However, public high schools have to meet at least state minimum standards for each level as well as course. SO where it's not homogenous by any stretch, the college can feel decent that at least a minimum standard was met. Homeschoolers are not the same. We are all over the board in relation to what we teach, when we teach it, how we teach it, how we evaluate it, etc. Colleges don't know if our kids have a 5th grade education or a college education when we graduate them. And honestly, though it seems like many of those homeschoolers that go on to college do quite well, *I* personally am meeting, now that my kids are teens, more and more non-schoolers, people who are not educating their children in the slightest (and I'm making a huge distinction from unschoolers whose children get an education, just differently). THe people I'm meeting are claiming their 17yo is finally doing Algebra but that student couldn't tell you what that book looks like or the last time he saw it, but his transcript will claim he did not only ALgebra but Algebra II and Geometry during high school (before he's 20?). Anyway, imo, the idea is to be reasonably ready for whatever they may ask at the end of your four years. You can tweak up or down in the end. Pamela

For me it was going into jr. high (6th grade). And I was even institutionalized as a young teen but the upper limits were pretty high allowing each teen to figure out what worked best for them. Yeah, I definitely tend to be on the early end by what I read on this board. I taught my kids life skills and tools and such really early on and have given them ample opportunity to practice since they were preschoolers with the "reign" loosening a little more every step of the way. Kids will actually live up to HIGHER standards if you give them the chance to figure it out. Good thing about doing that when they are kids rather than just letting go sometime in their late teens is that they have their parents as a safety net, sounding board, etc. BTW, my mom wasn't surprised in the least when I stayed up "late" the first time. Neither was she surprised when I was out for the count at 7pm. In time, I figured out what worked best for me :)

oh, I forgot about the lock situation....I wouldn't have a bedroom lock on the door OR the rule would be that after 9pm, it needs to stay unlocked for safety reasons.

I should have read your post first. I think you're RIGHT on.... Epecially when you say: and

Personally? I think 14yos, for the most part, should be self-regulating a bit more on their own. I would drop the bedtime and give her the freedom of controlling herself in that regard. As for the phone? I am mixed on this one. One thing would be to allow her to self-regulate on this also. The other would be to have specific rules such as "no phone calls after 9pm" and then enforce those. I'm wondering if this isn't just another kid rebelling because they are being over-controlled though. A teen that is given more opportunity and freedom, AS WELL AS THE RESPONSIBILITY that comes with, will more easily self-regulate into healthy patterns AND follow what rules that are in place.

It's really tough to say. I'll tell you that had we gone with the public school options for each kiddo they would have looked like this: Kid 1, late Sept bday, would have turned 4 a month after kindergarten started Kid 2, APRIL bday, would have started 1st grade at almost 7.5 (wasn't ready for any school before that). My brother was held back because of a summer bday and not being particularly academic. By 2nd grade, surpassed the elementary curriculum. My sister had an Oct bday and waited so did high school in 3 years. I've seen MANY April - August kids who should have waiting. ANd I've seen SO many fall bday kids who should have been allowed to move on. It just so is dependant on the student in question. The good thing is that you almost always have a choice to tweak it later. Pamela

Thanks for the great information. My daughter and I were looking at options for next year (I said I was going to just graduate her earlier but have since changed my mind). She needs a stats class for her major and I think it would be something she'd enjoy. Pamela

