Recent content by Shari Nielsen

As a high school teacher, I have chaperoned many school dances. Although a lot of kids do go as official couples, many just go as friends. It is also very common for kids to go as same sex friends and it is not looked down upon by anyone. Peer pressure is tough on teens and if that can be...

Check out Home Depot or Lowe's or whatever large hardware store you have in your area. I know the ones up here are always offering classes on how to build this and that.

I got a air purifier that made a ton of noise. We put it in Austin's room whenever we had people over and we thought that the noise we made would keep him up. What a difference in the nights that we ran it. He fell right to sleep! My fear is that he gets used to it and won't fall asleep...

I would love to see what would happen if teachers were paid more - enough to make the standards to become a teacher very high/difficult, and to make the job market very competitive so only the best are hired. As of now, the low salary turns a lot of talented people off, leaving a lot of...

Thanks! I can't wait to meet my new little one!

I was 21 and my parents let my bfriend sleep over b/c his home was hours away from mine. However, I was in their house so we had to listen to their rules. He slept on the sofa and I went upstairs to my own room. (Although we did stay up later than my parents)...

I think it would be ok for them to start at 14-15 as long as they understand that Mom will be checking in to see what's going on. If they don't want me to see something, then it shouldn't be posted for anyone else to see. Our school puts on a very good assembly for the kids about internet...

I can't send my 6 yr old to her room for a punishment b/c she can amuse herself with something as simple as blanket fuzz!!!

We were trying over the summer and I jumped the gun and tested three days before I was due for my period and it came up positive...It was a VERY faint line, but never-the-less, it was there. Four days later, I got my period. :( I was a day late but I never would have known I was pregnant if I...

I agree w/ the other posts re: considering maturity, etc. My daughter was super advanced and bored in k and 1st grade and even now in 2nd. We tossed the idea around and decided against it. Our concerns were maturity, self-esteem, social issues when she is a pre-teen/teenager, going to college...

What I find interesting is the feedback that we get from a lot of former students who have taken AP's and then gone on to college. It seems that taking AP classes so kids get college credit and don't have to take courses in college works best when these classes are NOT in the students major...

I agree that a LOT of teachers aren't up to par, especially a lot of the young ones. Unfortunately, the teacher training programs teach a lot of "perfect world" stuff and not practical stuff that the teachers actually need. As a result, they are in shock when they get out into the real...

My daughters 7.5 & 6 come home w/ stuff CONSTANTLY! They even get pamphlets about extra stuff for the activities they are already signed up for! For instance, they go to gymnastics every Mon. At least 2x a month, they come home w/ pamphlets about "parents night out", exhibitions where...

It would be great if they started the kids (those in public schools) w/ a foreign language class as early as first grade and kept it going into high school rather than starting in high school. What do other countries that teach their kids English at an early age do? Anyone know?

My 7 year old will still take a nap on the weekends sometimes! We usually enforce a "quiet" time during the day if we are just hanging out at home or if the kids seem to be having behavior problems during the day. They usually fight it but I will check on them about 15-20 min into the quiet...