My son 6yo wants wants wants the BOMBAY KIDS loft bed but I can't imagine spending nearly 1K on anything that can't carry him into college and beyond. He has the LOUVERED bed (also by Bombay) which I bought on clearance for 150$ (and still regretted every pennies!). Some furniture develops 'patina' with use, these things just look bad when it's scratched. Especially on the chestnut finish, every scratches and ding make the bed look really shabby!! Recently I went to the showroom and just by checking the quality of the floor's model, I know these furnitures won't stand the test of time. The desk and dresser on the floor are already falling apart!!! I'm planning to replace his bombay's bed with a better quality solid wood one. Any suggestion??

A friend of mine had the same problem with her son in the 5th grade. She ended up moving him to a very small private school where he fit in much better. She then worked hard with private coaches to work one on one with him on a regular basis, so that he became very good at a sport. They still got together with the friends who were teasing, just not as often with the kids, but the parents kept up the friendships. As the boy grew and became more confident in himself through his sport, and the small school helped him academically rise to a much higher level, he seemed to fit in a bit better. Now when he gets together with those friends, I believe it is easier. They also built a few new friendships and I believe things are going better. Other parents don't take this seriously until it is "their" kid experiencing it. I feel for your child. Just make sure your desire for these friendships with "your" peers/friends, is not putting your child in a situation where the fit is not healthy for your son. You do not have to lose your friends, but encourage your son branch out and make some new friends over that have nothing to do with those boys.

Thanks for all the feedback! We're living in a rental right now while we're building. My son's room is yellow now & I just do not like it. I was thinking of a green, something just a tad bit darker than what's in the quilt. I almost bought some red curtains on clearance from JC Penney's, but wasn't sure how they'd look w/ a green wall. Red was the only color on sale. My mother in law suggested painting one wall blue or red & the rest a neutral beige. I just don't know. I am not good at this!! I want to use a color that we can use for at least the next 5 years. I hate to paint!! Oh, we're giving him our old BR suit & it is a maple color.

Mike, I don't disagree with that! But even with Programming you need to be in the right place at the right time! My son has two Degrees in Programming and is still unemployed, he's not the only one I know either. I have a step son that is in the same boat. He is most likely the smartest person I've ever known but can't find a job! Part of his problem is that he can't function in the real world (Absolutely No Personality, No Common Sense, etc...). The reason I'd say to go with something like building a computer is because it a Hands on project and these are young kids! The two I spoke of above have both built their own computers before. But they both chose to go the programming direction! Programming can always come later! Myself, I took a couple of programming classes and it wasn't my cup of coffee (I hate tea)!