Yeah. And honestly, if we err I'd rather err on the side of less interference. Even though it's so frustrating to watch. There are always going to be those grey line cases ...

Ok, the meal itself wasn't bad, and this is from my childhood, but ... One Christmas, we decided to have roast duck. We had raised ducks that year, so they were quacking outside. We chopped off their heads about midday on Christmas Eve. My mother, who had never plucked anything before, started to pluck them. And pluck them. And pluck them. At 4am Christmas Day, when she was exhausted and near tears, she said "Skin the ****ers" and went to bed. We had roasted skinless duck that year. Bacon makes a good skin.

If he can't walk/feed himself/go to the bathroom, then is the time that you'd end up needing to involve adult protective services. Until then, there really isn't that much you can do. Carol's got some good suggestions for trying to get started so I won't repeat them. But if they don't work, again, not much. I'm in a similar situation with a relative ... basically, I have managed to get her to let me clean up a few things, but mostly I'm just waiting for the train wreck, because I know it'll be me who has to clean up after it. But until then, she is happier (or at least less unhappy) and more able than she would be in a clean assisted living apartment with her stuff gone. Even if it is somewhat squalid.

Sweet things that aren't dessert. Like the sweet potatoes with marshmallows. Ugh! But honestly, I think that if traditional Thanksgiving dishes don't float your boat, it might be time to alter traditions. I'm cooking a Thanksgiving dinner for my mother this year and it's going to have roast duck, roasted root vegetables and brussels sprouts, cheese straws/biscuits/muffins (not decided yet), and mincemeat turnovers with ice cream

Following up (because I wrote hastily) -- another option could be to move through algebra 1 in a diagnostic-prescriptive manner. One way to do this is: Have student take chapter test. If the grade is 85%+ (A/solid B), correct missed problems, explain, move on. If the grade is 70%-85% (low B/C), correct missed problems, explain, work either chapter review (if a couple of problems are missed from multiple sections) or sections where problems were missed (best if there is clearly one section that is poorly understood). If the grade is lower than that, work through the sections where problems were missed. This would still be best done by a tutor imo. But please don't give up on him or have him give up on himself. One of my friends flunked out of college at 18 after starting in college algebra. At 25 he went back and started in beginning algebra (college math usually goes beginning algebra/intermediate algebra/college algebra/precalculus although variations exist). After spending 3 years (including math in summers) at a community college, he transferred to a state university as a junior. He recently graduated (after two years at the state college) with a bachelor's in engineering and a very decent GPA (grade replacement of the classes he failed helped). Nobody at 18 would have said he could become an engineer. But he did.

If he's missing foundational material (which he would be if he didn't really LEARN from Fred) he would be "just unable to grasp" algebra 2/trig because he is missing the reference material needed to understand it. The difference between the flash drive and a tutor is that a skilled tutor can look at what he's doing and figure out what concepts from algebra 1 he's missing and re-teach them, without having him re-do the entire class. For someone with some exposure to algebra but without mastery, I would really recommend at least some time spent in tutoring to find and fill in holes.

Ooh, now you've given me another idea -- baked potato bar! There are some pretty cool toppings for potatoes that happen to be vegan (curried beans is delicious for one).

I'd be kinda worried about your vegan guest having just fruit salad + nuts for breakfast. Would they be interested in some oatmeal/porridge? That's relatively easy to whip up. Lunch dessert -- You might be fruited out by now, but what about berries with whipped cream on the side? Or some kind of meringue? (it's just egg whites + sugar so that shouldn't be too processed). Supper -- I'm not sure on how filling the vegetable soup would be. What about some sort of beans? Personally I like lentils because I don't have to mess around with pre-soaking. I find them very filling, tasty, and they have a fair amount of protein (essential for me). I don't think bread would be rude to the gluten-free eater although I think it would be nice to have a starch that she could eat as well.

Oh, that is a great call, I could picture someone who's interested in fitness and a caring young man being a great PT assistant.

