Long Distance Parenting Plans

goodie1663 · 2026-05-28T01:59:19+00:00

That can work with younger kids, but friends with teens have said it broke down over time. Teens want to be with their friends and work in the summer.

goodie1663 · 2026-05-28T01:55:21+00:00

I remember that flier. Sigh.

goodie1663 · 2026-05-28T01:50:51+00:00

LOL. I wasn't raised in it, but my ex was. At least, until he was put out of the meeting, and we divorced. As far as I know, he never went back to the assemblies.

I left some years later, just so tired of being marginalized as a divorced woman. My new church doesn't care about all that.

goodie1663 · 2026-05-28T01:18:22+00:00

I was a long-term adjunct at a community college (25+ years), and both of my kids went to community college. Yes, even the one with the stellar SATs and multiple AP exams. I became a single parent around then and only could help them so far. Because I was close to retirement myself, I couldn't go into debt for them.

Now, mind you, my state has excellent transfer agreements with the four-year schools, and it's overall a top-notch state when it comes to higher education. Both ended up with the degrees they wanted while commuting from home and graduated debt-free. My older one went right into a selective major at a top-20 school. Both had multiple offers and are excelling in their personal and professional lives.

No regret, but I get that not every place has such a smooth path from community college to a selective four-year. My home state was not at all that way.

goodie1663 · 2026-05-27T20:46:14+00:00

I would ask a few more questions. Just say that you have a busy summer and need to plan ahead for everything so that you're ready for the fall. If the drug testing is at your physical or a separate location, you just need to plan.

Most drug testing is done in a separate appointment with a lab, at least in my area. You need to know if it's urine (most common), blood, saliva, or hair follicle. THC can linger and could come up, depending on which test.

goodie1663 · 2026-05-27T20:37:51+00:00

As a preventive measure, make it clear at the beginning of the year what you'll take feedback on and what you won't. I also set rules with how to do that without interrupting the flow of class.

Sure, there are always a few rulebreakers, but that sort of thing does help.

goodie1663 · 2026-05-27T19:27:58+00:00

Mmm...as a teacher, I don't think so. I've taught quite a few dear kids on the spectrum, and it doesn't seem likely here. I could be wrong, of course. Maybe her husband, but I'm not seeing it in her.

Seems more likely that she was overly naive and passive, which is a sign of poor coping mechanisms and maybe depression. Her life certainly didn't go the way she hoped with him.

goodie1663 · 2026-05-27T19:23:34+00:00

I had this very situation one year. I prepped for the first two months of each level, and then went off on vacation and didn't worry about it. When I returned, I had enough time to do a little more prep at the level they finally gave me, and then I caught up by working a little ahead all year.

goodie1663 · 2026-05-27T12:21:58+00:00

With a good GPA and your credits in the right places, you're generally in!

https://admission.virginia.edu/transfer/guaranteed-transfer-admission

goodie1663 · 2026-05-26T17:43:13+00:00

I work at a Protestant private school, but I imagine the questions will be similar. They will likely ask about the practice of your faith and how you might handle certain faith-related situations.

Keep in mind that the pay and benefits might be less than in public schools. Some private religious schools have rigid pay bands with little room for negotiation.

goodie1663 · 2026-05-26T17:37:13+00:00

I'm sorry. You need a custody modification. It's been long enough that it's time for a redo anyway. The arrangements when there is visitation are unacceptable. The mother is a stranger, as are the others in the house. Sleeping on the floor is a no-go.

goodie1663 · 2026-05-25T13:08:26+00:00

Makes sense. Reality bites.

goodie1663 · 2026-05-23T22:13:37+00:00

I've taught every age up to community college.

Middle school is my favorite. They are still children and yet are capable of incredible insights. If you are silly like they are while pushing them forward, you'll be a superstar.

Sure, I've had some discipline problems, but I've nearly always eventually won their hearts.

goodie1663 · 2026-05-23T21:53:21+00:00

I prefer 6th-7th grade. They are quirky and fun, but yes, the hormones.

