u/Remarkable-Air3604

Hi - I grew up in and returned home to League City to raise my family. My kids are currently in CCISD elementary school - Ferguson. I think it’s ok, but not great. I actually homeschooled them last year but returned them this year because they were lonely. We have a good friend group, but I’ve been debating moving to Friendswood, particularly in the area near Cline Elementary, for better schools. One thing that I haven’t liked so far is how reliant CCISD is on screens. It really bothers my daughter, who loves to read but hates so much reading on the computer screen. We are currently districted into a horrible middle school (Clear Creek Intermediate), so we need to move before my kids get to 6th grade - either to be put into a better middle school in CCISD or to FISD.

Any thoughts out there about difference in schools?

Also, as a random aside, we rarely see bats where we live in League City - but is it a problem in Friendswood? We had friends that rented a house in Forests of Friendswood and had to leave because the garage was colonized by bats.

Ok, so this will be season 8 for me coaching, second time around with the 6 year olds. I’m embarrassed to say that I learned way too late with my older kid’s team (now u9, but disbanded) the proper form for dribbling in a line - ie, with the pinky toe or top and outside of the foot (is that right??).

In the spring, for my u6 team, I mostly just let them dribble as they wanted to, but now - should I correct their form? It’s such an awkward motion but they need to get it down, right?

Also… I know this forum hates cone drills, but I just feel like if I can keep them in groups of 3 with my assistant coach (husband) and maybe a parent, isn’t it worth it to try to teach them how to use the inside and outside of their foot and sole rolls? Maybe some relays?

I know these younger ages are all about fun, and I always played all the games with the kids, but frankly, because I didn’t know what I was doing, my older kid’s team lost so much, it wasn’t enjoyable for the kids. I didn’t realize how much I didn’t know until my older kid went to club. When her team was 6, though, we got a lot of attrition and crying at games because of losses. Our league also allows teams to stay together, and parents to pick teams, and like 3 of the other coaches played div 1 or some high level soccer so those teams are impossible to beat. I’m just a parent, just coaching because league needs volunteers.

Yet another year though, I’m trying to figure out how to do things better. I think dribbling drills/games, maybe shooting drills/games, and a lot of 3v3 and 1v1 is my plan.

We get 1 mandatory practice per week. I usually offer Sunday practices too, but these are rarely well attended.

We’ll see.

Thoughts? Advice?

Thanks so much in advance.

Hi guys - I post a fair amount during soccer seasons. I coach rec but my daughter, who is now u9, plays club and will (for the first time!) be on someone else’s rec team.

She’s a super athletic kid, and coaches generally love her. She’s played soccer since she was 5, but was always our goalie on rec. Consequently, she was a little delayed in developing on the field, but caught up last year. When she moved to club, she cycled between goalie and defense (7v7), but they tend to put her in defense more, even though she’s better (I think) at goalie.

Anyways, although she does very well in technical drills, when she plays on the field, she just gives up too easily or satellites too much. I think part of this is that she doesn’t like contact, but the other part is she just doesn’t have an aggressive mindset. If she recognizes the ball is coming to her side of the field, she usually gets it out, but she tends to pass quickly and avoid dribbling. If the ball is in the middle, she tends to hang back and let her co-defender get it. Idk. I think it’s a mindset issue. It’s frustrating to watch because I think she could be a better player, and she really likes soccer, she just doesn’t really like to get in the scrum and quickly gives up under pressure.

Thoughts? Am I just being too whiny?

Hey guys

I just got a bunch of tapestries from dharma but I’m a little bummed that they’re kind of taupe.

Can I bleach them to white? Will that ruin the fabric somehow? Do I use OWB? Bleach?

I also have blank tapestries from Amazon that are white, but the material feels stiffer and I don’t know that I trust them… my last tapestry was an Amazon one, but idk if it took the dye as well as I hoped.

Also - can/should I stitch on corner hangers to sell these things?

