Yes, that is what I was saying and the incident I was referring to when I referenced Disney. But Disney isn't the only one, they are just highly visible and went about it in a slightly sneakier way.

Yes, that's true people to come from overseas and make extremely comfortable comfortable wages. But those wages are still not what the company would be required to pomy up in th free market to an American born citizen because Americans will not work for the cheap wages that citizens from many other countries work for. I know this because a very close friend of mine from China was hired at the biotech company where I worked years ago precisely because they could get his talents for a lot cheaper than an American. All that was required for the company to do this was a good-faith effort to advertise the position publicly for some small amount of time; I think it was two weeks. The job description was written very, very, very narrowly and specific to the skills he brought to the table, so that it would be highly unlikely that anyone else could meet those requirements. Of course, those very, very specific skills we're not really required to do the job, but they were required to be able to hire him over an American. Incidentally, the same nonsense happens in civilian government jobs when someone writes a description for a job they want and don't want to have any competition for. So, I've seen it happen in biotech and government, as well as at Disney- a pretty wide range of companies, it seems.

We routinely have to import workers for high skilled jobs because companies can't find qualified American workers for the pittance they want to pay them. Disney did this for labor that was not exactly high skilled.

Is there a public transportation system where she lives? If so, I would tell her she had to use that, whether or not she as on my insurance.

DH had severe acne until he went to college and took Accutane. At that time, Accutane was an experimental medicine and it cleared up his acne within three months and it never came back. So if your DS has been on medication and still has the same problems, then the medication is not effective and you need to find a better dermatologist. DD also had acne, and we tried all of the over-the-counter medications and none worked. One trip to a dermatologist changed that; she needed an oral antibiotic, and that was all it took and she never needed to go the Accutane route. I urge you to find a good dermatologist, or switch dermatologists if you're not getting what you need, because effective treatments are available and will make a world of difference; you just have to find one that works for you. I second what other posters have said - if your DS has tried over-the-counter remedies and they don't work, they are not going to work and are not worth the money. Just See the dermatologist; it will be life-changing.

If you really can't/move move, I would take the job and see how it goes. If all goes well, you can re-consider the move closer in a year or so. $25K is serious cash, and not only will it ease finances now, but it will give DH leverage for his next job ("I currently make $ X and expect a promotion of Y %")

I've got 2 cats and I love them to death, but they are invasive, ruthless little predators. Can you keep your cat indoors? A bit off-topic, I know, and I am not looking to start one of *those* discussions; just an idea to solve your problem...

My DD is perfectly capable of completing that Miller Levine book, but we are cutting a few things out judiciously. Completing that book results in way more than 180 hours in a school year if you use between 36-40 weeks as a typical school year because you also have to include labs (we do some type of lab work nearly every week). Therefore, I think you're perfectly justified in cutting out material from the book and still calling it a legitimate high school credit. We are cutting out the following: the chapter on DNA technology and all of the human anatomy chapters. We are doing this because I feel those chapters are not *general* biology and are specialized and belong in another course (molecular biology and human A+P). I also cut out those same chapters when I teach general biology at the college where I teach, and for the same reasons. In fact, I opted for the Miller Levine book because DD liked it and it was easy to cut out those chapters and not affect the general flow of the course. I actually don't think the book is all that great, other than that aspect of the layout. At any rate, this will allow us time to dig a little deeper into botany, DNA structure and replication, and evolution. So I would not feel at all guilty cutting some of those chapters. I'm sure there are others who have BTDT who will disagree with me, but that is the path I chose for my DD and I am confident she will still have a complete course. ETA: If you want to cut from that book and still keep the A+P chapters, there is a *lot* of extraneous stuff to cut, BTW. Each chapter has busy sidebars, test prep questions, and opinion/debate pieces that you can dispense with without affecting the course one iota. You could also cut some detail and beef up your lab exercises instead. Some kids learn more from the hands on part of the course than the book reading. ETA again: Why did you opt for that book? There are plenty of other quality books out there that are not as long and still high quality. Not criticizing, just asking. I don't like the book all that much, but DD liked it and I agreed to it because it does have some features I like (like the layout I mentioned, above).

Honestly, I would have just ignored this one. DH and I had a similar circumstance happen to us (and on more than one occasion, 'though not at a dentist's office) and we just had a goofy laugh about it later. But...since you've already got yourself lined up with a new dentist you may as well go there. I would just tell the new dentist (if they even ask) that you left because the behavior of the office staff was not what you expect from a dental/doctor office. I just switched dentists a year ago, and that was the reason I gave for leaving; I was unhappy with a particular policy of theirs. No one was flirting with DH or I, and I didn't want to malign the office staff even though I was unhappy with a particular policy of the practice's. I felt strongly enough about it that all 4 of us left, permanently. Anyway, our new dentist did ask why we left, probably because we had been there going on 15 years.