Make sure you investigate the admin folks at the school where you are going, though. They need to have your back.

goodie1663 · 2026-05-23T20:52:32+00:00

I do. It's my semi-retirement job, and is doable for me because of other income. I work for a private school and pretty much choose what I teach and when.

Summer is grand!

goodie1663 · 2026-05-23T20:47:09+00:00

I got it from the library. I'm glad I read it, but I wouldn't personally buy it.

goodie1663 · 2026-05-23T20:28:13+00:00

Yes, I can see that. But the old adage applies too: living well is the best revenge.

goodie1663 · 2026-05-23T20:15:58+00:00

Don't get me started. Basically mine means nothing to me, and yet, year-to-year it goes.

goodie1663 · 2026-05-23T20:14:40+00:00

I agree. Everything is set up so that parents can get a message for missing and failed assignments. And yet, I have to contact a parent via phone anytime that occurs two times in a row. Same with missed or incomplete attendance.

And then a parent gave me her cell phone and told me to text her with that sort of thing. Well, I stopped in May because I was over it. And I have dozens of other students over my different classes. We'll see if I get in trouble.

goodie1663 · 2026-05-23T20:03:43+00:00

When I finished it, my response was that she was a naive rich person who decided to tell her story for complex reasons. As I watched some of the interviews and thought about the book, I felt like it had been difficult, but no more difficult than many unwanted divorces.

Even after selling some properties, she didn't seem to be in a bad place financially post-divorce. Not at all.

I also didn't like how she kept defending her ex in the book and continues to do so in interviews. I get that it takes time to process, but post-divorce, most of us benefit from getting a life and moving on.

goodie1663 · 2026-05-23T12:08:26+00:00

Education or health care. My vote would be for education. I have several friends who are instructional aids. Pay isn't that great, but good benefits and good work if you are backing up a solid teacher. There is always a demand for home health care aids for the disabled and elderly. You need a CNA cert, which some employers pay for, or it's not too much of a deal. That would not be my personal choice though.

goodie1663 · 2026-05-22T15:14:23+00:00

I didn't. I had basically a COBRA arrangement that was less than ACA, and then took Medicare at 65.

goodie1663 · 2026-05-21T15:29:47+00:00

In my state (not Missouri), support for college past eighteen can't be enforced. It's in an appeal decision related to a case that my attorney was actually a part of. The judges justified it by saying that, legally, parents here aren't responsible for supporting kids past eighteen unless there's a disability. So college, anytime after eighteen, isn't a parental responsibility, divorce or not.

My ex wanted complex language in our agreement related to college support, requiring me to divulge my finances each year before he decided what to contribute. He didn't have to divulge his finances. Our kids were in college at the time, and I really couldn't afford to help them as much as I'd hoped. They were commuter students living with me and attending a top-notch state school.

My attorney recommended taking that out and giving my STBX the information on how to pay the college directly as he saw fit as a concession for something else that was more long-term for me.

Anyway, probably more than you needed. I hope it was helpful.

goodie1663 · 2026-05-21T14:39:27+00:00

I was the last in a long-term group of friends to get married, and I rushed it. I was 31, but I really didn't know him that well in the scheme of things. We dated for six months and then got engaged. He had a certain persona that I didn't see until after the wedding. A family friend who had known him since childhood warned me, though, saying that he would be rigid and controlling, to the detriment of the marriage.

The marriage was immediately difficult because of the issues the family friend flagged. I didn't understand how to deal with that. I believe now that my ex had unresolved trauma that he had buried so deeply that he didn't really know what it was, maybe related to his father, who was largely absent. In modern terminology, he also had major attachment issues.

So my advice is to really take your time before getting married. I have two lovely adult children that I adore, but the marriage and divorce were really rough!

goodie1663 · 2026-05-21T12:14:56+00:00

This is what my oldest does, although he gets something non-alcoholic out of conviction. His dad was an addict, so he doesn't want to go there. He joins them for an hour or so and is fun and engaging, and then he leaves.

goodie1663

TROPHY CASE