Beth K

My son is 13 and just recently let me know he is cross dressing. Well, in truth, I discovered. So, I've supported him and will continue to do so without question or judgment.

I just discovered a letter that is taking it from, my opinion, a casual curiosity to something much deeper. He has written a note asking me to paint his room pink, fill his closet and dresser with all things female (which is okay), but then ended it, "Just think of this as my being the girl you always wanted." That last line is gnawing at me. Is he doing this because he thinks I'll love him more or be more accepting of him? Or is this just his way of expressing himself and I should continue to just support him? Would therapy to help him with his esteem on this matter be useful?

Thanks.

I am creating a compilation movie for a junior high to showcase their track and field athletes. I'm looking for some "today's hits" music, but am finding it difficult to find some without highlighting sex, drugs, drinking, or violence. A little of the sex, and drinking is okay, but I really want a positive message to go with the video.

On my "maybe" list, as an example, is:

I Like It - Enrique

Learn to Fly - Foo Fighters

We are Young - Fun

Stronger - Kelly Clarkson

Just the Way You Are - Bruno Mars

Nixed:

Starships - Nicki Minaj (unless a cleaner version is available??)

All Summer Long - Kid Rock

Thank you for your input and suggestions!!

My MIL was here for the holidays and every time (without exaggeration) she ate something she was rushing to the bathroom, several times, with diarrhea. She couldn't even keep down soup broth without having the occurrence. She went to the doctor while here and he said that she is anemic in addition to the other problem, which was a total surprise.

Now here is a bit more information:

She is 82, slightly over weight (maybe 20 pounds), she is on some mild medications but nothing serious, she takes roughly 34 vitamins every day, she has not smoked in over 30 years, she does not drink alcohol, she is lactose intolerant so she uses only Lactaid milk, she has no known heart or internal organ issues (liver, kidney, etc.).

We are waiting for results from her fecal exam, but if anyone out there has experience with this issue please let us know what was diagnosed and how you resolved the problem.

thanks!

I am in the process of deciding if I should homeschool my 7 year old. His older brother has always been a part of the system, and it is working okay for him thus far. With my 7 year old it doesn't seem to be going as smoothly. Quickly here is what we have going on:

1) Moved to our current area 3 years ago which brought on a whole different type of personality

2) He is very caring thus is very sensitive. He used to deal by getting angry but now he just gets sad.

3) Neighborhood drama (I live on Wisteria Lane) has parents shutting the door in his face, and these are the kids he is in class with but not allowed to really spend time despite the fact I try.

4) He is academically advanced for his age but there is no program for him until 3rd grade, and for that he will be "tested" (as opposed to seeing his regular work and providing more challenging homework or in class assignments).

With all these considerations I am leaning toward homeschooling:

1) He would be socialized with a group of kids, his age, outside our drama circle

2) He would have work that was more challenging and grow with his insatiable appetite for knowledge

3) He wouldn't get lost in the system (he's been badly bullied)

Finally, I had a week experience as we had to protest his riding the school bus due to the driver causing more drama for my family. And it went really well.

Before I jump in with both feet what I am looking for is your experience. Mostly focusing around integration back into the mainstream education. I'd put him back in at the 6th grade level unless I could find comparable options for activities (cross country, wrestling, band, choir, etc.)

Thank you for your time.

I am a Cub Scout den leader and for our November meeting I wanted to present to my kids (7/8/9 year olds) what a traditional Thanksgiving meal would be like. I have, what I believe to be, an accurate account of the dishes but I am not sure how they would have prepared each item. Here is the list food options I am going to serve. If you have an colonel cooking tips I'd be very appreciative:

wild fowl (geese or game hens)

parsnips

corn

collards

turnips

spinach

onion

squash

porridge or corn based oatmeal

If I have missed anything that should be added please let me know. And thanks for helping me make this a special meal for my den.

Okay, we just got a Papillion who is 3 going on 4 months old. He spent his whole life in a pet store (well, minus the first 6 weeks with his mother). I have found that pound puppies and pet store puppies are a little more challenging to potty train because they are taught to eat, sleep and potty all in the same small space. We have another dog who was never a pound puppy but came from a breeder and he was rather easy to train where our newest member is being rather difficult. I have tried all forms of methods over the past 2.5 weeks only to find myself frustrated at the fact I can take him out to the dog run and he'll urinate a little but 30 minutes later he will fully relieve himself all over our floor. He's even gone in his crate (poop and pee).

Suggestions are very welcome, but know that I do understand it takes time. Our big guy was 6 weeks of regular teaching before he got it. So this is not new or foreign territory. The big difference is that the puppy has no problem going to the bathroom where he sleeps and eats.

