11-13 seem to be years of following for many people. I know you are not alone. I think getting through the day without freaking the hell out is a noble goal for a young teen. That said, with our pre-teen boy, I wouldn't mind a bit more of "I really want to do well" and "Oh let me pick up those socks." He is in public school and he does okay but motivation is practically zero. I can't tell if he's trying to figure out where the bottom is or what. I can only think of one or two boys or girls, come to think of it, who had a deep, abiding interest in an academic subject at that age. And when they do have a passion it was always art or video games. I don't think your son sounds depressed from what you've posted here though there may be more to the story. I do think that middle school content is on the one hand challenging for many--it's the first step towards individual thought in many subjects at one time--and on the other hand, boring for many because it's all still pretty basic. Most of the science is qualitative, the history still non-critical, and so on. It's not exactly inspiring. I am very passionate but somehow nearly failed algebra in eighth grade. I think I'd have failed anything. I don't have any suggestions. I guess this is part commiseration with you, and part commiseration with your son. I do believe he sounds, from his laughter at your sailboat comment, like a lovely young man who is somewhat self-aware and may be working towards more motivation as he grows.

Okay. So basically, she didn't have health insurance, so she tried to sue to get their homeowner's insurance to cover it? What the hell? I was beginning to feel bad for "batshit crazy" but now I am moving back in that direction. This lady pisses me off. Though I can see how the boy's family would be complicit. Of course they don't want their own family to be on the street due to bad fortune. I can see how they would have accepted this tactic with no hard feelings. "Oh, auntie, no health insurance? Well, let's see if homeowners covers it." I hold them less to blame because it's hard to tell an elderly relative to go screw themselves. She should have paid her insurance. She deserves the bad press. "Oh health insurance is so expensive!" Well now you know why, fool.

I wanted to see if I had an account on Facebook per the credit checking thread, and realized I have all kinds of crap all over the web. Deleting a Prezi account, a Quora account... gah.

There's got to be a parody... flat bottomed girls... hah. I have reached the age where it's yoga or I have desk butt. :P

Yes, I would do so. And I wouldn't be ashamed to explain about the mix-up with insurance. That cost me a whole lot at one point and I did get it partially discounted but I should have asked for a payment plan as well. :P

I hate it when they are called "ghifs" like with the hard G. "I and E soften G and C! JJJJ-IFF!!!!" ETA: I know, I know, this is not a complete rule. But it was the rule I applied when I first read "GIF". Ghif just sounds stupid to me.

Hard not to call the lawyer on that one. I'd be livid!

Big hugs.

...says the lady with 10 blessings, lol!

The neighbors, including the local priest, said it didn't seem very Christian or churchlike. Seems like a cult. I am not one to defend weird church stuff but this seems beyond the pale! It was very secretive and private according to the reports. What a tragedy.

Wow Moxie. Your poor uncle. :(

Never heard of "hot wife" being a euphemism for anything. Even if it is, my bet is that this guy has no clue. I hope he and his wife are enjoying his ownership of that tee shirt.

Thank you. That was informative. It still shocks me that insurance companies must use the courts rather than established procedures to figure out what went wrong, and that the onus would fall on an individual who was paying for insurance to sue. When I was in a car accident I refused to sign anything medical until I got myself into a safe car because my car was super cheap and all but irreplaceable (beater Corrolla). I don't consider it wasting money that they came back to me asking if I had left open the medical form due to pain and suffering. It was the only card I had, as a newly divorced single parent with savings dwindling, to ensure that I would get the vehicle I needed to safely care for my family. They know that people without personal lawyers and access to cash hold their forms as leverage and it would be naive not to approach it that way. Do people really just forget to sign? I don't think so.

My like was To indicate empathy. I love food and celebratory food, can't stand the all-food-all-the-time culture. My kids can totally go an hour without eating. Yes, they can. A few can't but they are the exception.

Good lord. Thank you, Mergath. Also, if you really want original sources and to research this, consult your local librarian. That's what they are trained in. You will get much further.

I'm glad he's fine. It's a tough age to worry about!

Oh, I don't mean to say it was insulting. No. I just mean... Sometimes one doesn't want to get all chummy or at all close to certain people. The phrase is fine as a response, but you won't hear me moaning about the pumpkin patch myself.

He is in my thoughts. I hope everything's okay.

See, that's great if you really won't be at the bus stop with them for the next 2 years. I recently overheard a rant on common core at an after school program. She was just wrong, for one thing, but also grating. And here I might end up next to this lady for the lantern parade next month. Or any year for the next 10 as we participate in this cultural thing.

I am having issues because it used to be weather and traffic (I'm talking about real small talk with people who may not want to get even a bit personal). But now with global warming and the big transport push being political issues in some ways, I don't feel comfortable bringing them up at the bus stop. I mean these are people with whom I will spend the next 10 years collaborating on our kids' education. I don't want to push anything so it stays very impersonal. With some people you feel the click and then it goes straight to our kids, our lives, etc. but that is not "small talk" in my opinion.

This insurance thing is freaking me out. My health insurance won't cover a broken arm until I sue my nephew??? What the hell? Can't the insurance companies deal with it without asking me to sue my own family? Anyway, the social life and hors d'ouvres comments were over the top.

Good night. They changed the admission to the gifted program... again. :p Now I must reconsider. Ugh. To apply or not to apply. She might just squeak in especially now that she's had a couple years of English language instruction and she's way ahead in reading. ARRRRGH. Okay. I'm going to have her go for it. Why the hell not. OMGOMGOMG! BOOYAH!

Oh gosh, sorry to hear there was more damage. I hope that it works out. :grouphug:

In every country I've worked other than the US graph paper is used for so many things, throughout a person's academic career, and lined paper is only used for writing lit or philosophy exams. I think that's because graph paper is awesome.

Random: So, while my daughter, who is talented at violin but who has not yet developed passion for it (she's six), practices, I listen to the boy in the next room. I think he's nine. He sounds way better than my child for so many reasons. He's Korean and it's hard for me to tell his age but he must be in the upper elementary grades. He's very talented and on top of it it sounds like he practices. He really sounds good. Sometimes you can hear real style and feeling coming from him. Once I even mentioned to his teacher (not my daughter's teacher, but in the same group) how much I enjoyed hearing him play--how I hoped my daughter would get to that stage. She said his mother was dedicated and that he was too and how much they practiced. Anyway, this kid always kind of hopped into class and I thought, "What a gift. I wish my kids had that passion." WELL. The other day there was a scheduling error with his teacher, I guess. And as the teacher said to his mom, "I'm so sorry but his slot was at four--I have someone else right now--" this huge grin spread across his face and he literally skipped right out of there through the store without missing a beat. I thought it was amusing and adorable, that childish, impish grin as he evaded class. "Mom screwed up! WOOHOO!" I imagined him to be such a dedicated student, and he is, he must be, to play so well. But he is still an eight-nine-ten-year old boy. I think we forget what it was like to be children. Even those who grow up to be so dedicated, most of them are still kids at heart, and the idea of a bunch of free time is so exciting to them. :)