I think in order to have an honest discussion about the topic, we need to admit that a college education will not be "free" and that *someone* will be paying for it, and that someone ought to be identified upfront and notified how much in increased taxes he will be on the hook for. Anyway, I am generally against the idea of "free" college. The way colleges are run and administered, free college will lead to grade 13-16 and become an extension of high school. Our publically-funded grade K-12 are barely functional now, so I don't see how this is going to change simply because we call it college. There will be pressure on faculty toward grade inflation, which will result in a dumbing down of classes in order that GPA standards be met. A standardized test will not solve this problem (Exhibit A: NCLB), either. Unprepared students will be wasting taxpayer dollars as they sit in class learning nothing and collecting their grade-inflated and dumbed down degree. Some type of loan forgiveness (like Crimson Wife suggested, above) might be a great idea for those who are truly academically prepared. But measuring true academic preparedness does not have a stellar record in this country, so I am not sure how to go about doing that accurately. Mostly, I think the federal government should step out of the way and leave the administration of colleges to the states.

My expectation is that family will take care of family unless they are truly unable to do so despite conscientious effort. I do not expect my kids to care for me if I have medical conditions that make that care darned near impossible (violent dementia, serious stoke that renders me incapacitated, etc). I won't make a stink about it, but it is my expectation do whatever I need to do tpersonally/financially to care for my parents and children, and I would like the same dedication in return.

To me, severe=unmanageable or difficult to manage/control.

Prima Latina is pretty light for a fourth grader, but I do think Latina Christiana would be a perfect fit. I wouldnt worry about Latin with the first grader at all.

I'm so sorry for the loss of your mother. And that is a really beautiful tribute to her; she sounds like a wonderful woman.

OMG, babies and toddlers are a breeze compared to tweens; and I've got well-behaved tweens. At tween age, there is *so very much* to think about, counsel, prepare for, assist with, and manage that I am exhausted. Babies eat, sleep and poop - that's not difficult. When my kids were toddlers, my biggest worry was getting them home from the playground in time to prepare dinner. But now...ay-yi-yi! I imagine in a few years when DD begins driving and is a full-blown teen and managing her affairs more capably, she'll be mostly independent and things will ease up a bit, but I don't know because I'm not there yet.

I would try to find another doctor. A doctor who does not want to discuss why meds are prescribed, how much to take, and their potential side effects, is a big red flag for me.

Can you hire a private tutor for her, in order to "do it yourself"? That's what we do with DD's French and the tutor is willing to play along with that plan and slow things down a bit. I'll admit that is a darned expensive option, though.

I am no Latin scholar, as DD and I are learning Latin together with MP's Forms series. The bolded is is exactly what we do, and it has been very helpful to us.

I asked about what our local high school does. Kids who are on the honors track take biology, algebra I, geometry, and first year language in middle school. All of that goes on the high school transcript, as well as getting rolled into the GPA. OP, can you take the last Latin and "drag it out" at a slower pace so that it extends into high school and you award the credit in the year it is finished? That would have the benefit of it having been completed in high school, would be a lower workload as your DD's outside interests ramp up, and also would have the benefit of your DD keeping up her language skills, just at a slower pace. Not sure if this is acceptable or not, but if it's genuine high school level, I don't see why it wouldn't be.

I had very heavy periods in my teens that were similar to what you describe (not quite that heavy, but still, pretty heavy). I didn't get it checked out because I thought that was just par for the course; I mean,it's not like I had any other point of reference. Anyway, it decreased once I hit my 20s, and everything has been moderate and OK since. I think it can't hurt to discuss this with a doctor though. If they don't find anything wrong, I would be hesitant to medicate, though, because teens' cycles are crazy anyway and she'll probably straighten out in due time.

As you know, DD will be in 9th grade next year and I too am in the midst of planning. IMO, that amount of writing is a lot, and results in far more than the required 180 hours per subject needed for a legitimate credit hour. My DD will not be doing this much writing per week because she has outside interests and we can meet the credit hour requirement with less writing than that. DD's quality slips when she feels rushed, and that much writing would be a definite rush job here.

This is from someone who has only 2 children, so take it with a grain of salt: 1) Write everything down in a planner (assignment, appointments, must-do tasks), 2) Let unimportant things go or outsource (mopping the floor, weeding the garden), and 3) Adequate sleep.

Regardless of what is driving your DS's malady, writing *everything* down in a planner and ticking the tasks off as they are done should help.

I don't fling the word depression around easily because I think it's over-used, but yeah, depression. perhaps weather/season-related, like Arcadia suggests.

So it all worked out - DH and I got our dinner (alone), and DS had his Chick Fil A milkshake (that's his treat) and everyone was happy in the end!