I love it, no complaints.

They use a solid text and the Norton Psych. reader, and my son really enjoyed the course.

You've gotten a lot of great feedback from everyone else. My son is s senior and we are doing some college visiting these two weeks before school starts. Last year was rough because of my angst and I want this year to feel better to all of us. There comes a point where you just have to let go, knowing you gave it your best. Some days I am almost there.

Keep us posted. Hugs to you. :)

My Junior has 7 this year, but his music (for which he earned class credit the last two years) will be continued as a pretty heavy extra-curricular for no credit. So his schedule will be full.

So glad things are looking more hopeful for you guys. Hope all goes smoothly with the move.

You may consider moving a bit more slowly through HOAW, as I don't think it has enough chapters to do one per day through the entire school year. We did about 2 or 3 chapters per week, I'm thinking...

4H varies wildly depending on your location- state, county, etc. Our club is a county club which includes any kids who do not have an active 4H program at their school, whether homeschooled or not. We are in a suburban county and our 4H has monthly meetings plus the kids can run for office, participate in lots of field trips throughout the year, and compete in local and district presentation events. They also have the opportunity to participate in statewide events/meetings and summer camps. My kids have taken a while to really feel at home with 4H but both really love it now. My son is in high school, and my daughter is entering 7th grade. A mom I know who lives about an hour north of us tells me of her local 4H group, which is only homeschoolers. Apparently that group is not very organized and they don't do a whole lot with the kids. In some of the more rural counties, agricultural activities are emphasized a lot more- horticulture and animal showing/judging. We do have a horse and pony club here but it is completely separate from the county activities- one can opt to be involved in that but it's not required. hth.

:grouphug:

With my son (now 16) I wish I had eased up a little... but the way we did it has helped contribute to his strong work ethic and his eagerness to learn the hard things. I just wish I had taken a little more time to enjoy him as a small child. With my daughter (now 12) I wish I had pushed her a little harder to read more challenging things, and maybe not allowed her to re-read over and over some of the less challenging things she enjoys... she doesn't like to read challenging literature. She will do it, but I have to push her now. It's all very individual... but the bottom line is that if what you are pushing at a young age (under 10yo) isn't working, don't get so nervous; just try again with it a little later, or go in a new direction. You know your child best and you can tailor things and it may not seem like it, but you have a lot of time to navigate these waters.

We will celebrate 19 years in March. He is my best friend, and I am his. We are devoted to each other and our life together and our kids. I love him all the time but I definitely get irritated with him from time to time. If he gets irritated with me, he rarely shows it. Like someone else said, he is the only person in my life, ever, that has loved me the way he does. That is HUGE. Because sometimes I am a pill. :) We have the same values and the same ideals. Those things haven't changed very much. But we have grown up together and matured in ways that I think make each of us more desirable to the other. We help each other to be better people. We are physically affectionate and there is a lot of "I love you" floating around this house. We rarely ever argue, and I can't remember the last true verbal fight we have had. We just don't do that. We are better at listening to one another and accommodating each others' needs. Love, love, love him.

The main reason now is because I don't want them to be like everyone else. In other words, I want them to have the time and the space to find out what makes them tick, what inspires them, and who they want to be; free from outside influence. To give them enough quiet to hear their own voices.

I struggle, too, from time to time. Go easy on yourself; and feel free to contact me privately- you know where to find me. J

I think that says it all, but I will elaborate. My son is 16 and my daughter is 12 and mid-puberty. I am pretty sure I am smack in the middle of peri-menopause and some kind of mid-life crisis where I am questioning myself, who I am, what I am doing, and why it's important. So I pick this year.

I think when the maturity level isn't there, it isn't there. No amount of help from you is going to create basic maturity/readiness in your child. Some of that is just about time and development. I would vote no on "going out" at a young age. It *is* just something they call each other, and there become a lot of emotional strings attached to the relationship which, in my opinion, get in the way of healthy friendship and just plain growing up together. Why label something that can be healthy and innocent with such a grown-up label? So, this is how I talk to my kids about it. I think plenty of parents have well-reasoned responses as to how they do it, even when they do it differently; this is just my take.