NewGuy2005

Is this your first kid in kindergarten? A lot of parents, myself included, tend to over react when their kids first hit school. The hugs are harmless and the kids like it. The kiss thing is no big deal, even though my kids' teachers did not do it. Large groups of very young kids have to be kept under tight control and there are times when strict obedience is critical to safety. The whistle sound like a good means to that end. I would not worry about either item.

Same here. I can't put it down.

Thanks. Times have changed. For the better, in my opinion. One thing that really strikes me is that a lot of kids these days don't like to drive.

But toilets in national parks are.

Well, it's two years later and it's over. One week from now we will be taking our daughters to college. Here is some of what I have learned: 1) There is no substitute for for high scores on the PSAT, SAT, and ACT tests. The vast majority of merit scholarship money is awarded based on these scores. 2) Extracurricular activities matter, but they are not as important as scores on the above standardized tests. These are just the "icing on the cake" but standardized test scores are the cake. 3) Have your kids start taking those tests early and often. Taking a test is more than just a matter of what you know. There is also some skill involved and that skill can be improved through practice. Improving that skill won't make up for a lack of knowledge, but it might get you an extra point or two that can make a very big difference. Another benefit to taking the test repeatedly is that early on you can assure your kid that they are taking it strictly for practice. That takes the pressure off and makes it easier on them. Case in point: One of my girls had a migraine on the morning of one of her tests. Consequently, she ended up scoring one point less than her sister. Her sister was awarded some scholarships that she did not get because of that one point. She improved that score on a later test. It's good to get a second (or third) chance. 4) Pay attention to the PSAT test that they administer in high school. The National Merit Scholarship is based on PSAT scores. 5) Have your kid take both the ACT and the SAT test. Different areas of the country tend to emphasize one test over the other, but most schools will accept either test. The reason for taking both is that one test favors factual knowledge and the other test favors problem solving ability. (at least that is what I have been told) Your kid might excel in one test over the other but you won't know which one until they take both. One of my kids did slightly better on the SAT than she did on the ACT and that helped. 6) The college application and scholarship application process takes place over a fairly short period of time and requires a lot of work. Plan ahead for your kid's senior year of high school to be busy. Make sure your kids know in advance that this is going to be a lot of work and they are the ones that will be doing it. 7) Get a separate calendar that you keep deadlines in. There will be a lot of them and there will be no mercy for you if you miss one. 8) Limit the number of schools that your kid applies to. A lot of people may not agree with this. There is a lot more to applying to a college than filling out an application. Once they are accepted, there are scholarships to apply for which may mean further essays to be written. There are also may be additional financial aid applications to be filled out for each school that you are considering. One school is not enough, but ten schools is probably too many. This can pile up really fast. Know your kid and what their tolerance will be. They will have to stay on their game and keep up their energy and enthusiasm through all of this. You will have to act as their coach or cheerleader or whatever to help keep them on task. 9) Follow up, follow up, follow up. Things can and will go wrong and you will have to be watching in order to recognize when something has gone wrong. Any time anything had to be sent in, we always made sure that it was received. Some of the application websites you encounter may not be well designed and will not leave you feeling confident that everything went through OK. When in doubt, pick up the phone or e-mail for verification. Things don't always happen the way they should. 10) There are some things that are too important to leave your kids to do unsupervised. Anything that involves deadlines or money needs your oversight. Well there you go. Good luck if you are going through this process. Let me know if you have any questions. Ken

Now, that is funny!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9613bTfDjI

Thanks for the responses, folks.

That is the key. Save the big ride for a time when you have no deadlines.

Folks, One of my daughters has a college student friend in Fresno that is having some very serious problems. Do any of you know of a clinic or other resource I can direct him to? Please keep in mind that he's a college student and I don't think he has insurance, or money for that matter. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

This is a real name of someone that lives in my area and I think it would be perfect: J'Royalty

Run for your life.

Listen to "Spoilt Seed." It's a riot.

Agreed. Take the backroads.

The Titan Missile Museum just south of Tucson, AZ is pretty cool. It's a Cold War era missile silo, complete with missile.

Last time I bought a candy bar at Wal-Mart, it was well under a dollar.

That's pretty cool!

Blaming others for it may have come first!!

He's "Through being cool." Devo was awesome.

And now you know one. My idiot friends and I did this once when we were teenagers. Think of it as redneck paintball back in 1979, before the advent of paintball. A very bad and painful idea.

For sure. There are people that would pay good money for such a Pop-Tart!!

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/8-year-old-suspended-over-gun-shaped-pop-tart-gets-lifetime-nra-membership-142034921.html "The National Rifle Association has given an 8-year-old boy a free lifetime membership, the Baltimore Sun reports. His achievement was chewing a Pop-Tart into the shape of a gun." "Park Elementary told parents it would give counseling to any children who needed it after the Pop-Tart incident."

Unfortunately, you didn't delete anything. The account was only deactivated and whatever info you put on there will never go away Right. Deactivated is more accurate. I did not have time for anything significant to get posted.

I had some high school buddies talk me into getting on it. I deleted it after a few days.