Hypoglycemic seizures are also a possibility. They are caused by plummeting blood sugar levels. My old (16+) girl is going through this. The probably diagnosis is pancreatic cancer, but we are not pursuing any additional tests for her, since she's got some other health issues, and has lived a long and happy life. We've been able to manage her condition extremely well by feeding her small meals (canned dog food mixed with cooked brown rice) every 4 hours. We've modified the overnight feeding so that she now eats at midnight and 6AM, so we are all sleeping a bit better :o) She thinks that eating 6 times a day is just BRILLIANT! The complex carb (brown rice) is designed to give her some steady fuel to burn, to avoid blood sugar peaks and valleys. Seems to be working well so far. I thought of the possibility that the seizures might be blood-sugar rather than brain-based when you said that the first seizure occurred in the early morning. I had noticed that my girl was starting to seize often as I was preparing breakfast, and realized that she probably needed something to carry her from her normal 6PM feed through the night. Since we've added the late-night meal and the early-morning feed, she has not displayed any morning symptoms. If the seizures are related to blood sugar levels (and not "brain" epilepsy), you will probably be able to bring her out of it if you feed her a little Karo syrup before the seizure progresses too far, before she is not able to swallow anything. This has worked really well for us, but you do have to catch it early. I work from home, which lets me keep a close eye on her for brow twitching and head shaking - her signals that a seizure is starting. My friend who has a diabetic brother recommended using a tube of white cake icing instead of the Karo syrup. The icing is much easier to squirt into her mouth, and MUCH less sticky and messy than the Karo syrup. Hope this helps. Susan

Kids today (I have 3) are unbelievably spoiled and disrespetful. That's not to say that mine are this way (well, maybe a tad), but many of their friends are and it's a struggle to instill good values, respect and a work ethic when their friends and class mates have none. Much of your SD's behavior sounds pretty normal and there are very good strategies for coping with her. However, let me first say, I feel you are being a little overbearing in not letting her spend her money. She has to learn how to manage the money and that when it's gone--it's gone. I hope that money in her wallet is money she earned. By the age of 10 she should be earning her spending money. There should be guidelines established AND WRITTEN down and posted, maybe on fridge, that state something like the following: SD must make her bed, feed the cat twice daily and help set the table every day WITH A SMILE ON HER FACE and in return she will be paid 7$ each Sunday. The $7 is her money to spend at will. That is how kids learn the value of money. Of course, include SD in the discussion of her chores and allowance amount before the final decisions and stay flexible in case changes need to be made as time goes on. Have her check off her chores each day as they are done and on Sunday, if she has done her jobs well, she gets paid. If she hasn't done them well or has complained, then her salary is reduced somewhat. This teaches consequences and responsibility, which is your goal. Also, seems to me your wife is letting you take a lot of the heat and hassle and she comes out smelling like a flower. You two need to talk, big time. At the very least, she sound say "I agree with him." And never be afraid to use the phrases "Because I said so" and "Because I'm the adult." My oldest daughter was very articulate and argumentative from an early age and I found myself in the same arguments you're in. It's exasperating to try and reason with a child, especially a child with snotty motives. You won't win by arguing! Explain the "why" of it ONE time and when she starts in for round two, calmly say "Because I said so and that's the end of this discussion" and walk off or just remain quiet and refuse to engage in further discussion of the subject. Whatever you do, don't lose your cool because then you are losing your position and any respect she may have for you. Read John Roseman's newspaper columns and books. He's also on the radio--he is great. He says it's perfectly fine to have double standards when it comes to our kids, and he's right. For example, Roseman tells how he had a motorcycle but refused to let his teenage son buy one. His son complained that it was unfair and Roseman said that didn't matter. Period. End of discussion. Too many parents today worry that they aren't "FAIR" or that they're being "Hypocritical" so they let their kids do all sorts of dangerous things rather than run the risk of being unfair. Being a good parents very often means being unpopular. But I'd rather be a good parent than a bad one. James Dobson also has some wonderful parenting books. You can find them at any library or bookstore. One good point I'll never forget Dobson making was when he son kept whining and asking to stay up later because he wasn't sleepy and couldn't fall asleep. Dobson told him it was o.k. if he couldn't fall asleep, he had his full permission to lie in bed and stare at the ceiling all night long. I've used that one MANY times!!! Another point Dobson makes is that if you're doing your job correctly, your kids are going to be mad with you on a frequent basis. That's because you'll be saying "no" and they want to hear "yes, yes, yes". Or you'll be enforcing the rules and they want to be left alone or let off the hook. You're doing the right thing in seeking advice and again I strongly urge that you read John Roseman and James Dobson. Through the 17 years of parenting, so far, I've used their advice innumerable times and I've never regretted it. I've never regretted educating myself on child rearing, figuring out exactly how I stand on an issue and then holding the line. Oh, I think both of these men have websites so try a google search and see what you find. Good luck. Tigerlilysc PS--just wait until she starts dating....that's when the real fun begins!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just loved the box car chilren when i was a kid. i know you asked for series, but Holes and how to eat fried worms are both great books to read. if she likes a mystery, 'The Cat who....' books might not be too far beyond her reach. I read the original Tarzan books at that age and was captivated. as well as nacy drew and the hardy boys. also the series about budding astronauts "Tom ???" after that i slid into Narnia, and then the lord of the rings. Horatio Hornblower would be great, (but O'brian's Master and Commander series was a heavy, but wonderful read for me this past year) I also remember a series about a boy named henry, he as always in trouble(or was it a Homer?) diggerb

Good for you, SueB20, you are a smart mom. We found with one of our kids the mere chance we might do spot checks was a deterrent. The others weren't always so smart. And it pays to know the parents of your kids' friends. One spring break one of ours went with a group of friends chaperoned by a mom I THOUGHT I knew pretty well. Turns out she and her husband stayed at a different hotel from the 16 year olds--- about a quarter mile away! Of course I found this out after the trip---it did not even occur to me to ask if the parents taking the kids to the beach were staying in the same hotel. I was so angry with those parents I didn't even know what to do. That was the end of our kids going on trips with their friends. I felt there was no way I could come up with enough questions to cover every possible weird idea or belief the parents might hold unbeknownst to me. The book How to Talk So Teens Will Listen and Listen So Teens Will Talk by Faber and Mazlish was my child rearing bible for about ten years. I can't recommend it enough.