No real help, but I feel your pain. I'm trying to figure out classes for dd which have sufficient challenge but not too much busy work. We have horse complications too, but for dd, live classes are essential. It's hard to find the right fit, isn't it?

Thanks for helping me figure this out. Dd looked the professor up; he only has one review, but it was good. The CC only offers precalc as a two-semester course. It appears to cover no more material than the other online syllabi we could find, so I can't see why it would move faster than a standard high school class. Dd sent the instructor an email last night trying to get some clarification, so we may find out more. It sounds like it really might just be that most students at that school are very unprepared.

Good suggestions, thanks. I'll get dd to look him up, and we can certainly compare the syllabus to others. I am pretty sure two semesters of Precalculus are required here before moving on to calculus, but I'll check that too.

to a community college Precalculus teacher who announces in the first class that the class moves very quickly and only has a 30% pass rate? How much variation is there likely to be in the material covered as "Precalculus"? Is there legitimately more done in some classes than others, justifying moving more quickly through the material? (Can you tell I'm not a math person and haven't done this in decades?) They are using an online curriculum from Openstax. I'm trying to sort out whether this is a reflection on the teacher (dd said he seems impatient), or the general preparation level of the student body, or what. Dd isn't a math person either. She will work diligently, and I'm already looking into options, from getting tutoring to help her through the course, to dropping it and finding an alternative. This is the first time she's done dual enrollment. Her other classes seem fine. I don't want to saddle her with a college class that's destined to cause her lasting pain by bringing down her GPA. But... most online options are full or conflict with her other classes, she does not do well with asynchronous classes, and this is one subject I sure can't teach. Is there any way we can figure out why this class seems so hard? If it's just that most of the math students are unprepared, then we can support her with a tutor and maybe she'll be fine. But if the teacher is impatient with people who don't understand immediately, we should pull her out. Any thoughts? Editing to add: she's 16, and in 11th grade. I need to let her ask any further questions of the teacher about the class, not do it myself at this stage, am I right? I really want to just email him and ask what the deal is, but I'm betting I shouldn't.

Thank you very much!

Any other good options? The ones listed above are either full or conflict with other classes for dd. She was supposed to be doing dual enrollment for pre-calc, but just had her first class and is terrified. The teacher told them the class moves very quickly and has only a 30% pass rate. ?

Congratulations! I'm so happy for you.

No personal experience, but I did ask our developmental pediatrician if it might be useful. She said it would be necessary for the child to want to make changes. Dd didn't want to work on things, so I didn't pursue it.

My experience with this sort of thing... Dogs can experience dementia, just like people. We had a dearly beloved mutt who started to have cognitive problems at about that age. Incontinence, nighttime pacing, getting "stuck" in corners and unable to figure out that nothing was really preventing him from turning around. We had multiple vet visits and months trying to keep him going, but eventually decided his quality of life was pretty much gone. You may not be there yet, but look up sundown syndrome for dogs. https://www.senioradvisor.com/blog/2017/03/how-to-help-your-dog-with-sundowners-syndrome/ And certainly start by talking with your vet. It sounds like your dog still has a good daytime quality of life; maybe there's a way to calm him at night.

Thanks, guys. I'm sure this is true. I've been letting this go for years, literally, because it wasn't my hill to die on as long as she seemed healthy. This summer she's been showing signs we need to address it, though. Using ABA to back up any progress is a great idea; we aren't doing it formally atm, but I can definitely apply the principles. We'll give that a try, thanks! I got a referral from the ped today. Tomorrow I'm going to try to call and sound them out. The ped recommended a group of dieticians, so I want to find out what their experience range actually is. Maybe they do feeding therapy, maybe the message got garbled between me and the pediatrician.

We've used various things of that sort, but I hadn't seen that one. It does look worth a try, thanks! I'd still just like to get her past the insistence that she can't drink plain water. For the rest of us, adequate hydration is simple: drink a glass of water. Repeat often. But dd13 is so focused on the flavors, which she prefers, which she doesn't like any more, which she literally cannot swallow, that she will go thirsty rather than consume what she does not like. She often gets to dinner time without having had any liquid, if I don't stay on top of her and insist.

Like bottled water, or carbonated water? Yes, she's tried them. No go. No, it's the taste, apparently.

Yes, on anxiety meds. I've read about retained reflexes in the past and did the tests which are supposed to indicate their presence. No indication of problems. She did OT for a year or so, but we didn't really see any benefit. The therapist did not being up retained reflexes, as far as I can remember. She loves juice, so I'll try the dilution idea. We've tried British cordial-type drinks which come in concentrated form, intended to be diluted-- lemon barley water, Ribena, that sort of thing. She loves some of those, but won't drink them at the intended dilution. She puts in too much cordial. She loves soda, which we try to limit to diet forms. We use a lot of powdered Pure Lemon-type mixes to go in water, but she's gotten to the point she really only tolerates them. She won't drink enough to keep her hydrated. In summer, she practically lives on watermelons. No tea, though we've tried. She'll drink coffee, but only with lots of (ironically) milk and sweetener. That's actually the only way to get milk in her. I mix milk and coffee about half and half. If that's the sort of thing a feeding therapist will do, I can try it here. And yes, her cooperation will be limited. She is starting to feel embarrassed about not being able to drink what the rest of us do, so she may be willing to try, but not all that willing. If this is in feeding therapy territory, I'll see if I can find someone good. Thanks!

