absolute

I got my Beagle almost 2 years ago. I have owned many dogs, this is my first Beagle. I got him at 12 weeks from a man who lived on a farm about a 2 hour drive from me. I found him from a Craigslist ad. Once I got the pup home I attempted to "crate train" him, as I have done with every other dog I had owned.

This dog FREAKED OUT in the kennel. Now most dogs do show a bit of distress when introduced to a kennel, whine, cry, paw at the kennel door, bark, etc... but this pup defecated everywhere, vomited and shook like a leaf, cleaned up and tried to reintroduce several times, throwing treats in there, not closing the door, making it as pleasant as I could. No luck, same result.

Ok, I thought, you were not meant to kennel train. But since then there have been other issues that have me wondering if this was a mill pup...such as: normal house sounds freaked him out at first (ok was mostly in a barn I guess), he will be 2 in April, and he is still not reliably potty trained. Getting him to socialize with other dogs was a challenge, we did it with persistence. Although, he is hesitant with even friendly larger dogs. If he even thinks you are upset with him, he hides under the couch for at least an hour. I know in my home he has not been abused, I think he was too small to be abused prior to adoption at 12 weeks, maybe not. Most of the time he is a very happy go lucky dog, always happy to see everyone and anyone. And we love him dearly, he has the sweetest face!! =)

I was just wondering, if I may have inadvertently supported a puppy mill, and if the odd behavior I've seen displayed in this pup, that I once chalked up to being a Beagle, is signs of being from a mill? Is this normal for a Beagle?

PS: I did look extensively into a Beagle rescue and our local shelter, prior to buying this pup, but was unable to go that route because 1. they wanted over $500 for the pup, and yes I get why they are required to charge that much to recoup the costs and save more dogs (I just cant afford that) and 2. I am a renter and most will not let a dog go to someone who does not own their home ( and yes, I also understand why that is) and my landlord said it was ok to get a dog, but he is literally 90 years old and hearing impaired, so he could not do telephone consent or other ways to confirm he was ok with us getting a pup.

I pulled my son (13) out of public middle school this year. He was confined to in-school suspension for a span of over 30 school days due to being "a clown". He thinks he is a comedian, and his peers support this element. He is not what you would call a conformist. Since switching to homeschool I have seen a ton of attitude changes. He is less "sulky", more chatty with family members, and seems to be much more light hearted. Then my niece and nephew who are also teens who attended my son's former middle school came over to visit. I noticed that self-centered entitlement attitude that my son used to have, oozing from them like the stench off rotten eggs; Qualities my son no longer exhibits. Although, I didn't realize it until I saw their attitudes side by side.

I was wondering if anyone else has switched from public to homeschool in the middle school era, and if you saw an improvement or decline in their attitudes as a whole and in general.

PS: This is not a public/homeschool debate, more observations and personal accounts. Thanks

My 6 year old has been going to K for 8 months and getting dressed has become a nightmare!!! Underware must be a size too large, or she will say its squeezing her; Because of this they hang out of the back of her pants...whatever. Socks: she refuses to wear the regular sock so I have to buy her the dress sock type with no strings on the inside or large seams at the bottom and the top she says is squeezing her, so I buy larger ones then she complains they don't stay up. Shirts are generally ok, as long as its not a turtle neck. Pants...OMG! Jeans are all made "skinny style" and this does not fit her body type, she is definately not chubby, but she is petite, so I have managed to find non-skinny jeans at childrens place. She claims any jeans are too tight in the waist. She can have the jeans on buttoned and zipped and can fit both of her arms in the jeans all the way to her knees and walking up and down the hallway with her arms in her pants saying thier too tight...ugh. So then everytime I turn around her pants are unbuttoned. So...I went to streach pant, legging type pants...there too "clingy" soo...I went to sweatpants, thier "too itchy". She will not wear skirts or dresses as tights are out of the question. She will not wear coats, sweaters or jackets. The only thing like that I can get her to wear is a hodded shawl type sweater. She is always with me when I buy her clothes, everything is always tried on before purchased and still this problem remains. I ask her, "does this fit, will you wear it without complaining?" on a Monday and buy it, come Tuesday she will not wear it, as she "grew" last night. I am at my witts end and my daughter looks like an orphan going to school everyday, when she has a closet full of clothes. Every morning is a battle and she is late for school 2-3 days a week for this reason. She get 9-10 hours of sleep at night, and no matter how early I get her up, it does not make the clothes fit any better. I loved the morning time with my kids, seeing them before I head off to work, now I dread it. Advise? Anything? Zanax? Its too bad I don't drink, because its almost Kaluah in the coffee time!!!