I wouldn’t care but I want to do a really intricate design that’s going to take me a long time to tie… just trying to mitigate disappointment

Hi internet strangers - looking for thoughts here.

This is inspired by someone else posting that as long as there is family helping parents stay in their home, they won’t leave. I realized I am that family.

I’m 42, married w 2 kids, md by trade but currently working as a consultant and not practicing. I work from home with a good income and decent savings.

My parents are 74. My mom went through treatment for 2 advanced cancers, and surprisingly does pretty well. My dad had a stroke 3 years ago that took out his memory center. He rallied for a year or two, but now is having progressive dementia and mobility issues. He can get very mean. Walker dependent. My mom cared for her own mom through her cancer treatment, until my GMA died at 96. Culturally, we look down upon putting people in nursing homes.

From the time my mom got her first cancer diagnosis 8 years ago, we were very involved in her and my dad’s life. My job then was 5 hours away, and we drove home w my daughter (who was a baby) every weekend or every other weekend for 5 years for moral support.

When I left my practice, I moved my family in with my parents while I got settled in my new role, and have been trying to wait out the housing market prices and interest rates, but frankly, I think they are what they are. Sadly, as time has gone on, I’ve become more nervous about moving out and leaving my parents, even to move to another house in the same neighborhood (truly I think we’d move about 30 min away to a better school district). My mom hires “helpers” to do all sorts of stuff for her - odd jobs, keep my dad company, lawn care, pool care, pet care, etc. We temporarily moved out after a fight once, though, and she hired this drug addict to be her 40 hr/week gopher. I chased that lady out and moved back in.

I don’t really know what to do. My husband (and I) are concerned that my parents needs are eclipsing my kids’. It helps a little bit to not have a mortgage, but not enough to compromise the kids childhood. As my dad has gotten worse, I’ve gotten nervous that one day he might do something that hurts the kids. The scariest things have been like… ignoring a large dead possum in the garage near the outdoor freezer where they kept food. I didn’t go out there for weeks then finally went and immediately recognized something large was dead. They insisted it was just a dead rat and I should just let it “dry up.” I called an exterminator who pulled it from behind a workbench and disposed of it. Then my mom took tools from said workbench and put it in a kitchen drawer. My husband is full time SAH, so he ends up being a “helper” too and somewhat keeps an eye on them.

Idk. I feel like both they and us would be a little lonely if we moved away, but I don’t want my kids getting hurt by living with a dementia patient. There have also been terrible, terrible fights. My parents have also had health crises every 6 months that my husband and I navigate. My gut is that once we leave, they have 2-3 years tops in this home. Really, they should downsize. It’s 5,000 sqft, and before we moved in, they had allowed a horrible rat infestation to overtake the attic.

It’s such a mess.

It’s even worse bc we wanted to raise our kids in New England, but instead we’re in Texas. I actually told my husband we would only live down here for 5 years, and that was 8 years ago.

Hey guys - has anyone tried this? I basically want a few bright lines in the dye, so my thought was to batik wax the lines, tie dye as per usual, then boil off the wax and probably dye over the lines with a bright color.

This should work, right? I know some ppl boil their dyes to remove all excess dye… I personally use really hot water as a final wash.

Hi homeschool friends - you guys helped me last year and I had a great academic year homeschooling my kinder kid and 2nd grader. Socially though, they got lonely so I let them go back to our public school for the last month of school to play with other kids.

It’s time again for school to start up. I’m very conflicted.

3rd grader - already an excellent reader, plowed through like 10 chapter books this summer, good with math but needs some help - loves the social aspects of school but screens hurt her eyes and we’re very screen heavy in our district.

1st grader - desperately needs friends. I’m wiling to overlook the fact that he’s already on 2nd-3rd grade math just so he can go make friends.

My daughter does competitive gymnastics and soccer, and swimming. We maintained some school friendships last year. I just felt bad that she missed out on some of the parties and seasonal stuff at school, plus recess.

