If he’s chewing the harness, could you just take it off between walks? ID tags could be on a collar in case of an emergency like having him slip out the door. If he’s likely to slip out of the harness while walking, our animal shelter taught us to hook the front loop on the harness and the loop on a martingale type collar both in the leash latch, for an extra layer of security. There, though, we were walking mostly very energetic pit mixes, so I’m not sure if that would apply for a tiny dog. I would think that an active walk, with some obedience work mixed in and lots of praise and rewards, might help distract him from the harness. Maybe he needs something to think about other than the harness itself. All this assumes that the harness does fit him comfortably, which is the first priority.

I would take her back in immediately, probably to the ER. She told you that she masked her reaction for the doctor. She needs to be seen again, and she needs to understand that it’s important to be honest about how she feels. Poor kid. She’s not “being good” by masking symptoms, she’s preventing the doctor from understanding what’s happening. She doesn’t understand that, but it’s time to explain it and figure things out.

Sometimes places in nearby cities will come pick up, fwiw. Might be worth a phone call to see, though I’m sure there are plenty of places that are too remote for pickup. E.g.: Our small town ReStore closed, but there’s one in another town about 15 miles away. But, the one 15 miles west of us still picks up stuff around 20 miles east of us. So it’s not immediately obvious they’d be helpful there, but they are.

In our area, we can call Habitat for Humanity and schedule a time for them to come pick things up for the ReStore. It’s easy peasy. I wouldn’t fool around with waiting for individuals, though you were kind to give them a chance.

I’m glad you didn’t. Hope people stay safe.

Both of these things are true. Of course we start our new drivers carefully, under controlled conditions. Of course they eventually get comfortable with those and need to move into new, carefully planned situations. Of course they can still make mistakes. A degree of patience and understanding on the part of other drivers is helpful, but I don’t expect any signs to turn truly antisocial drivers into paragons of tolerance. Fortunately most drivers are decent people, and for them, the signs can be a helpful indicator that someone here is still learning. Personally, I like to know when I’m behind a learner. I feel a lot of empathy for them.

I hope it’s helpful. It’s good that you’ll have a chance to talk to the cardiologist afterwards.

I’m sorry people are being obnoxious. The signs are commonplace here. I think they’re a good reminder to drivers that some people are still learning, and need a bit of space and patience.

One of my kids isn’t heading to college, either, directly or perhaps ever. We’re trying to navigate the best path for an individual who doesn’t want more academics. So I’m not unsympathetic to the need to respect who a kid is, or their interests and goals. I certainly don’t intend any disrespect towards @Sabine’s ds or his uncles or grandfather. My experience with physical trades is that they can have an expiration date. Maybe they won’t! That’s great, if it works out. I agree that the world of professional dance or sports is smaller than the world of nursing, and since I know nothing about being a cowboy, I’m happy to defer to you on that. But I do know plumbers who have a harder time climbing around under houses as they get older, and some need to change jobs. As long as there’s time and money available, sure, they can retrain, though that takes a different degree of motivation and flexibility at 45 or 55 than it does at 20. Family obligations can add complications, but maybe you’re dealing with a family structure that can help with supporting kids or older parents while retraining. If my kid wanted to be a plumber, I would encourage them, but also emphasize business classes or something else to have in their back pocket, already finished and ready to wave around, if they needed it. That’s why I agreed from the start that an AAS or AS degree would be wise. I don’t see the equivalence between undertaking medical school, with a finished BS which would provide entry level employment opportunities, on the one hand, with undertaking a physical trade without anything beyond a high school diploma. The first has immediate, built-in employability; the second requires retraining. Some kind of associates degree or certificate program is better than no sort of degree and starting from scratch. I’m agreeing with your ideas, not disagreeing. None of that is intended to be disrespectful to plumbers or cowboys or anyone. To my mind, it’s just careful, robust planning that acknowledges all the possibilities.

Same

Both very true.

Sending hugs and good thoughts. I hope they get her fluids, check her thoroughly, and find she’s okay. That’s got to be scary and frustrating.

Another one coming late to this thread… one question I have is how old his uncles are. Has ds had a chance to see the effects of aging and accumulated accidents on how his uncles function? Have they got plans for shifting their work if they need to? Ds might be more open to discussing backup plans with them than with his father, under the circumstances. If they don’t have backup plans, that would be a serious concern for me. I think the AAS degree sounds like a good compromise, but the AS would be fine too. Pushing for a full BS after that sounds unwise, both for relationship purposes and for the practical considerations @Lori D. mentioned.

Wow! It would be neat if he sticks around. Interesting to watch if it turned out to be genetics or diet, though my completely uneducated guess would be genetics.

I’m so sorry. Holding you all in my thoughts. I hope the medical team figures this out fast.

It was down for me for several hours. Kind of disconcerting how much I miss it.

I think that sounds like a good plan. Spend the money on activities for the 8yo, and let the older kids go to public schools.

It’s got to be terribly frustrating being on the sidelines, watching this train wreck, without the ability to fix things. Sending hugs for you.

I see. It’s a tough call for families, no question. Do you think the pc has all the information he needs to make an informed decision about FIL’s driving safety?

Even your dh?

I was thinking of mentioning Time Team. If you’re at all interested in archaeology, it’s thoroughly enjoyable. It’s on Amazon Prime and also some seasons (maybe all?) are on YouTube. In the same vein, try Detectorists. It’s utterly charming, with the only problem being that you’ll be sorry when there’s no more to watch. ETA that there are a few episodes focused on family issues and stresses, but it’s all resolved happily.

Hugs. That all sounds traumatic. We’ve had a vacation with some seriously rough moments, too, so I get it. I’m not really keen on heights, either, these days. I’m trying to plan accordingly this time, but there are so many potential difficulties. Mostly I want to make sure everyone has something they’re interested in doing, and everyone stays reasonably comfortable.

I can completely see this happening. Or there might be awe and amazement, it’s hard to predict. My fear is that crowds might cancel out the appreciation.

Yes, beginning of April. Frozen falls are fine. I can’t imagine that they aren’t still impressive. We might spend less time there, though!

I saw that, but it wasn’t clear if it operated year round. The ones near us only have butterflies in the summer (makes sense…), but maybe there’s more there? I will investigate, thank you!