If parents are making teachers' lives uncomfortable because of getting this information, that is indeed unfortunate, both for the teachers and for the students who need help. I'm sorry you've had that experience.

Well... I see your point. I guess it's a matter of gauging the situation and deciding your own priorities. It wouldn't have occurred to me that a teacher would have a strong suspicion about serious issues and *not* tell me.

"If you figure something out, let me know" suggests the parent is open to and desirous of help. I think the best help you can offer is to show the parent exactly what's happening, with comparative samples of other students' work, or by having her sit in class and observe. Then suggest educational psych and/or neuropsych evaluations. [Deleted some info] Speaking clearly about the student's needs isn't mean. It's the kindest thing you can possibly do.

I'm so sorry.

Hardly ever, except when I'm in the car. Waiting at stop lights, sometimes a great stream of smoke suddenly emerges from the window of the driver ahead of me. It's almost always vaping. Probably ten years ago now, I was really shocked to see someone smoking (vaping) at our neighborhood pool. Smoking just wasn't something people did, typically, in that sort of public situation, and especially around kids-- we were all there for swim team practice. I wasn't the only one looking startled and unhappy. It was the first time I had ever seen vaping. In the intervening years, I don't think it's become any more common or acceptable in my circles, but vaping seems to have supplanted cigarettes among those who do smoke. I'd agree that there's a class and educational gap between smokers and nonsmokers here.

How awful. I'm so sorry.

This was my first thought, too. Then I realized that out of the twenty or so houses on my suburban street, I know of three for certain where people feed the deer. Dd refers to our local herd as a petting zoo-- not that people are actually petting them, but I've seen them throw corn to deer only a few feet away. I wouldn't be surprised if some feed them by hand. When I walk our 50+ lb hound, we can get within ten feet of the deer before they retreat. So, yeah. People actually do get close enough to transmit the virus. ☹️

I can relate to days like that. Good job! You definitely deserve a prize.

Depending on how long it is, I would be tempted to get on the waiting list for the bus.

Sending lots of hugs and hoping you get plenty of support in person when you're ready.

Thanksgiving for us is always roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans with butter and almonds, probably a family jello salad with cranberries, regular cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. This is dh, and now our kids also. Christmas also has a Meal Which May Not Be Varied. I'm trying hard to have a little variety, but it has to be extras around the edges, not the principal dishes.

That festival sounds like fun--I'd love to go, in a post-Covid year. The list of foods makes me nostalgic, especially the ham biscuits!

In this case, I would want to make sure that the program is appropriate for both mental health and autism needs. Given the serious nature of his health challenges, though, I would be concerned about any inclinations to minimize his need for help. Does his father have an alternate plan beyond continuing to do the best you can at home? How much progress have you seen so far? I think @Tap's suggestion to look at changes over the last two years is smart. Is he doing better than he was two years ago? Worse? Like others, I would take this brief window of opportunity to get him the best help possible, before he turns eighteen. What's the biggest risk here? When you have a potentially suicidal teen, the money isn't the important part. But, again, I would want to get him in an appropriate residential situation. Sending lots of hugs.

Is this the son who was at risk of suicide recently?

That's clearly a bad choice. If they're still young puppies, then that does change things a bit. Is she physically able to meet their needs?

I feel kinda like @prairiewindmomma, especially about the animals. I can't imagine getting rid of beloved pets because I had fallen on hard times. Perhaps she was never in a position to responsibly acquire pets. Still, getting rid of them, probably not ever knowing what happened to them, would be genuinely heartbreaking to many. When she's already in a deeply stressful situation, I can understand resisting that. Some areas have low-cost vet clinics for people in need. One I'm familiar with is associated with a humane society. Any chance something like that is within reach, at least for yearly care? A long day trip once a year to look after the animals could save her a great deal of money.

Mattress topper and refrigerator

We had a wooden one like that when I was a kid! Must have been bought circa 1968-71. It was fantastic.

Not greed, but initiative and an age-appropriate desire for independence. He's showing *good* character traits. Don't stifle those impulses, encourage them. You can help him learn to save and donate a part of his earnings, but let him spend at least half, and choose his own goal for saving: the pocket knife sounds like a great initial goal.

Our local paper isn't super wonderful, but I appreciate that it exists: actual local reporters, covering local news, elections, events. That seems valuable to me. Once we could afford it, I started to subscribe, though only electronically these days. Sometimes weeks go by when I don't read it, but I have it available when I want it, and in the meantime no paper is piling up needing to be dealt with. Win/win.

Southeast/Mid-Atlantic. But I can't claim to know anything local about dumplings, despite living here all my life; family members never made any sort of dumplings at all. I learned from Joy of Cooking.

Yes! Dumplings here look like this: almost a biscuit dough, but steamed in broth. I don't use this recipe, but it's the right appearance. Not flat, like noodles. The noodley ones sound good, too, though.

Southeast When you say "noodles on mashed potatoes," I imagine just exactly that: cooked egg noodles, like from the Mueller's bag, over mashed potatoes; that seems very odd, and I've never seen or heard of that. But it sounds like when you say "noodles," you actually mean something like stewed chicken with noodles. I still haven't had that, but it sounds good. Usually when we fix noodles, they're a base for something like Swedish meatballs, or else they're in chicken soup. Sometimes they're a side dish, served buttered, like mashed potatoes or rice: just the starch for that particular meal. If I were to make stewed chicken, I'd be more likely to serve it over biscuits, or (more often, but a meatier, less brothy version) as filling in a chicken pie. I wouldn't include noodles, because there's another starch: the bread or pie crust. And, because it just wouldn't occur to me. Clearly I didn't grow up in the right area for that!

I'm completely Team Dog, but I agree with this, including the suspicion that the guy has a dog phobia. Someone above mentioned putting a gate inside the house, to keep the dog from having access to the door. I think this is a good idea, and one you can implement quickly. Amazon or Chewy can get a gate to you in a day or two. Longer term, a different electric fence might be more effective, and add another layer of protection. Lots of layers of protection, including... I'd like to encourage you to get seriously involved in dog training. Aussies need a lot of exercise, but they are so smart and trainable. Is there an AKC training club within reach? Ours has fantastic classes in obedience, agility, rally, and other dog sports. We see Aussies there every week excelling at those activities. Older kids are welcomed and encouraged, if you have one who would like to get involved. You can train your dog to come when he is called, instead of running in circles around a terrified neighbor. A dog who's getting plenty of exercise and brain activity will be easier to keep under control, as well as having the training to respond appropriately when you call.

Sounds like multiple issues, really. I have no experience with restraining orders, but I'd be thinking about how committed I was to the house and neighborhood as a whole. This isn't a great time to buy a new house, but maybe that option would move up my list of priorities for the mid-range future. Having that sort of worry can't be good for the four kids, regardless of what happens with the dog. I'd rather get rid of the neighbor, kwim? Any chance you could fence the part of the yard where kids and dog play? I'm not sure how old your kids are, but a strong emphasis on keeping the dog contained is something they can learn. I understand that accidents are occasionally going to happen, but they should probably understand that when the dog gets loose, catching him and getting him home is their first priority. (ETA that a good obedience class, and strong training at home to come when called, would be high priority.) The neighbor sounds unhinged. Have you had any interactions with him when he's calm? Getting rid of a beloved pet would not be an option here. I'm so sorry, what a hard situation!