Hi Tina and a big welcome. Glad you're here. you'll not find a better place for info and good friends than here. I know i've learned a lot and learn something everytime i visit Ozarks forem. and look forward to meeting every one. good luck and have fun on your acre. Holler if we can help. I know you can tell by my language i'm from the southern Ozarks. Vickie

Work with his answer... If given some choice and he asks for your input 'what would you want to do' for example, say you're not sure. Name the factors that would be 'pros' for a couple different choices. Consider and weigh some of the 'cons' out loud too. Take your time, 'waffle' back, but do your decision-making steps slowly and out loud. Come to no official conclusion, step back and say you're not sure. Ponder for a bit, then ask him for his ('I'm still not sure, after all that, which would you recommend?') considered opinion. Make sure to use a serious respectful and patient tone. Be careful of not overdoing things. It is important when making later more complicated life decisions to be able to seek and get good counsel sometimes to help a person make good decisions. It's also a good thing in general to take into account the needs and feelings of others, and to ask for their input when deciding on activities or things like that. If he asks which you like, you can thank him for considering you... but explain that you've made the decision to give the decision to him to answer freely. The adults in question would have to decide for themselves how much time they would allow for decision-making processes. 30 minutes, over 2 pairs of shorts may have been what he needed. Some non-decision-making factors can enter into that kind of thing in case he likes being with the adult with him, or at the place where the decision is being made. Another would be if there was something he was trying to avoid (like if he was to do chores when he got back, or something) which would occur after that decision. These kinds of indirect things can occur and will not reflect his ability to make decisions in a timely manner. Some people feel pressured about decisions which affect others. You can try to agree to take turns sometime and make a point to do so. Make sure to get everyone's input to consider. Try to gain a sense of consensus rather than impose a decision. That can be effective, but requires some diplomatic skills. Do his sports require any decision-making? If he has problems with figuring out what factors to consider you can try making analogies to his sports experiences. There are subtle strategy decisions for even timed races in individual sports. (A coach will often be giving that out though for the child, so this approach may not work. But, it might be worth a try). don't use the phrase 'wishy washy' because it's not helpful and learning how to make decisions is a learnable skill and going out of his way to ask others for their input is an 'extra' that will probably take him far in life P.S. Sometimes children will model the kind of behavior they need. He might not be doing it on purpose, but if he feels on any level, like he's not asked for enough input he could make that point in his decision-making process. You might try re-asking questions, in the same format he uses when he seeks the input of others.

Believe me, the lack of film for that little camera is no deterant to Frog. Since I have been giving him photography lessons he is fully adept at using both my Pentax DSLR's and he has experimented with all 28 lenses and the Bellows. Here is a photo of Frog using the DSLR to shoot an extreme closeup of a bee on a flower; And here is a pic of Frog sitting on our little wagon shooting photos of cars on the street- And here is a photo of a young couple on a motorcycle that Frog shot. Frog says he won't use social media because once you get your name mixed in that mess no one will respect your work as a serious photographer. Now in regards to politics....Don't even get him started on that mess. Frog is very boisterous about politics but I explained to him that the ppl on this board may have differing views and we must respect everyones right to have an opinion so we won't post political stuff which might start arguments or cause hard feelings with our friends.

I'm not gay, so I can't speak for positive, but I have many gay friends. I know I would hate to be dealt with as a charity case or be labeled by my sex life. I think the best thing to do is to cultivate a loving relationship with him, no different than if he had been straight. Having loving supportive friends and family is very important no matter your sexual orientation. Anyone who is an "outlier" (I was one of the only ethnic minorities in my home town growing up) will develop pretty good radar about who is and who is not safe to "be oneself" with. I wouldn't worry too much about that. People "come out" in their own ways, depending on how they feel about sharing intimate details of their lives. Since homosexuality is a non-issue for me, (other than being supportive of my gay friends and civil rights for gay people) if someone does come out to me and my group, it is usually like, "Great, we love you no differently!"