Ok so a very close friend of mine, who already has a 20 month old kid, got pregnant again. She is in her early 30's and with the father of her child. He is: mid 30's, no job, no car, no license, uses drugs, drinks daily, been to prison (Burglary), and is on-off abusive to her, but she remains with him... "because he is the father" <- her words.

She got pregnant again, same guy. Told no one except him and later me. She said she "has to get an abortion". I say "Why do you think you cant do this" She says "I think I can, I just dont want to" I say "I dont think this is going to turn out to be the easy way out, think long and hard before you do this, because you cant take it back...ever"

Fast Forward to now: She did go through with abortion, and I have not heard anything about it since...this past week. We went out for a bit together, she had a few drinks and started crying saying how she thinks about this every single day, and that she cries about it and such, and how her "Mr. Wonderful" has thrown it in her face.

Problem is, I am having a reallly realllllllly realllllllllllly hard time feeling sorry for her. I dont want to judge her, whats done is done, but I seem to have NO sympathy for her. I didnt know what to say to her, and still dont. I feel like she threw herself off a cliff willingly and now is laying in the ravine, saying oooouuuch my everything hurts...feel sorry for me.

What do I say to her when she breaks down about it? How do I keep myself from saying something I shouldnt? How can I offer her support, when I dont support it?

PS. I dont beleive in abortion for MYSELF, but I dont feel it is my right to choose for another. This is not a pro choice/pro life argument, just how can I talk to her about this?

Ok so I have been married for 15 years, and have a decent marriage. I work a full time job and my husband owns a steakhouse with his brother. We cater special events that take alot of help and manhours to pull off successfully, but it really helps the business. I try to help out when I can on my weekends off to keep the payroll and taxes down for the business. After helping with one of these events my brother in law didn't like how something was done; he called it embarassing. Well anyway it was nothing that I had done, it was a few employees. He approached me about this and says something like "dont embarass me" I did not know what he was talking about so was like "ok?" then goes into a tirade in front of my children, and screams at me things that did not make sense. I said "I am never here I am not the spokes person, I am just here helping out" he says "I never asked for your help". I left. My husband talks to him and says to me afterwards "well there are always two sides" and "he wanted me to appologize to you for him" I am pissed! I feel he never defends me, I did not want him to physically fight with his brother, but more say to him, "Never speak to my wife that way again, Ever." Nooooooo I got to hear about how these employees didnt take his brothers feelings into account before doing what they did." Would you be pissed or am I overreacting?

My sister is 38 years old, recently divorced (early 2010) has two kids 12 & 10, has a high paying job and provides for herself and her kids. Her ex-husband moved out of the state after finding out that my sister cheated on him with "Bob". Funny thing is that when she met her husband she was already engaged to someone else! Anyways now her and "Bob" are an item. Problem is my neice hates him because her words "he gets drunk and acts like a jerk" my nephew hates him because "he makes me feel bad about myself".

He has no job, he had a good job but got fired for lying. He drinks alot, and now my sister has started drinking (not a few beers or a glass of wine- the hard stuff) My sister was never a liar, she has since started lying to everybody. He lost his house and mooches off my sister.

So he decided to take his fathers wedding ring and have it melted into another ring, because of course he can not buy a new one , no $$, to propose to my sister. He calls my father, who cannot communicate over the phone (he is a stroke survivor - he has aphasia) to ask his permission. He claims my father said yes and tells my sister this. I ask my dad about it and he said if he were here in person, he would choke him. My mother sees right through him.

I love my sister dearly, but how can I just stand around watching my neice and nephew be hurt. We all see it but she doesn't. I know the end result will most likely be ...she will write us all off to be with Mr. Wonderful. Is there anything I can do? What do I say when she calls me about him, as he is the only topic she cares to discuss? This sucks!