I'm not sure if feeding therapy would be appropriate here or not. Dd13 (ASD, etc.) has always been unable to drink water, and since preschool years, she can't handle milk either, even with chocolate added. She finds them revolting, to the extent of having a gag reflex. I've brought this up with her peds several times, but they seem completely unworried. They do know we try to stay away from sugary beverages, and that seemed to be their main concern. I'm having increasing trouble keeping her adequately hydrated. While we try to avoid sugar, I'm not crazy about constantly using aspartame, either. Since we also need to avoid artificial food coloring, her choices are limited, and they all seem to have drawbacks. Stevia would be my preference as a sweetener, but isn't in most of the things she can drink. Buying all this stuff is expensive, too. I really want her to drink milk and water. Does feeding therapy handle this sort of issue? Is she too old for it? Wwyd?

At some point, most of us probably anticipate that our kids will join or rejoin actual schools, whether it's in college or before. I think I tend to have a grade level in mind based on that expectation, even if a child is working ahead or behind in any given subject. My own kids also started in public school, and remained in touch with others from their own grades. They would be very well aware if, say, a friend graduated before or after they did. The grade remains socially relevant, even if it's not academically relevant. But mine are both teens now, and younger kids might not notice.

I wish! Not for political or health reasons, really, but this would be lovely just for the experience. No dual citizenship options. I wish we could all have better healthcare options, too.

Thanks, everyone. For some reason they don't have to offer us anything under COBRA, so I want to plan to be able to handle this. I appreciate hearing what others are paying. I'm glad to know AARP is an option for dental, thanks! Agreed. Fingers crossed that it lasts.

They will not offer anything. Once he retires, they're done. Yes, focusing on good benefits sounds like a good plan.

Yes, I know this is true. But-- I still have to make some kind of plan, kwim? I find the whole situation extremely frustrating and infuriating. I haven't worked since dd16 was born. Probably I should get some sort of training. If I started now, I could do diagnostic sonography at the local community college, and end up with a good income and likely benefits. But dd13 really needs me to be very closely involved with her schooling still. If she could just go to the local high school, I could go back to school also. But I know that school, and seriously doubt she'd do well there. If I wait until she's done with high school, I won't be able to do the sonography program in time for dh to retire. He has health issues, so he does need to retire asap. The place I used to work would hire me again, but they're having financial problems. I don't feel I can just rely on them. I just want to have a plan in place so I know this is covered. Now I'm whining, lol.

Dh will be retiring in five-ten years, so his very good, employer-provided health insurance will end. He'll go straight on Medicare. The girls and I, however, will still need coverage, and I will probably need to work to cover the cost. This is causing me concern, given the discussions here and elsewhere about costs. The company that covers us now doesn't currently offer any individual coverage, and can't offer even a vague idea of what coverage for an adult and two teens/early twenties might cost. Of course I know (hope!) all this may change significantly in the next few years. But if you were planning for this, how much would you plan on needing to pay? Mental and/or behavioral healthcare is essential.

I'm sure this is regional, but having spent a good bit of time volunteering in our local shelter, I think there are several factors in play. Yes, breed rescues swoop in and take the purebred dogs. This can be a good thing for the dogs, though it means prospective owners have to go through those groups instead of the shelters. Regarding the pits, and perhaps to a lesser degree the chihuahuas, I think people often surrender these dogs after having adopted or purchased them without fully understanding the dog's temperament, energy and needs. I've walked the pits at our shelter. They are strong, high-energy dogs. They need a lot of exercise and good socialization, or their owners will start to have problems. The pits are kind of "cool" at the moment, which means a lot of people are buying them without thinking things through, and so the pits end up at the shelter once they are grown and too much for their owners to handle. Eighty percent or so of the dogs at our shelter are pits or pit mixes. The chihuahuas can be very nervous. They're not the best fit around young kids, and may end up at the shelter for fear issues or housebreaking difficulties. The hounds, around here, are either escape artists or hunting dogs who wandered off. There are many, many former hunting dogs.

In shelters and rescues around here there's a strong preponderance of pits, chihuahuas, and various hunting dogs: beagles, walker hounds, foxhounds, coonhounds of every sort. Among owners I have contact with, there's a much wider range. In our neighborhood we have a lab, two shelties, two Airedales, a little poo mix, a big poo mix, a Doberman, a cavalier King Charles Spaniel, a beagle mix, a cattle dog mix, a corgi, a schnauzer, a Pomeranian, and probably others I'm forgetting. At training classes I see poodles, border collies, a Belgian Malinois, Jack Russells, a Saint Bernard, german shepherds, more Pomeranians and corgis, mutts, definitely others I'm forgetting. I think around here informed owners are choosing from a pretty wide range of breeds, a few of which are very likely to end up in shelters without informed and committed care.

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I am so sorry.

I found an interview transcript about this last night while browsing Twitter. It adds a few other details about the study. I think, the way they present it, it makes sense. It's actually the personality traits being inherited, and they lead to higher rates of divorce. I believe there's a typo in the last question, though: I think it should read that you *can't* change height or eye color. https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.4353197