IF your chance of a healthy pregnancy went under 50%? Depending on the information you look at, it's lower than that. Even the above stat though "only 33%" of 77 women would be pretty darn bad, doncha think? I just CANNOT risk my daughter's fertility. She may claim she's not getting married or having biological children (she's a teenager), but what if she changes her mind? What about the fact that both her mother and grandmother couldn't have babies after a time in their earlier 20's and she has similar autoimmune issues to her mother...both these issues could already affect her fertility. I just CANNOT risk her fertility ON PURPOSE. Well, maybe I could if the chances of alternative negatives were much greater. But in this case they aren't. The majority of girls won't get HPV (even less likely if they live by certain values which I DO realize we can't guarantee). If they get even semi-regularly pap exams, the HPV they might catch can be detected and easily treated (the LEEP procedure is all of 20 min start to finish unless they've changed it significantly in the last 15 years). It is rare that it gets all the way to cancer that would need greater treatments and even more rare that a death would be caused by it. Those are risks enough for me to drop my daughter's chances of having a healthy child significantly. They also aren't risks enough for me to cause her additional autoimmune issues. They aren't risks enough for me to risk her life. I just can't justify it. However, I do hope and pray that those who do won't have any of the horrible effects, having their children grow into women who are happy and healthy and able to bear healthy children.

cottage cheese, brewers yeast and garlic....mix up thoroughly. dogs love. fleas hate :) (BTW, at the petstore, you can buy the yeast/garlic pills...they usually say start using them in March or April) 12 years ago I swore we'd never have another pet if my KID got fleas again. Happy to say we still have kid and dogs :) Pamela

Thanks a ton! I too had seen the infomercials but was skeptical. My "people" want their own also. We might do better price wise on the infomercial just cuz buying so many. But thanks! Pamela

Okay, I can't figure it out. Imagine. You cut back ever big branch and glue them, hoping to keep this "bush" to a chest height. No deal. So you do it again. No deal. You get sick of it and try to dig it out. It doesn't want to come out. Worse, it comes BACK. So you cut it again. It rebels by growing to the top of the house. You cut it back again and are ready to pull your hair out. I HAVE NO IDEA what this darn "tree" is, but they planted it way too close to the house (where bushes/flowers would go) and it's IMPOSSIBLE. It is really pretty wood when you strip the greenish covering off. And as fast as it grows, it could give bamboo a run. Is there any way to find out what this is and get rid of it. BTW, we have a similar thorn in our side. These flowers like lillies but have big leaves. We've dug up the bulbs multiple times, making sure to get it all (they are HUGE way under there). And yet, we have about 10 popping up now :( I've decided these aren't bad flowers as long as I get my grasshoppers under control, but I don't want them where they are as I'm going to extend the front porch. Anyway, I'm hoping y'all have GREAT ideas :) Pamela

terriaki meatloaf, certain soups and salads, and the guinea pig cage :)

well, I'm sure glad you're not getting MY personal tax data....let me get the link again :) https://sa1.www4.irs.gov/irfof/lang/en/irfofgetstatus.jsp

https://sa2.www4.irs.gov/irfof/IRServlet?app=IRACTC Here is a link so you can find the exact date of your check. Mine wasn't wonderful news. I still don't understand. If we get a direct deposit and our number is 01, why don't we get our check by today? ::::whine:::::

Our number is 01 and I've checked and checked, even talking to a teller. Totally stinks! Anyone else?

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=182003,00.html

Not here....it isn't possible for dc to go with dad to work due to the nature of the work. But even more, dh didn't go to work today either as I'm going to the hospital in just a few minutes and had to have him take me.

1) I didn't read the whole thread so I wouldn't know that you were the only one. 2) I see PLENTY of over-controlling, over-manipulating, micromanaging, etc in various threads. You aren't the only one even if you are the only one on THIS issue in THIS thread. And of course, as others have said, there is a huge difference in requiring decent, even high, standards and insisting on shaving. I have no doubt that most homeschool parents, yourself included, are plenty bright enough to tell the difference between requiring respect or healthy eating vs shaving.

