Dorothy, I never thought of it that way. Although, I have to admit that I enjoy watching DS deal with a two-year-old and it does seem like 'payback' (hee hee) for all the grief he gave us when he was little. So, I guess I'll get to enjoy watching him be on the adult side of the adult-teenager conflict one of these years. Paula, I remember that age well....."dumber than a box of rocks" pretty much sums up what most teenagers think about their parents when those kids reach that age. LOL Aren't you glad they outgrow it? You're raising some little gardeners too, and it reminds me of the old saying "If I'd known grandkids would be so much fun, I would have had them first." Isn't it just the most fun to share those home-grown pumpkins with the kids? I always get the greatest sense of pride from eating/using anything and everything we raised ourselves. And, you should be proud because your grandkids are learning early on just where their food comes from AND how they can be a part of the whole process. Mandy, If your mom says that your daughter's behavior is a little more "intense" than yours was, well, you know what that means.....it means it is your DH's fault because she got the entra fiesty genes from him! LOL I vote for having chickens. We have had them ever since we moved here and there's nothing better than farm fresh eggs. However, you absolutely must have a 100% predator-proof chicken coop and securely fenced chicken run or your kids' hearts will be broken when predators get your birds and your eggs. Every child that comes to our place is simply 100% fascinated with the chickens and their eggs. I know of at least one young boy who wouldn't eat eggs at all until he got to start gathering eggs at our house and taking them home with him. When I hear the name 'Felicity', two images come to mind. One is the TV show, 'Felicity', which was on in the late 1990s-early 2000s and starred Keri Russell in the title role. The other is the American Girls doll, Felicity. So, when I saw your daughter's name, those two pleasant images came to mind and now that you've described her, I can picture her in my mind and I see a darling and spirited young girl who loves to garden and who will, later on in her teens, give you every gray hair you have. I love traditional names too. Dorothy, Love the iron hand in the velvet glove reference. I think it is true, too. As long as those kids know there is an iron hand inside that velvet glove, the iron hand doesn't have to put in an appearance very often because just knowing it is there is quite a deterrence. You know, everyone, raising kids is a lot like raising a garden.....and don't we all know it! Dawn P.S. Mandy, I linked the American Girls website to show you their Felicity. One of our nieces had the 'Molly' doll when she was younger because Molly looked just like her and that was her favorite toy for years. Here is a link that might be useful: The Felicity Doll

I can't imagine that anyone who is raising funds would not accept a donation. Another advantage to a donation is that, depending on the organization, you may be able to write it off on your taxes if you itemize your charitable deductions (I'm not up on the current tax laws but I think that's still true, if it's the proper type of organization). "It's gotten so that parents don't think that they need to bear the costs of their child's entertainment. They've got money to go out to the local movie theater, concert, or other expensive entertainment on a regular basis, but claim poverty when it is time to fund extracurricular activities." Not all parents have the money to fund extracurricular activities. Fundraising helps make sports and other activities available to all children. Maybe you are being asked to buy something by someone who could afford the straight fee but that money is probably being pooled with other money so children who otherwise could not afford to play can play or to keep the fees down for everyone since everything is expensive these days (think liability insurance, safety equipment, field maintenance, etc). If they had to get all of their money from the participants, the cost might be prohibitive for most. Usually there is an opt-out fee so no one has to fundraise but some people are of the mind that it doesn't hurt to ask(but I guess that is not true from what I'm reading here - it might be raise the blood pressure of the person you ask!) Maybe you still don't think that's a valid reason to fundraise but please realize that people aren't usually fundraising to benefit themselves and only themselves and don't make your decision based solely on their financial situation.

Oo, I have a story, well, I got lots, but here's one about what kids say. My youngest was a late talker compared to his brother and sister. They chattered away at a very early age, but not him. Even when he did talk he'd never use 2 words when one would do. Sometimes I even started to worry a little, but he understood everything that anyone said to him, so I figured he'd talk when he felt he had something to say. I used to take him for a daily walk unless the weather was really bad. This was one of his great pleasures. Of course, as winter nears, you start digging out their little hats, warm coats and mittens. On this particular day I couldn't find his mitts. I was hunting under chairs, in the bottom of the closet, up on the shelf, while he kept hopping from one foot to the other and trying to open the door. I kept explaining we'd go in a minute, as soon as I got his mittens on. He turned to me and said his first sentence. "Me no need no mittens!" I knew he'd talk when he had something to say!

Mnt, what a fun story and what wonderful daughters you have. Your DH has a quick wit (you’ve passed on other of his quips before). Kswl, such a cool son. I love most of these comments. Even if the kids work around this later on, at least you moms have had dozens of protracted discussions averted. If a kid feels like they have never had any agency, they will be quickly snatched up by a dangerous cult (someone to tell them what to do, think) I heard that on TikTok.