There is one scene in the last DVD of the series. His daughter had breast cancer and they show her "having it surgically removed". Other than that one scene it should be fine.

It isn't necessarily a either or situation. Through our attorney we set up both. Our will (and our ethical will) spells out who will care for our chidren, the specific terms of when they will inherit. (Our children will be provided with funds for educational purpose (the trust covers up to 1/2of the cost of grad schools) and basic living expenses until age 25 AS LONG AS they are in school full time, are maintaining acceptable grades, and are working towards a realistic goal which will lead them to a career. The trust covers NOTHING if the only goal is to take a minimum of classes to hang out on Mom and Dad's dime. If they drop out or flunk out they get nothing. At age 35 IF they can satisfy the trustee of the trust we have set up that they have been successful in terms of education, finding a career in which they can earn a living, and are living their lives in a manner which honors the values their parents hold dear..... they will inherit 1/2 of their inheritance. Because we believe it is possible for anyone to mess up once...they get the second 1/2 at 40.)

Very respectfully, I disagree. The policy in our home is....you do not become an adult by turning 18. You become an adult when: 1- You are paying your own bills- education, lodging, transportation, entertainment, food, clothing...ALL of it! When you reach the point in life when you no longer depend upon your parents to pay your way...your an adult. 2- You have reached a level of maturity that dictates you take the initiative in lending a helping hand. Both at home and in service projects with which our family is involved. 3- The reprocutions for your decisions fall only upon your own shoulders. If your speeding tickets results in an increase in my auto insurance....you are not an adult. Of course....our over 18 children have the option of stepping into adulthood at any moment of their own chosing without reaching these milestones, by declaring their adulthood through their own actions and words. At that moment child...it is my pleasure in introducing you to your new responsibilities. AKA Dad's wallet just snapped shut! We have four older children ages 23, 21, 20, and 18. All of whom are in varying degrees both independent and dependent. We have expectations of their behavior and responsibilites that are not negotiable. We have been generous in our support of their education and internship Occassionally we have had small bumps...but, the kids know the house rules...and honestly they know the rules and have accepted the limits. We have discussed the rules since they were old enough to know the meaning of rules...it's just the way it is. I just asked our 20 year old daughter if she felt it rude when we sign her up for projects...and I got a, "No, it's part of being a family." So...there you go.

Excessive sweat can be a sign of a thyroid problem. Which wouldn't be out of the realm of possibilities after a child.

The problem is, many states (NY, Conn., Mass, LA among them) have in recent years introduced bills which provide for complete retroactive openness of records.

Our will be eighth grade daughter is going into eleventh grade pre-calc. I know I can't do it. That's not true, I could do it, but would not feel comfortable doing so. We contacted our PS system...in our state you can pick and choose which PS classes programs you want to participate in. We choose HS math and orchestra. There are many online math programs if you choose not to handle the math yourself. Below is one very good program that I am aware of. It is located on the campus of NDSU and really is top notch. http://www.ndcde.org/cgi-bin/shopper.exe?search=action&category=HSCI&keywords=all&parent=HSCP&template=PDGTemplates\June2008\CategoryProducts.html

When you enter our front door, the "living room" is off the front hall to the right and the den to the left. We use the living room, as a quiet conversation, reading, cello room. The den is computer, Dad needs to work, children writing room. Straight back and off the kitchen is the "family room", it has the TV, comfortable chairs and ottman's, and a easy to relax into sofa. It also has two walls of floor to ceiling book shelves. Most of our schooling is done in the family room. We have a third "game room" in the basement. It holds a TV/DVD...and is just set up for movies, no cable. The kids often gather in the game room to play board games, fussball, pool, etc. Having both teens and younger children...having more than one room works well. What we have found in the past eighteen years since moving to our current home is that the rooms tend to evolve into the purpose for which they are best suited. Our living room was set up as a formal living room...over time it became the room I sought out for a moment of quiet reading...and the children followed as they got into more complex books. We never declared that board games would be played in the "game room" but...over time the older children's friends have designated our basement as where they want to hang out. And honestly I'd prefer them here where I know what is going on. The family room wasn't declared our school room it just became one...I was in the kitchen just a "hey Mom" away. The chairs are large and comfy and perfect for settling into with a book, with the kitchen table right there to do double duty. I think my point........windy as it is.....is that you might want to consider giving the room time to declare it's purpose. You really need time living in a space for it's true purpose to become evident.

