My daughter's friend skipped the pre-algebra and is managing just fine. The first few chapters of Beginning Algebra give some pre-algebra review. Since we had already done pre-algebra, we went very quickly through those.

Best thing I ever did for myself. It has made me a much better mother because I understand my own behavior and where it is coming from and therefore have the ability to change my behavior. I also benefited from my counselor's attitude of total acceptance. That was transformative for me personally, plus I tried to extend the same acceptance to my daughter as we worked through her trauma and attachment issues.

Sometimes it works to schedule a whining session. Set a timer for five or ten minutes and tell them it is whining time. When they run out of steam, encourage them to keep up the whining. This gets it out of their systems.

I homeschool for free. However, I charge a nickel for every gratuitous complaint.

Professor Carol has additional courses on her Circle of Scholars.

You might try daily floortime. Google Stanley Greenspan to get an idea of what this is. It can really help with kids who have difficult behavior, including those who are seeking negative attention from parents. Also, perhaps you could verbalize your insights into his behavior, e.g. "You are wanting attention from Mommy right now, aren't you. It is hard when Mommy is busy......" Another thing that might help are "video moments," where you make a point of observing something the child is doing and commenting on it. Those are just some ideas that helped me.

Addendum to my suggestion on the screaming chair. Do not put the chair near a wall or any objects. It should be in the center of the room. You should stay nearby but calm, doing housework etc.

I would hold my child in a loving but restraining way until she regained control, speaking softly. We also had a screaming chair. My child could say anything she wanted as long as she remained in the chair. It was hard to train her to stay in the chair, so I would suggest you start with holding.

Do you have any marble countertops? If you do, only use products that are intended for marble. And do not use vinegar at all on those countertops. It will etch them. They will not shine if they are etched.

Look into the role of blue light in the body's production of melatonin. The room should be pitch dark so that the body keeps making melatonin. If he can't tolerate darkness, get a nightlight that does not emit blue light. See lowbluelights.com

She plays violin, clarinet, and bass clarinet. She also sings.

I like that University of North Texas says it would give a waiver of out-of-state tuition to anyone who received a competitive scholarship of $1000 or more. I wonder -- is that pretty unusual?

Yes, mine could still go another direction too. She says she likes literature. But then in her spare time she is arranging songs, not reading Moby Dick.

I have considered Jacobs School of Music. However, getting in is very competitive (20 percent acceptance, I think). And the other Indiana schools seem very expensive. So I don't know that moving there would be an acceptable level of risk. My daughter is very strong in music theory (AP level as a thirteen-year-old) and is writing some great compositions. She is a good player of a couple of instruments but may not highly exceptional. I am just not sure that she would be considered overall to be in the top 20 percent.

Thanks for the advice. The schools look good, and the property taxes are substantially lower than in New Jersey.

Someday, around the time our daughter applies to college, my husband will retire. We'll have to leave this expensive state and move somewhere with low property taxes. But we are looking for a place near reasonably priced colleges where our daughter could study music. Any ideas? We were first thinking of the Lafayette, Indiana area, where I have relatives. But then we found out that Purdue does not have a music major. Now we need a new plan. My daughter is well above average in music abilities so far. However, we are thinking we need a safety school (not pricey) that she could commute to, in case she doesn't get big scholarships.

Sometimes you can get a state psychological association to give you some names. Or you could get names from your insurance company. Get more names than you think you need. Not all will be accepting new patients, so you will probably need to call a few therapists.

Could a family member observe your sleep and see what breathing pattern occurs?

We are on Pimsleur Mandarin IV. We started on Pimsleur after years of Chinese school when we simply could no longer keep up with a class dominated by kids with Chinese-speaking parents. Pimsleur has cleared up our lack of understanding of grammatical patterns and helped our fluency. At first, my tongue felt all twisted up from trying to pronounce the sentences. With practice, that feeling went away. I also find that mandarin phrases pop into my mind sometimes now in everyday life. My daughter draws or knits while we do the lessons. I tend to rock and occasionally close my eyes to aid concentration. I learn it faster than my daughter, but I do not know if that is due to her drawing or not. I have had a higher level of recent exposure to Chinese through reading Chinese Breeze novels. She had nine months of exposure as a baby, though, which research suggests may have a positive influence even years later.

How do you weight grades? Do you give a well-done honors class a five on a four-point scale.

Read up on how your body makes melatonin. Reducing levels of blue light was the key for me to kick my ambien habit after eight years or so of insomnia. Going to bed and waking up the same time everyday also helps. You can look for products to help you at lowbluelights.com. The glasses really changed my life, and I believe you can return them if they don't help you. A sleep mask helps me sleep more deeply and stay asleep.

I will miss the show. There is not much on television that is heartwarming these days. The only thing I remember not liking was the portrayal of older child adoption. The kid acted out in ways that were dangerous, and then it was suddenly resolved almost completely. I did not find that believable. I suspect the writers of the show were looking to do a positive portrayal of adoption. But I don't think you do adopted kids any real favor by making everything look so easy. You could really show the strength of the child by letting him have real issues to struggle with.

If my child were in school I would prefer delayed memorization of multiplication tables. I think fifth grade was when my (very bright but not mathematical) daughter was finally able to learn them. And now, in eighth grade, she is midway through algebra 1 right on schedule.

Try to get recommendations on the movers, especially if you need to go up or down stairs. Do they have insurance to pay for holes in the wall or broken piano parts? We had one guy who tried and failed, leaving a hole in the wall. The next guy successfully did the job with relative ease.

I was one of those people who thought WTM was too intense, even after reading the whole thing. For my particular child, it was too much. But that did not stop me from using the parts of the book that do work with my child.