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day Once in Royal David's City, preferably done by a boy choir. It Came Upon the Midnight Clear O Come O Come Emmanuel O Come Little Children Fröhliche Weihnacht überall (google this if you've never heard it, it's very catchy) Nesem vám noviny (A Czech carol that I haven't heard in English much -- known in German as Kommet ihr Hirten)

The only issue might be aged baking powder -- causing issues with rising. But since you already have them, I'd bake them anyway -- just not when you really really need it to work first time, if you know what I mean? But there is no food safety issue. Only a potential quality issue.

Do you have any relatives/old pals in a lower COL area where he could move into a small apartment/share with someone near his own age and have nearby support/people to keep an eye on him/call you if things are spiraling? Or is there anywhere with a lower COL within a couple of hour's drive, where if he really needs rescue you can swoop in?

Save the $$$ for later when he's better able to take advantage of it. Those transcripts will follow him even when he IS ready to go to college, and he's going to need to submit them. It's not just unethical, but students have had their admission rescinded and been required to repay financial aid on the grounds that it was fraudulently obtained when they neglected to submit a transcript, even one that showed all W. And if he is actually considering nursing, it would really tank his admission chances. Given what you've said about what a lovely young man he is and how caring, I wonder if he would be able to handle a CNA job in a nursing home, for now? That's a lot of physical contact, and if he decides he wants to go back to school, it certainly won't look bad on his nursing school application. My personal experience -- I flunked out of college (immaturity/undiagnosed adhd), worked as a CNA for a few years, decided that there was no future here and I did not want to be looking at other people's butts for the rest of my life, and went back. It was amazing how some time, maturity, and motivation (having seen what life was like outside of school) did for my work habits. But I really wish I hadn't started in the first place -- it hindered me getting into some programs I really wanted to do, and my GPA was terrible even before I got started. I think that living on his own for a bit (but with support available nearby), a decent job, and finding some activities he's interested in -- if he were in a city with lots of clubs where young people go -- would be really good for him. For example, one of my friends has recently joined an astronomy club and a science fiction writer's club because he's science-minded, terrible at math (so science isn't a viable career choice), and wants to be involved/meet other people who are science-minded.

Make sure you either pick a precal that's self paced or have him take time to review algebra 2 at the end of summer to prepare. Other than that, I did it, I liked it. I wasn't mature enough really for geometry even after alg 2 (I got a C, but ...)

Precalculus usually includes algebra as well. It's about half algebra and half trigonometry in many cases, but the proportions may vary. This is why a lot of universities have "college algebra" and "trigonometry" as their two-semester precalculus sequence -- they split up the two halves. Honestly I'd just go with 1 credit precalculus and not futz around with half credits. Admissions officers will assume precalculus includes trigonometry. You could call it precalculus with trigonometry for 1 credit too. I wouldn't call it just trigonometry.

Oh yeah. And -- don't let work impact your grades if you can help it. Working can earn you money, but if you need to stay an extra semester/year because you had to drop classes/not pass classes, or if it causes you to miss out on post-graduate opportunities because your GPA is lower, it will cost you more money in the long run.

If you don't have public transit, see if they have a shuttle or try to organize a carpool to get to off-campus stores. We have a shuttle bus that runs to the local supermarkets twice a week and a lot of students still buy stuff on-campus. Stay away from Starbucks omg. That adds up so fast. Use it as a treat, not a daily "I need caffeine". If you need to buy fresh coffee, there's almost always a gas station near campus to get it at. Similarly, hoard your own snacks instead of buying them from vending machines/on-campus shops. Check with your professors to see if older editions of textbooks are ok. Sometimes they are, sometimes they aren't. If your class requires an online access code, a LOT of times those include access to an online version of the text and so in most cases you won't need a physical textbook. Every campus bookstore I've been in has had "optional" laminated review sheets by the math texts. For pete's sake, don't buy those, they're something the bookstore throws in to trick you into spending money, and if you really want them they're a lot cheaper at an off-campus store -- but frankly, you're better off making your own. This is an enormous pet peeve of mine. I mean yeah, they're not THAT expensive, but it's just one more way to nickel and dime people. The same with the calculators by the books -- ask the professor if that specific calculator is required or if they just need a calculator that adheres to the following standards (for example, students can use any non-graphing calculator in my classes, but if it's not a TI I can't help you figure out how to work it). Amazon student! Make sure you have extras of things like printer cartridges (if you have your own printer), batteries, etc. for anything where you might need them in an emergency so that you don't end up paying through the nose at the campus bookstore. Also, this isn't a money-saving but rather a grade-saving tip -- make sure you know where an on-campus printing option is so that if your printer breaks right before a big paper's due, you can run over and get it printed rather than just hoping the professor will take it late.