My son swims and does boyscouts.

We did a fun Friday coop last year which was ok, but not great. It was only 5 kids in with both of mine, many of whom were younger. We also did open gym twice a week at our local gymnastics center, but again, so few kids there…

Idk. There’s no easy answers. There are no accessible low screen schools near us - closest is like 30-40 min away and downtown, plus private schools run 15-30k/kid. I really don’t like our public school in terms of safety and academics (we’re in Texas, not far from a mass shooting), but I know and love the families in our school community. A lot of great people.

We’re also live with my elderly parents, who need help but will not move, and this complicates things.

I guess my plan is to just let my daughter start 3rd grade, maybe try some eyedrops or blue screen reducing glasses, and pull her if she wants to come out?

My son would be glued to a screen if we let him. I’m conflicted about asking them to test him for 2nd grade given where he is, but he’s socially a bit immature.

Not sure what I’m looking for here, I guess just using yall as a sounding board.

Hi guys - for those of you who do galaxies and paint on little white stars - what are you using for this? I tried jacquard’s white fabric paint but it’s not opaque enough? Idk. Hoping for suggestions to cut out some of the trial and error.

Are they substantially different? I have Amazon ones but I hate to do the work to tie and dye it if it’s a low quality linen. Does it make any difference?

My mom hired the sketchiest woman in the world as her helper, which included running errands and staying overnight. We moved in with my parents 2 years ago, in part to help her and my dad who has had a stroke, but mom insisted she wanted her own help as she’s been increasingly nasty to me and our relationship has strained.

FWIW, I rerouted my life 8 years ago when she got an advanced cancer diagnosis to be nearby and offer support. I work full time too and make a great living. Two years ago, we moved closer bc they were getting sicker and moved into her 5,000 sqft house with our kids, looking for a home in the neighborhood, waiting out interest rates, and waiting for the ballooning home prices to pop.

Anyway, I was convinced this helper was on meth, and pushed mom to get a background check bc the woman was around my kids all day every day. Mom straight up refused to run a background check or even see if helpers drivers license matched her stated name. Got two fake references who wouldn’t vouch for 2023-present. Helper caught in many lies. Helper also brought her friend to the house for a plumbing issue, claiming he was a plumber, and he basically killed 3 hours doing nothing until I came home and chased him out. Helper also brought boyfriend (now ex) around for odd jobs, and helper’s boyfriend’s brother even got in on the action. Now helper’s best friend was picked up on felony drug charges a block from us (he lives in a sketchier part of the neighborhood).

Once I started snooping around about the helper, she demanded more work, saying she broke up with her boyfriend and needed 8 hours/day, instead of the 4 hours. Then she got sick and stopped showing up.

Mom insists helper, for the 2 months she knew her, was a better daughter than I have ever been, and refuses to admit she’s probably a druggie.

I’m crushed.

We’re actively house hunting and will move out. My dad has full blown dementia. Mom is demented and militant. We’ll see the implosion.

For the past 8 years, my life has been rerouted to be in close geographic proximity to my two aging parents, one of which survived two advanced cancers (mom), and the other had a stroke and has dementia (dad). Despite this, mom is determined to stay in her own 5,000 sqft home and as her health has progressively worsened, decided last month to hire someone who does whatever she says, which is mostly cleaning, running errands, and caring for my mom’s 8 pets. My mom demands to be in charge, even though she is a bad judge of character and it took me two years to convince her that her last “helper” was a criminal. He eventually pawned a bunch of my grandma’s jewelry off, and mom fired him.

This new helper is nice, my mom found her ?on Nextdoor?, and she hasn’t been vetted in the least. At my behest, she got two references, but one is written by someone whose name doesn’t match the telephone number, and who has a signature “LLC” that isn’t real, and in short, I’m pretty sure is fake. She also says the last time she worked with the helper was 3 years ago. The other reference claims to have worked with the helper at 7/11 from 2020-2022. Somehow this woman convinced my mom that she worked for mom in the past, but then mom changed her story and says maybe not. I’ve caught helper in other lies, and her boyfriend has gotten in on some odd jobs for my parents.

