depression for him. But there were a few new things to pick up... like a job... and he threw himself into TaeKwonDo like never before. Plus, he started AP classes for the first time, so he's been very busy with his studies. Once there were things going on it was much, much easier. He's really grown a lot since she left. I think he feels like the 'high school kid' now, instead of 'kid brother' - and it has been a maturing opportunity for him. He still misses her but we make sure to video chat when he can be in on it, and we've had a couple of occasions to ride down and go out to lunch as a family. It helps that she's very cognizant of his missing her so she stays in touch. Technology is a wonderful thing (sometimes)! I was surprised at how much the house dynamics changed in ways I couldn't predict, and it hasn't been all bad. He regularly tells me that he's glad she's taken the leap and is trying this challenging road, even though it was such a drastic change for both of them. As for me: I went off the deep end into depression when my dd#1 left, and it was awful. I tried to make sure that wouldn't happen again this time. Meditation helped a lot. This board helped a lot. :) Really, the wonderful people here helped me in ways they will never know, and gave great advice at every turn. Keep repeating: It will all be OK. It will all be OK. It really, really will be. :grouphug:

Hi! I will come back and read the responses tomorrow morning, but for now I just wanted to congratulate you on being so supportive of your daughter. That's awesome! We went vegan a month ago, and at first I had the same thought as you, "What will we eat?!?" But really, it has been a fun adventure learning a whole new way to cook. Side benefit: we feel really good. :) We are taking B12 and Calcium supplements now, which we probably should have been doing before anyway. We have really enjoyed some of the recipes from forks over knives....http://www.forksoverknives.com/recipes The creamy potato curry is especially delish!

I have been pondering the same question for my 20-something this year. Spice 'racks' like this are really cute and also compact and functional. I am going to stamp the lids with spice names and somehow personalize the metal holder. She can take it back to her apartment for senior year and then wherever she lands after.

We absolutely love this show and are holding our collective breath until next week! There's also a british sewing bee show... haven't seen it yet, though.

I find this a very interesting conversation... I feel like the teens and twenty somethings around here are so into being involved with people of all ages ... even just my kids' crowd alone (not all homeschoolers...) - they are writing plays (that actually get performed in theaters by adults...), making podcasts, blogging, growing their own food and interning at a small farm, performing in their own bands, tutoring English overseas, swing dancing... (the swing dance thing is *huge* - it's not like the eighties 'dances' I used to go to. All ages... and so creative!) In general I see kids that are much more makers and participators than takers, IMO, and mostly in multi-age activities. Just amazing. Way more out of the box and self directed than my crowd ever was, for sure.

Sometimes new nylon strings need to be stretched a little and tuned a few times before they start behaving... Maybe that?

Ewwww. Seriously, what country are we living in? I will wear what I want, thanks. I saw an interesting segment with Ted Koppel on the Charlie Rose show last night, in part talking about the state of the news industry. It was thought provoking ... and sadness provoking.

Agreed.... I used to put darts in the back of my girls' jeans... it was the only way. (I've also been known to buy wide legged jeans from goodwill and make them into skinnies because I am cheap that way. :) )

Do you have a zipper foot? It makes things easier..... But even without it you will be fine. ;) I would recommend basting it in, making sure you like the way it looks, then stitching it down.

You could read The China Study, if you want more of this.

My dds' math, physics, chem, and engineering classes all have p-sets due every week... Paper and pencil, each one evaluated by a TA. If there is any question or discrepancy at that point one can take it up with the professor.

This is exactly what I meant in my other post. I am fairly certain that you and I are not on the same side of the political spectrum, and yet that is how I can sometimes see the other side. I try to see beyond my own biases, bu man , it's hard. Confirmation bias is a fascinating thing! :) Best to all who are trying to figure this whole humanity thing out!