It would have a strong possibility of raising eyebrows for a student to have credits in algebra 3 AND trigonometry AND precalculus, unless possibly the precalculus was taken DE. Precalculus is usually algebra 3 + trigonometry, so it would be kind of like giving credit for grammar/composition AND literature AND english. I'd definitely go with Art Reed's suggestion instead.

A really nice bridge set. Here's an example of what I mean: https://www.kardwell.com/piatnik-playing-cards.html For the crossword fan, the dictionary might be too ... basic? if they're advanced enough. You might also just consider a large book of crosswords to solve. (I'm speaking for myself as a dictionary would be something I'd put on a shelf and rarely look at, but a book is something I'd actually use).

My undergrad did this as well for vet school -- if you did 3 years of an animal science major (including all the gen eds) and then got into vet school, they would award you a bachelor's in animal science after your first year of vet school. Makes perfect sense as far as I'm concerned -- vet med courses counting as animal science seems totally reasonable. I'm not sure how many actually got into vet school, though -- it may have been left in the course catalog from when admission was less competitive. Getting a bachelor's/master's is much more likely to be required to be at the same school. The way it often works is that an advanced undergrad will petition as a junior to be able to register for grad classes as a senior and get enough advanced standing to be able to finish in one year. Edit: While I'm thinking, one of my siblings transferred from a 2-year to a 4-year college. He was missing one class required for his associate's degree, and the 2-year college back-transferred it after he completed it at the 4-year and awarded an associate's. This is actually not uncommon as it helps out the 2-year college's degree completion metrics.

We do a vegetable roast Christmas Eve -- it's potato, sweet potato, rutabaga, carrot, parsnip, and brussels sprout. Sounds similar!

Is there anyone locally that you know (possibly through homeschoolers) who would be interested in tutoring? It would not be full-time work, but it would be something to keep her brain engaged and have money coming in for her that's not a gift from you. It can be utterly demoralizing when even something like ordering a new book is with money that you know is really a gift from your parents.

For savory, mash pumpkin into mashed potatoes, or chop it and roast it with some garlic.

Oh man. When you said gross I was thinking of the urban legends ... yeah. So, anyway. There are some that I think are very dated but quaint and charming. Of the ones listed I'd go with Beryl, Dorothy, Glenda, Maude, Ruth (seriously, if I had a dd that would be her name), Edith, Gwendolyn, Hester, Winifred, Phyllis, Harriet, Moira. Other ones that I happen to like would be Adelaide, Rose, Pearl, Clara, Grace, Evelyn, Marjorie, Judith, Constance, Priscilla, Lydia, Genevieve, Rosalind, Lillian, Gillian, Jessamine. Then there are some that are just plain dated and I don't really see them making a comeback. Edna, Gertrude, Dorcas, Eunice, Enid, Bertha, Helga, Agatha, Agnes, Ermentrude, Mercy, Silence, Keziah, Mehitabel, Edwina, Sophronia (Phronsie!), Theodosia, Lettice (everyone would call her lettuce!), Griselda, Bathsheba, Eulalia, Eglentine, Petronella, Scholastica, Elfreda, Etheldreda, Godiva, Urith.

But did she have a bonnet? :)