u/Character-Put8660

For the past year and a half my son has been very interested in molecular biology - seeing as he was in middle school I smiled and did my best to help him get a general idea of what molecular biology is because I figured he would move on to something else given his age. He hasn’t. Last weekend he received the latest Nat Geo and has been gushing for days about cellular reprogramming article - it feels like I should try to get him some more opportunity to explore this beyond just reading random articles.

If you encountered a teenager who was interested, what would you recommend for them? Are there “easier” journal summaries? Home experiment kits? Other things that I would never think of? What can I do to help support and grow his interest?

Frame of reference for me being able to help him, I am a dumb mechanical engineer so I can follow directions but biology and chemistry were not my strongest subjects.

Can someone explain the 8 second rule to me? I read page 119 of the IFAB rules but I am confused (probably a fairly normal situation for me).

During a U11 match I watched the keeper (my kid) pick up the ball from behind the goal after the attacking team lost control and it went out. He walked back to take the goal kick at a normal pace, similar to what players do to take a throw in. Immediately after setting the ball down, before taking a step back, the center ref awarded a corner kick for taking too long (the ref was not counting down fingers but that is beside the point here). Is there a countdown for goal kicks? When should the countdown begin? Is it the second the keeper touches the ball behind the net? If the other team launches a shot it could be 50 yards away and I don’t know any 10 year olds who can make that sprint. Is the correct action by the goalkeeper to not pick up the ball, just kick it until they are ready to set it and take the goal kick?

Similarly the 9 on the opposing team kept stepping into the path during punts, causing the keeper to switch to a throw. Another corner was awarded after one of these.

Overall it doesn’t matter because it is A) U11, B) the past, and C) preparation for dealing with interesting interpretations by referees. That said I am hoping I can help explain the rule properly for my kid so he isn’t confused.

Going back to the interim measure days I remember a few people saying they were going to request a 5(4) grant while waiting (and hoping) for the IRCC to make the offer. Did anyone successfully do so and what process did you go about it?

I am 2nd generation born abroad, adopted, and my kids were born before my grant was approved (well before C-3 for that matter). I know plenty of other people have adoptions in the past that broke the connections as well. Under the interim measures my kids would have been fine (we all applied in March 2025) but we did not receive 5(4) offers. During the hearings I remember the Minister of Immigration saying processing would continue the same as the interim measures after C-3 passed but the way the law is written for grants it looks like my kids are out of luck (https://www.reddit.com/r/CitizenshipByDescent/comments/1vloq4y/comment/p34c7hn/).

I am not overly excited about filing a lawsuit for the charter violation of treating adoptees differently than biological children so I would love to give the IRCC and us an easy out via a 5(4) grant.

This comes up regularly (and I was hoping for my kids) but it looks like children of adoptees born before the grant of their parents are out of luck.

Boo

I am conceding defeat that my kids and I can apply for passports at the same time and getting ready to fill out my application. For those who have done it, how did you handle former surnames and parents' surnames at birth? Did you just include adoptive names? Biological names?

My youngest kid is a goalkeeper and has switch to adult sized boots - it used to be easy to find (cheap) all conical studs. He plays primarily on grass but all of his practices are on AG (I don't know why).

I see all the AG boots having conical studs but that is harder to find for the FG boots. He has AG and FG Nike Tiempos but the FG definitely has more of blades mixed in. Is this "bad" for goalkeepers? What should I be looking for in studs to help him from destroying his knees?

With D2 joining D1 I want to make sure I understand how this works.

Let’s say you have three kids graduating in 2028, Tom (old HS senior, born 1 Aug 2009), Dick (born 1 October 2009) and Joe (young HS senior, born 1 May 2010).

Am I reading this correct?
Since Tom will be 19 before the fall semester in 2028 his 5 year eligibility will start then. Dick and Joe will have the option of playing another year somewhere before college OR starting college that 2028 fall with 5 years of eligibility in both situations?

Hello - my son is getting ready to start 9th grade this fall. Over the summer he expanded his soccer obsession to reaching out to college coaches with the normal greetings and highlight video. Aside from the million camp invites he received a number of responses from D3 coaches but last weekend he got one from a D1 that asked for his fall showcase schedule and if he could include some specific types of clips next time.

My knowledge of NCAA recruiting is from the 1990s in hockey, basically when there were no rules. I understand that D1 soccer coaches aren’t supposed to communicate until June after 10th grade. Does this put my son at risk? Should I tell him to back off on emailing D1 coaches?

Many thanks!

This is just curiosity. My son is going to be starting high school this fall and was invited to join the varsity team for a "team camp" being hosted at a local college.

What is the point of these? Team building? College recruiting (I hope not since my kid hasn't hit puberty yet and doesn't need to get killed by 18 year olds)? Revenue for the college coaches?

This really has no benefit other than morbid curiosity (my kids applications have been dormant in PSU since March 2025). I know the IRCC regularly publishes the backlog data and occasionally some other stuff when pressed by MPs. Has anyone seen a count for the number of applications stuck in PSU?