My sister is 38 years old, recently divorced (early 2010) has two kids 12 & 10, has a high paying job and provides for herself and her kids. Her ex-husband moved out of the state after finding out that my sister cheated on him with "Bob". Funny thing is that when she met her husband she was already engaged to someone else! Anyways now her and "Bob" are an item. Problem is my neice hates him because her words "he gets drunk and acts like a jerk" my nephew hates him because "he makes me feel bad about myself".

He has no job, he had a good job but got fired for lying. He drinks alot, and now my sister has started drinking (not a few beers or a glass of wine- the hard stuff) My sister was never a liar, she has since started lying to everybody. He lost his house and mooches off my sister.

So he decided to take his fathers wedding ring and have it melted into another ring, because of course he can not buy a new one , no $$, to propose to my sister. He calls my father, who cannot communicate over the phone (he is a stroke survivor - he has aphasia) to ask his permission. He claims my father said yes and tells my sister this. I ask my dad about it and he said if he were here in person, he would choke him. My mother sees right through him.

I love my sister dearly, but how can I just stand around watching my neice and nephew be hurt. We all see it but she doesn't. I know the end result will most likely be ...she will write us all off to be with Mr. Wonderful. Is there anything I can do? What do I say when she calls me about him, as he is the only topic she cares to discuss? This sucks!

Long story short my mother left my babybook behind when she moved, along with other things, and never came back. Eventually all of the stuff was thrown out. This was years ago. Now I am 31 and have my own kids. They ask me questions about when I was a kid, and obviously I don't remember. It would be nice if I still had my book as a record. Is it ok to ask my mother to make me a new one? We had a rough relationship in the past and things are getting better now. I don't want her to feel like this is a "jab" at her letting this go, but more of a replacement. I would have loved for this to be done on her own, but that will never happen. What do you guys think?

Very brief history: I was physically and emotionally abused as a child by my Mother, who was an alcoholic. My father took full custody and raised me from 9 til adult. After I had my son I had somewhat of a relationship with my Mother but nothing to speak of really. About 3 years ago, I finally had enough and brought up the past, as it had never ever been talked about. We talked, yelled, screamed, cried and hugged. It was a healthy thing to do as I had been carrying all that around with me for years. Fast forward to now: My Father suffered a massive stroke and survived but I see how precious time really is. I want a mother/daughter relationship with my mother before it is too late. I always invite her over or try to take her to lunch to anything but she won't. Its too windy, or cold, or rainy or sunny or shes tired. Always an excuse. The only reason she will leave her house is to visit her one and only friend (She has not drank in years). Any advise would be helpful...Thanks

Ok, so I've been reading about this "mommy crush" thing and what are your guys thoughts on the rules of this? Is it ok? What if its someone your spouse knows? Can it be an ex? Can it be someone you "know personally" or just in passing (i.e. the culligan man). What are your thoughts on the "rules" if any?

Ok, shes back again..Background: 10 yr old son, 4th Grade, Honor Roll, Gifted Program: I keep getting calls from the teacher (day dreaming, playing with pencils...) stupid stuff, I listen, ask what she would like me to do, whatever. Then she must have felt comfortable talking with me, because the calls then became twice a week, still meaningless complaints. I'm getting irritated with the numerous phone calls, so, I stop answering them. I let her leave a message, I listen and then delete. I do discuss the issues I feel are worthy, the rest I let go (i.e. he got sent to the principals office because he asked to use the restroom, and they had already gone 90 minutes ago) Now she has the principal calling me at work! I informed the principal that although the child may be annoying at times, most of the "issues" are whining in my opionion and dont they give teachers resources and training on how to handle a kid whos not a robot? To which principal states, well there are 30 kids in this class, its the biggest class weve ever had and its all boys. UUUmmmm so this is all my kids fault.......UGH What can I do with these people they are going to either get me fired or drive me crazy!!!!!!!!!!

