Just because I can look up someone's rank doesn't mean I know their income. You could own rental property, you could have a side hustle, you could have inherited a guano cavern in Peru. And again, I'm really baffled that I have to spell this out - I am not talking about hiding asserts during a divorce, I am talking about the very common situation where a previously pleasant co-parenting relationship falls apart when it comes time to pay for college. If people really think that every divorced person should be punished forever by being required to publish their financial situation to their ex's current spouse and that new spouse's ex, why not just require divorced people to wear giant scarlet A's and get it over with. This is not a situation I am in personally, btw, but it was very common 20 years ago among my friends when we were applying to college. It can get so rancorous that it's probably one of the reasons the divorce rate dropped so fast among the rich.

I want to reiterate that no one should have to come up with a good reason. Just not wanting to is plenty. But the most obvious one is that if you are in an acrimonious divorce you could have plenty of good reasons to be hiding all kinds of things. And a pleasant co-parenting relationship post-divorce can turn very ugly very fast. Haven't any of you seen this? Remember that all married step-parents have to fill out the FAFSA too. And those step-parents can have ex-spouses themselves and other children they're supporting. And remember that child support doesn't end at 18 in most states, it continues through university. I do think that most people who refuse to fill out the FAFSA are not doing it for legitimate reasons - in most cases I think people just don't understand - but so what. I can't understand why there's so much acrimony expressed at people who are themselves being played by an absurdly complicated system that isn't serving anyone's needs, except I guess the needs of the people making 100k+ as admissions directors.

I do think it's a rotten thing not to fill out the FAFSA, if you understand the consequence which not everybody does. But it's a rottener thing to be put into the position where you have to choose between privacy and your child's future. As has been extensively discussed on this thread, it is very difficult to succeed in life in the US without at least some college. OK, that's the society we live in, and maybe that's not so bad, but the rules that run the college games are ones that none of us chose. We have zero input on admissions policies and financial aid. We just have to like it or lump it and the consequences for lumping it are *very serious.* As for people not being able to imagine any situations where middle aged adults wouldn't want their 18yo to know intimate details of their financial situation... really? Give it some thought. The repeated "why wouldn't you just tell" is silly. There are all kinds of reasons - many 18yos *don't have married parents* is the most obvious one but there are a lot more.

People on this thread are saying "well I just don't get why you'd want to keep that information private." Nobody should have to come up with a reason that someone else finds legitimate to keep *their own business* to themselves. I grew up in a culture that insisted on college, and everyone did the FAFSA. I expect to have to disclose all my financial information for my kids, and I feel bad for people whose parents choose differently. But the situation is ridiculous. I don't see the point in namecalling people who are well within their rights in saying no, I am not disclosing my personal private info to help a legal adult over whom I have no control and who has no legal responsibilities to me. Yeah, that is jerky behavior under the circumstances, but the circumstances are insane. Either people should be minors until 24, or people should be applying for aid independently.

I haven't read it but ugh, I hate my open plan. It's terrible for homeschooling.

There is some kind of homeschool taboo on saying that not all domestic situations are going to work out if mom just tries her hardest, but I don't think it's possible to homeschool all sibling sets without outside help. I think some people get really lucky and it's easy, and some people are less lucky and have to put effort into it but the effort pays off, so they're still luckier than the last group for whom nothing is going to work. For the last group your choices are wait it out, put the older ones in school, or put the little kids into daycare or get a mother's helper in order the meet the older children's academic needs. I have observed a lot of homeschool families over a lot of years and honestly? I don't see that parenting makes much of a difference here. It's mostly sibling dynamics, and when there's a rambunctious, demanding little one and homeschooling is still working out for the family, every single time there is a nurturing older sibling. And I notice that your older kids just moved away? So maybe getting a mother's helper/older sibling replacement will be magic.

I'm fine with teaching, but I have super needy toddlers who don't nap reliably, no childcare, and a spouse travelling three weeks out of the month at least, so there is very limited direct instruction time. It might need to get used for this though. Thanks for the advice everybody!

I can't even tell. It seems pretty bad when he has to sound stuff out to write, but he's reading aloud and reciting material with unfamiliar vocabulary. He looks at sonnet 116 cold and reads it aloud with no errors, but his letter to Santa had no vowels. He was asking me how to spell "like" and then two minutes later "pipe."

Selfcontained workbooks are a REALLY high priority.

I'm a homeschooling mother of three in Oregon. I have a 9yo boy, a 4yo girl, and a 2yo girl. We're currently working on Life of Fred:Jellybeans; Mimumus; the Persian War and Nebel's Foundations of Scientific Understanding. My 9yo fences and recently started piano lessons and the 4yo does ballet. The 2yo just makes messes.

I have a 9yo boy who is reading at around a ninth grade level. He reads for pleasure. He hates to write, however, and his spelling is unsurprisingly atrocious. He does Life of Fred and is used to self-directed work, and I am looking for a curriculum that is as self-taught as possible, and one with workbooks, not reproducibles or printables. Any advice?