My two boys and I had the pleasure of attending the Algeria vs. Austria match and I just wanted to share how incredible the experience was:

One of my kids really likes Hadj Moussa so we wore a collection of Algeria and Feyenoord kits and from the moment we arrived the Algerian supporters treated us like family. So many fans came up to us, shook our hands, took photos with us, and thanked us for supporting Algeria. Through a combination of amazing to broken English and my very poor French the Algerian fans expressed such genuine gratitude. The tears (particularly after the third goal) and the thanks for support them and their country was heart moving and an unforgettable experience. My boys left the stadium talking not just about the players and the game, but about how kind and welcoming everyone was.

The passion of the Algerian supporters was something special to witness. The singing, chanting, flag waving, and pure love for their national team created an atmosphere that my boys and I will never forget. It wasn’t just about the match itself—it was about the sense of community and pride that the fans brought with them. To all the Algerian fans we met: thank you for making us feel so welcome. We hope you had an amazing time here in the United States, and we hope you continue to have a wonderful World Cup experience. We will definitely be cheering for Algeria again.
🇩🇿❤️⚽

My two boys and I had the pleasure of attending the Algeria vs. Austria match and I just wanted to share how incredible the experience was:

One of my kids really likes Hadj Moussa so we wore a collection of Algeria and Feyenoord kits and from the moment we arrived the Algerian supporters treated us like family. So many fans came up to us, shook our hands, took photos with us, and thanked us for supporting Algeria. Through a combination of amazing to broken English and my very poor French the Algerian fans expressed such genuine gratitude. The tears (particularly after the third goal) and the thanks for support them and their country was heart moving and an unforgettable experience. My boys left the stadium talking not just about the players and the game, but about how kind and welcoming everyone was.

The passion of the Algerian supporters was something special to witness. The singing, chanting, flag waving, and pure love for their national team created an atmosphere that my boys and I will never forget. It wasn’t just about the match itself—it was about the sense of community and pride that the fans brought with them. To all the Algerian fans we met: thank you for making us feel so welcome. We hope you had an amazing time here in the United States, and we hope you continue to have a wonderful World Cup experience. We will definitely be cheering for Algeria again.
🇩🇿❤️⚽

My 10 year old is practicing more on artificial grass this coming season (very old and worn down). For my older kid this was the age that I moved him to AG boots but he is a field player.

Do you have a preference for turf vs AG boots in net? I imagine that AG is better when wet but we live in Colorado so it feels super dry all the time here… Many thanks for your advice!

I have a fairly large, 11’ inflatable raft that I would like to take out with my kids. It clearly is too big for the kayak/paddleboard trailer, even not inflated. Can I carry it down from the Winiger ridge area and launch from there? Is there a close-ish spot to park? With the low water is it super steep and hard to navigate over the rocks? I haven’t been since the construction started and would love to get back

Many thanks!

I am driving in from Colorado and looking at getting a shuttle ride for my kids and I. For people who parked at Gateway last night, how did it go? Did the lot fill completely up? Were the buses on time? Any issues getting in/out?

Many thanks!

What is the best way to get to the games from Lawrence? I am taking my boys to the Algeria/Austria game and spending the night in Lawrence. The Oak Park Mall bus is sold out and I cannot for the life of me figure out the other transit options (as I have no idea what parking is like anywhere - I am from Colorado). Is there a recommended way to get to/from the game while staying in Lawrence?

Thank you!

My 9th grader has spent the past year talking about how he wants to get involved in molecular biology for his future college degree (a relative has cancer and he has spent a moderate amount of time reading on gene editing). My background is engineering and I was notoriously weak in biology and chemistry, plus my experience is many decades old.

Are there any home kits or simple research projects (not life changing, just so he can try something this summer) that you recommend? I love supporting learning and exploration but on cost, this is a 9th grader who may or may not keep the same interests for years into the future…

Many thanks!

I keep getting emails about Liverpool Colorado tryouts, even though my kid already is on a team elsewhere (they seem very late to the party). On a whim I went to their website - they are advertising EA, ECNL, and GA as their leagues. Is this real or are they just pretending to try to get kids in the door?

In what feels like forever but also near record time I have my certificate. My tracker switched to complete and I was able to download the certificate from the IRCC portal today.

Sweet success. I know so many people are still waiting ( u/Schlauer, u/othybear, u/PursuitOfMeekness, u/blepiness, u/Strict_Classroom_630, u/Sure-Ice-7581, I am sure there are others as well) - hopefully soon for you as well.

Now my wait continues just to hear about my kids

I am heading to Canada shortly and had hoped to at least have a copy of my certificate (if not passport) to go over the border. I received my approval email on April 15th and replied to ask what to do about traveling to Canada as part of the approval email was this:

>Travel to Canada

>You must obtain a Canadian passport or other travel document to enter Canada. To obtain a

>Canadian passport you will need to make an application at the appropriate Canadian

>government office abroad. A citizenship certificate is required to apply for a passport.

I never heard back and tried the consulate Whatsapp this week, where I also haven't heard back. I called the IRCC - while they said they cannot help with travel thy did inform me that my application is still with the LA Consulate. No wonder (USA) adoptees take months after approval to get their certificates!