Ok so I did something dumb and bought a bala and a irridecent shark, they are not properly housed in my tank. The store wont take them back and I refuse to execute them, what can I do with them? They are fine for now, but eventually I will have to move them out... poor homeless fishies... do they have shelters for them?

I had 1 glass phantom cat and added 2 more, they are not schooling together. The original one is still hanging in the same places and the two new ones are not even befriending each other. They are supposed to be schooling fish arent they? So school already, why arent they?

List your water parameters from your test kits -0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 7.5 pH, 78 Temperature 6 months setup

Tank mates: 1-Irr Shark; 1-bala shark; 2-Red eye tetra; 1-phantom glass

I would like to add some schooling colorful fish to my tank. I am also interested in adding some live plants any recommondations as to what new plants and fish to add that are compatable?

Ok so I have been married for 11 years and recently I met one of the guys that works for my hubby. Instantly, I was very physically attracted to him, and him to me. I know he is also attracted to me because he makes comments to me, such as "you look hot today!, well you look hot everyday" or "quit looking so sexy its dangerous" He also makes comments to my hubby like, "I can see why you married her, shes smart and hot" I have never had an affair, emotional, sexual or otherwise, but I cant stop thinking about this other guy. I do work for my husband at the shop a few days a week and am working with this other guy. Its not like I want to leave my family and run away with this man, but I am happily married for 11 years (Good communication and great sex life) and am wondering why I am having these feelings about him so strongly. I have only worked with him twice, and I find myself thinking about him alot. I think its wrong of me, why am I feeling like this. I am really confused. FYI I am NOT planning on sleeping with him!!

Ok so my 10 yr old son gets excellent grades, on honor roll, but I am constantly getting calls from school that he is in trouble (talking, arguing...) so, the teacher starts in with the ADHD talk, his dr., or anyother teacher has ever approched me with the ADHD talk. I just found out that this is the teachers 2nd year teaching and there are 32 kids in the class, 20 of which parents dont speak english. Now the school wants permission to test him for the "Gifted Program" I am starting to wonder if the teacher has ADHD?!? I dont quite know how to handle her calls to my home when she is on the phone complaining about my son and his "behavior" In my opioion what he is doing is probably annoying yes, but not violent or disrespectful. How do I handle this woman, without her feeling like I dont care, as I do....

What do you think of the name Sedona Dianne?

Ok, so my best friend is 28 years old, never married, no children and she was in a relationship with a man that was physically abusive. So, she left him and is now living with me, my spouse and my children. It has since come to my attention that her drinking is a problem and that it affects her: job, finances, social relationships, intimate relationships. She suffers from blackouts and is drinking and driving. Her mother believes she has a problem as well but my friend and her mother do not get along and it always ends in a screaming match. How can I approach this to get her the help she needs without making her feel that I am trying to control her or drive her away. I feel that I am the last person in this world that she trusts and if I fail at this and it backfires, I am afraid that she will disappear. On the other hand if nothing stops her I am afraid she will kill someone drinking and driving. Arg alcohol sucks!!

Ok, so my best friend is 28 years old, never married, no children and she was in a relationship with a man that was physically abusive. So, she left him and is now living with me, my spouse and my children. It has since come to my attention that her drinking is a problem and that it affects her: job, finances, social relationships, intimate relationships. She suffers from blackouts and is drinking and driving. Her mother believes she has a problem as well but my friend and her mother do not get along and it always ends in a screaming match. How can I approach this to get her the help she needs without making her feel that I am trying to control her or drive her away. I feel that I am the last person in this world that she trusts and if I fail at this and it backfires, I am afraid that she will disappear. On the other hand if nothing stops her I am afraid she will kill someone drinking and driving. Arg alcohol sucks!!

My son is 9 and in the 4th grade. I just got his progress report from school and he brought home 4 A's and 3 B's and Science he got a perfect 100%!!!! Now, the problem is every single comment on the report card is negative, not one nice thing to say about my son. Comments such as "does not follow school rules, does not pay attention, does not participate in class, does not refrain from talking to others, does not respect school property...." I have parent conference next month and want to know if this is really fair and necessary. Am I supposed to commend him or punish him, how can the grades and comments be so far out?? I am really confused on this one guys. What if anything should I approach the teacher about?