I'm glad they'll be *homeschooled.* First, I doubt they were getting adequately hs'd in the first place according to what many have said. So at least now they can have some education at least for a time. Second, I really think public school would have been a disaster for them. Even before they did the hs thing with these kids, they only went to ps for elementary. I can't imagine the average 10+yo jumping into ps on top of everything else they are going through. Around the homeschool issue though....I have always been against state oversight which has been really easy in Tx since we're just the ultimate private school. However, I do sometimes wonder about my stance when I have seen more non-schooled teens than homeschooled teens and here we have a whole community of mostly uneducated children. SOME oversight might have helped in some regard. I wish these kids the best. It just doesn't seem there IS a best unfortunately. It is NOT best to be ripped from your family. It is not best to not have your parents. It is not best to have your world upside down. And yet obviously it's not best to have TWENTY girls under 16 having been pregnant, to have children severely abused, to have teen boys ousted onto the streets, etc. It's just a sad sad situation. What I'd REALLY like to see is just ONE woman say, "I will do ANYTHING to be able to raise my children." But they don't. Instead, they want them BACK....in order to sell off their teen girls, abandon their teen boys, allow physical and sexual abuse of their young children, to indoctrinate them in this cult. And yet, I'm part of a non-mainstream christian religion and would keep my integrity and hope my kids would also no matter what. So I understand "God's law over man's." Of course, I'm not abusing my kids, allowing someone else to, or anything of the sort. Our religion is very much part of mainstream life, available for everyone to see, upholding conservative values. We're not doing anything scary....I would separate from my husband for ANY of the newsworthy things these people have done. It's so frustrating. I really do feel for everyone involved. I honestly believe they are ALL victims, but unfortunately, a great deal of them are also perpetrators and enablers :(

Elizabeth, all we did was put up a divider. Here is our piggies' mansion before separation. Now Reven is in the closest 3X2 section, with just grids separating him from his brothers. I'll probably switch out Reven and Zippy occasionally as Snuffles does just fine with either of them.

Well Colleen, I do think we can compel our teens in nonphysical ways to do things our way. I just don't know why we'd WANT to in this kind of case. If it were something important, I'd get it, of course, but.... It just seems that some people want to exert WAY too much control over the choices of their teenagers and I think that is not only stealing away peacefulness in the family but just possibly dangerous. Again, there just seems to be too many 16-23yos who get some freedom or get out on their own and make really poor choices. I think part of that is because they don't know how to exercise better self-control because they weren't allowed to and part is that they rebel because they weren't allowed any freedom as a preteen/teen. Controlling to the extent of deciding things like shaving seems absolutely crazy to me. There are bigger fish to fry. I'll save my "pulling rank" for things that really matter. In the meantime, I want my kids to practice thinking for themselves.

But Linda....a student with a cumulative grade about 100% not getting an A, which sounds possible in this case, does seem wrong, doesn't it? I don't agree with grade inflation, but students scoring WAY high shouldn't have to worry that they won't make an A just because there happen to be several students ALSO scoring way high.

Obviously I've missed something.... Is there some source to explain what is going on and where it's supposed to head? I asked my kids, "Have y'all heard anything about food rationing and food shortages?" Of course, they bring up Bible prophesy....ummm, that was SO not what I meant! Anyway, so ideally not a source that is doom-saying unnecessarily (anyone remember Y2K?). But not a source nay-saying to the point of ignorance either. I just want a fair representation of what is going on. And do I need to go buy Rice and Flour?!?

Thanks.... they are brothers....3 of them...a little under a year and a half old. We have two of everthing to encourage niceness (as if they were preschoolers). Zippy is about half the size of Reven. You'd think Reven wouldn't have to beat him up. But.... Zippy's back is finally healing so we were deciding what to do next. Guess they'll have to just deal with the fence. But thanks :)

If one of your guinea pigs were beating up on another, would you keep them separated? Forever? I hate that Reven is by himself (in a 3X2 grid cavycage connected to the rest of the mansion the other two are in). But he beats up my Zippy something awful. I kinda figure they still are getting some socialization because there is just a "fence" between them, but I hate him being by himself. I just can't sacrifice Zippy (originally we had separated Zip, but decided to do Reven this time). Is there something else we can do?