We (it is a family blog) blog for several reasons. 1-To stay connected. Our two oldest daughters are attending Vanderbilt. When the oldest left for college I made a promise to begin a blog and post at least a photo or video a day...so that she would have a glimpse of home daily. We kept the promise as her sister joined her. With our oldest daughter a senior this coming year and a Navy ROTC midshipman, she has summer cruises. It has been great fun for those of us at home to watch see the photos aboard a submarine (the only time girls are allowed onboard is during the ROTC summer cruises), snaps from her F-18 rides, etc. She was excited to share the experience...and we loved be along for the ride. Our oldest son spent a semester as an exchange student in Botswana, Africa...as another poster mentioned...loading a blog was much easier than downloading large files. It also gave us a chance to enjoy the experience he was having. My DH is a member of a group medical practice...vacation time is very tight. As a result often I and the kids will drive ahead and he will fly in to meet us. Posting on the blog allows him to enjoy the entire adventure. During the record breaking floods this spring in Fargo, it allowed extended family and friends to keep tabs on how things were going. The morning my sister turned on CNN and was stunned to find them reporting from our front lawn...she immediately went to the blog for reassurance. 2- Record Keeping The college kids depend on the recipe section of the blog....as the fastest way to get Mom's recipe for .....kugel, chocolate cake, beef stew, etc. The middle school homeschoolers slurp the schooling posts into a book as their yearbook. I slurp the entire previous year's blog in January...as our family scrapbook of the year that was. 3- English and Grammar are not my forte My homeschoolers post their essays.....and their college age siblings use a critical red pen. It has been great for both sets. For Whom...Family and close friends.

The thing you need to remember about kids is.....during the years that they are old enough to attend school, and are living at home....your only as good as your last time at bat. You may provide them with a comfortable home, delicious food, much laughter, and the security of parents who love each other. What a young mind recalls is...what have you done for me lately? The bumpy moments...when they just want to get away...when you haven't done enough for me lately..they aren't the moments they take away with them when they leave home. Our three oldest are in college, and when they are home and traveling memory lane, it isn't the really tough times that stand out...it's the moments when we laughed. Give yourself and your troops a bit of slack...and hang on!

I could have written this entire post! We had the brakes go out on our Suburban with only 1,600 miles on it, going down Pikes Peak Road. The same trip that the DOOR FELL OFF and onto our then four year old son. Our first clue should have been, when it died in our driveway within an our of bring our brand spankin new vehicle home. We could not get rid of it fast enough...and are delighted with our Odyssey.

Your Dad loved your mother...and he at least likes the new gal. My bet is....he's shared with her about the kind of person your Mom was....and how she could take fabric and bits of this and that and make something that made him go ahhhhhh. In all likelihood she has seen examples of your Mom's art in his home. In which case the gf is probably thinking...what a gift your Mom had. My sil is an artist and I am always amazed at the way she can take a discard and turn it into a treasure. It's a skill to be admired.

Coming at this from a different prospective. As the Mom of three college age students who have/are spending their summers as camp counselors. This summer, at SPACE CAMP and as a camp manager for a Russian Immersion Language Camp. My recommendation would be to have him stick it out. I am a big believer in the fact that camps can add a great deal to the richness of a child's life, if chosen well...and if they stick with it. The one thing I know from speaking with my children about camp is that camp counselors see and deal with a LOT of homesick kids. The children are in a new environment, doing new things, and almost everything is not predictable. I know that the counselors tend to be very sympathetic, most of them having experienced homesickness themselves at sometime in their own camp experience. They talk to the children, allow them to phone home, give them the extra attention they need to move past the moment. It is a compassionate forum. Of the seven of our children old enough to attend camp…seven have had an episode of homesickness…and all seven had to stick it out. It was rough on both child and parents. Once worked through, they became ardent camp and travel fans. As the Mom of a college student who as a child could go from start to puke in five second flat.... I can tell you there is a lot to be gained by the child by working through the moment.

They often go hand in hand, but no not always. Whoa! Your public school's policy seems harsh! Has anyone asked for an attorney general's opinion as to the legality of the policy?

Are you certain you are not entitled to public school services? If you are a resident and a taxpayer? I don't doubt you, but legally I can't imagine they could deny you assessment services. The pediatric neuropsychologist diagnosed our son. You might check with Shriners in your city.

Yes, you can. With the portability of technology....yes, you can type all the time. One of the learning aids that has aided our son tremendously is the amazon kindle 2. It can translate any type written document to oral speech including pdf documents. It also has a keyboard and the ability to transmit documents. With the kindle 2 in his backpack, there is literally never a moment when he need take pen in hand.

In that case, you can keep it simple. Mom, we're different people with different needs.

Our DS is 12 and also has both dyslexia and dysgraphia. Once we accepted the fact he was never going to fly putting pen to paper, and shifted to fingers to keys. His world opened. It does not make you brighter or better educated to be able to spell well, or to have perfect penmanship. It just doesn't. Seeing spell check as a tool to be used, rather than a crutch...changed all our attitudes.

I never post...but, this time I might have something to add.... My DH is a neuroradiologist....dealing with neuropsychologists, neurologists and developmental peds are part and parcel of his job. I put your quiestion to him.... His reply..." A neuropsychologist is a phd, a dev ped an MD...but, the services and area of expertise overlaps, I'd go with the one insurance will pay for." HTH