Also, I have never used the potty pads but have some (unopened as of yet). Does anyone have comments on these?

THANK YOU!

My husband says that after the summer solstice our daylight will be reduced by a minute per day. My son is now asking if this is true. I am no expert but in my humble opinion I believe that it is a variable not a static shortening of our days (not including the end of daylight savings time).

I tried to research this on the web but came up with a big fat zero. So any help out there would be very welcome.

And thank you :-)

Okay, I am 40 years old. I am generally in really good health. BP is usually very low. No known medical conditions that would impact the head. I am 5'4" and weigh 130lbs. I have three kids which I am very active with.

I have been suffering a cold going on 3 weeks. It is mainly in my chest at this point with a nasty cough. Last week I got so dizzy sitting in my chair I felt like vomiting. I spent the majority of the day on the couch. I could eat but worried about throwing up from being so dizzy.

The next day I felt much better and just figured I hadn't gotten enough sleep.

Saturday, just over a week later, the same thing happened again. I have been better today but still I have moments where I feel nearly vertigo.

Should I be really worried? Anyone else go through something similar?

So my reserved husband has lately (being the last 8 months) been acting in a manner that I have not seen displayed in our 11 years together. So I am curious if he might be cheating currently, has cheated recently, or if there is something else to his behavior? Or maybe I am being overly sensitive.

Background.... Normal typical behavior:

* Does not like public displays of affection

* Will not swim because he doesn't want to take off his shirt due to back hair

* My friends are my friends (mostly women) and his are his (all guys)

* Socially drinks but does not get drunk

Odd behavior:

* Showing his "full moon" to my female friend (in front of me)

* Hanging out on the side of a pool drinking a beer with my female friend yet not even offering me anything or assisting me with the kids

* Offering to kiss another of my female friends (in front of me)

* Over schedules his weekends so we have zero time together

So what are your thoughts? Is this just bad behavior or is he misbehaving.

Please note that I have called him on his actions to some weak, sheepish smile but no real response. When I ask what is going on he claims "nothing" but that means little as what else would he really say. We've got three young kids and a lot of his concerns are being without them. We've separated once because of inappropriate spending (in the several thousands) but his behavior is different this time.

Thanks!

So my reserved husband has lately (being the last 8 months) been acting in a manner that I have not seen displayed in our 11 years together. So I believe he is likely to cheat or has already done so, however I am looking for input from answer's like you.

Background.... Normal typical behavior:

* Does not like public displays of affection

* Will not swim because he doesn't want to take off his shirt due to back hair

* My friends are my friends (mostly women) and his are his (all guys)

Odd behavior:

* Showing his "full moon" to my female friend (in front of me)

* Hanging out on the side of a pool drinking a beer with my female friend yet not even offering me anything or assisting me with the kids

* Offering to kiss another of my female friends (in front of me)

* Over schedules his weekends so we have zero time together

So what are your thoughts? Is this bad behavior? Likelihood to cheat behavior? Or am I just being a bit over reactive and sensitive?

Thanks!

So it is either she is Super Nanny in disguise, doesn't spend enough time with her kids, or she is just looking to pick a fight because not everyone does things as she thinks they should be done. Additionally, if we don't have a schedule is she saying that we are unhappy in our jobs as SAHM/SAHD? This question is completely worth spending 5 yahoo points on as I think she is a bit out of line to judge all of us by her standards. Who's standards is she judged by?

A friend/Mom called me last week regarding learning her children (and another neighbors child) being involved with some inappropriate "playing" while spending the night at my home six (6) months ago. The kids involved were my son (names changed to protect identity) Ken (9), my other son Mark (5), friend Steve (7), friend Bob (8), and friend Lily (7).

So, after learning about this and through investigative research I learned that Steve introduced the game of truth or dare to the group. He was challenging everyone to remove pants and kiss. Ken (my eldest) thought that he'd be the parrot and repeat what Steve was saying because everyone was laughing. Turns out nobody removed anything, nobody kissed, nobody touched anybody else. They all got bored and went to movies and bed.

When this Mom learned about this she called me stating that this type of behavior is not "normal" and that my son should know better. She also stated I would want to "nip this in the bud immediately as this is how child molesters are bred."

I personally think she overreacted, but what do you think??? Honestly, my eldest is a lemming and just follows along to be popular. Additionally, he has had some talk about keeping private parts private but is just not getting to the point of the changing body. When I used the word "sexual" he still looks at me quizzically wondering what the heck that word means.

So please tell me what you think?