My mom refuses to get a background check. She’s in love with this woman because she took mom out to breakfast and brought her flowers for Mother’s Day. Mom gives helper her credit card to run errands. I am very skeptical of this helper, but mom is doubling down that she’s her new best friend and she’s not going anywhere. So far, the only money exchanged is a cash contract for $20/hour, $400/week.

What do I do? I’m so worried for my parents. My mom previously had this lady around 8 hours/day and even had her spend the night to look after my dad when my mom was in the hospital.

This helper is really straining my relationship with my mom. I want her properly vetted and if she doesn’t check out, I want her gone. I don’t even think the name she’s given my mom is real.

What can I do?

I asked this question in a thread before, but I’m obsessively trying to game out my daughter’s future. My daughter is a great goalie - she’s been playing since she was 6, and is also a gymnast so she hurls her body at balls and makes great saves, even though she’s smallish. She’s only 8 now. She’s 30th percentile for height, which will be about 5’4”. She also plays defense, and I put her in summer futsal to improve her ball handling so maybe she can play wing. She’s a “bubble” kid on the B team, and I wish she could move to A. I’ve noticed the club is a little biased against smaller girls in general (an awesome girl got held back on B team, and the only “issue” with her is she’s quite short), and they also preferentially pick taller goalies, even though my daughter has a better record in the goal.

Goalie training is its own thing, and she does get it through the club, but I’m debating getting her private lessons in it over the summer just in case she wants to keep playing it. It only occurred to me this year that maybe it’s not a great position for her. She’s been our primary goalie for years in rec.

Is it beneficial for her to be able to play goalie as well as something on the field, or should I try to steer her away because it’s a waste of her time given her stature?

Ok fellow homeschoolers… please help. Long story short, I pulled my 2nd grade daughter and kinder son from public school at the beginning of the year and homeschooled them. My daughter is bright, incredibly disciplined, loves to read, but is just below the cut-off for GT so she doesn’t qualify for the enrichment programs. My son is likely gifted but never got tested.

I personally think our public school isn’t great, though on all those rating sites it ranks as 9/10. My kids got a ***wonderful*** education at home, both are well into the next grade level in math, my daughter is an avid reader, and I’m super proud. At the end of April though, my spouse and I lost steam, and my daughter started saying she wanted to go back to public school. We maintained friendships with these kids, and I was curious about how she measured up, so I put her and my son back. It confirmed my fears, that the school isn’t rigorous, and my kids love it bc they just goof around with friends all day.

I don’t want to send them back in the fall. I want my daughter to be treated toe to toe with the GT kids, who get more rigorous academics and projects (many of whom I personally know and don’t think are that much smarter than her) but because her IQ isn’t quite high enough, she’s in with the rest, which is ok, there’s just so much fuck around time in school. And like… she has a very chill personality, so she doesn’t bounce off the walls and demand attention when she’s bored, she just sits there and reads.

I couldn’t have done more to keep my kids socialized this year. They each played a different sport every day, we did scouts, we did homeschool gym twice a week, we hung out with friends from school every weekend… it’s just not enough to squash the FOMO.

This summer, they’ll do two weeks of science camp, one week of mandarin camp, mandarin through the summer, and I’m going to try to bribe them to do math - either DreamBox (which I *hate* but public school insists on) or Beast Academy (much better) just so that if they go back to public school in the fall, they’ll be ahead.

Alternatively though - would it be totally bad parenting to make them do like half a year homeschool, half a year public?

There are very good private schools, but they’re an hour and a half away, across a major city, and $30k/kid/year. Other schooling options basically require us to move.

Ok, if you have mean thoughts, that’s fine, please just try not to bash me too hard. Like you all, I’m just trying to do the best for my kids.