I had some 3 year old questions, too, but I've forgotten what they were . . .* Agree that photos would help. Possible causes include root self-strangulation (coiled roots from a potbound plant, which circle round the trunk and strangle it as they thicken with growth), deep planting (burying the tree too deep for the roots to get the surface soil aeration they need), and fungal disease (some decay fungi in the roots of the old tree might be pathogenic enough to kill the new tree). Resin * Sorry, couldn't resist! ;-)

Lyfia, at the age of 3, children generally do not have more than one friend at once. It is normal. Sometimes they do not even have one friend-- they still do a lot of parallel play where they are not necessarily interacting with each other. The advice of others to focus on polite behavior is the best. I have found that some children truly are born more empathetic tendencies than others. However, even children who are more attuned to the feelings of others will NOT always translate this into behavior at certain ages. I would focus on giving specific suggestions-- wave at your friend, greet her by saying "Hello," etc. Not too many, though! Then, you can roleplay with her dolls or stuffed animals. If she follows through on your suggestions, avoid telling her you're proud, or "good job" or other comments that focus on your judgment. Instead, you can say things like, "Your friend looks so happy that you said 'hello'!" or just, "You waved at your friend!" Regarding following and not leading-- I have found that this is something you can't really change. People tend to be born leaders or born followers. In certain situations, however, people do change . . .the child who may be "slow to warm" may shine during a solo on stage and run the show, but let others make decisions during play. What I do is (selectively) ask the other child (who is not leading) what they would like to do/offer the child a few choices. Then, I am modeling for the "leader" children what it's like to listen. One note-- I used to think of my DD as bossy until I read an article saying that people generally only refer to as girls this way. Boys are assertive, and girls are bossy. Changed my perspective!

I have been wearing an EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) nightguard on the top jaw for about 18 months as several dentists said my tooth grinding was a problem - some of my molars have cracks in them. I got this nightguard at a chemist warehouse (I am in Australia) for $8. I have a small mouth, but cut it down with scissors to fit. After a few initial sleepless nights I got used to it and found it pretty comfortable. The trouble is that I have recently gradually developed extreme sensitivity in a number of teeth on my left side, and realised that the guard was hugging and covering the left back molars exactly where the pain was developing. I sleep on my right side so overnight my saliva would seep down to the right side of my mouth, and the left side was drying out, as I cannot easily keep my mouth completely closed while wearing the guard. I then realised that I could cut it down a lot smaller as it only needs to cover a few teeth in order to stop my top and bottom rows from touching. I also put some holes in the bottom of it with a skewer to allow my teeth to breathe. But it's like I've developed an allergy to the guard, because pretty much as soon as I put it in my mouth I feel intense pain, so I'm going to have to ditch it. Anyway, there seems to be so little info on the net about what mouth guards are - or should be - made from. I am going to try a really cheap silicone one next and cut it pretty small - luckily I don't move my mouth too much when I sleep, or I would be concerned about choking. And I'm going to make a serious effort to develop mindfulness around any inadvertent grinding I do during the day. Anyway, from my internet research it seems there are heaps of things you can do to make your teeth stronger - Google "remineralizing teeth". You can buy "tooth mousse" to lessen sensitivity, but I read an article on Ayurevedic medicine which said that one of the ingredients in yoghurt is the active ingredient in the mousse - funny, because I'd been craving yoghurt! For tooth health - not to mention everything else health - you need lots of leafy greens! It's better to make your own toothpaste and there are lots of good websites about teeth, like www.healingteethnaturally.com which is rabidly vegetarian, and www.curetoothdecay.com which is rabidly meat promoting. Also, a while ago I wrote an article about tooth health at: http://www.owningpink.com/blogs/owning-pink/biting-the-bullet-taking-the-road-less-travelled-tooth-related-health

Update: There have been no more accidents since Tuesday morning, and he seems to be back to normal. I'm thinking that there may have been two possible causes: DH gave the dog a piece of lamb cooked in tomato sauce on Sunday night ( I avoid giving him table scraps ), and also my son had a hockey tournament last weekend, so the dog was alone more than usual. I personally think it was a behaviour issue, since his previous owner told me he started doing this when things changed in her home. I do praise him a lot when he goes outside. Generally he gets a short walk first thing in the morning, a long walk around 9, another walk around 1 when my daughter comes home from school, and then another walk around the block in the evening. Also, I let him out a few times during the day when I think he has to pee. He won't poop in our yard- he usually goes after walking for 5 minutes or so. He had a doggie door in his old house, but I didn't get one because we have a lot of lizards outside, and I don't want them coming in the house, especially now that it is getting colder out. I know other people with doggie doors who have problems with lizards coming in the house. I am home during the day, so I can let him out often. He had a self feeder with his previous owner, but I put his food out in the morning. He usually eats a bit first thing, and then he eats when we are sitting at the table, a bit more at lunch, and then at dinner. Unfortunately, sometimes that is later in the evening, since my two sons have hockey practice 4 nights a week. I don't give him too many treats, but he loves carrots, and the vet told me he could have as many as he wants. I'm hoping this was just an isolated incident. We have another hockey tournament next weekend, so we'll see if it happens again. I don't make a habit of leaving him alone for long periods of time, but sometimes it can't be avoided. It is never more than 2-3 hours, and I try to walk him just before I leave so he will be ready for a nap while I'm gone. He really is a great dog, and I just love him so much.