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Texas' Garrett Gilbert knows where his helmet is and where it's headed - Dallas Morning News

AUSTIN, Texas - When Garrett Gilbert's big moment came, he nearly panicked. He couldn't find his helmet. Just minutes into last season's BCS championship game against Alabama, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy came ...

Summer band camp comes to close Friday - Frisco Enterprise

Since Aug. 2, the Coppell High School marching band has drilled, practiced, sweated and worked hard preparing for the marching band season. The Texas sun has beat down on the young men and women as they filled ...

Texas guard generating interest - YAHOO!

After previously playing at Pearland (Texas) High, senior Shai Fields is on the move for his senior season. The 6-foot-3 combo guard will play his final season of high school ball at mighty Houston (Texas ...

For now, son must wait to land dream job - MySanAntonio

Sam sent out his application to more than 50 different jobs he finds online. Not a single call-back. Many of the jobs - even ones such as administrative assistant - require a year or more of experience. It's ...

Texas Longhorns open football practice looking for offensive standouts - Dallas Morning News

AUSTIN – Regardless of who leaves, Texas' football program has reached the point where expectations stay remarkably high. Nothing has changed this season. The Longhorns, coming off a BCS title game loss to ...

Drabek proud of son's perseverance - Examiner

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- Right-hander Kyle Drabek offered the Philadelphia Phillies fans a sneak preview into the future Tuesday when the 21-year-old right-hander accepted the 2009 Paul Owens Award as the top pitcher in ...

Sandra Bullock - Bullock Supporting James' Texas Move - Contactmusic.com

SANDRA BULLOCK has dismissed rumours she is unhappy with her ex-husband's decision to move to Texas to be closer to the actress - insisting she "fully supports" his relocation. The Oscar-winner fled to Austin, Texas when ...

BULLOCK SUPPORTING JAMES' TEXAS MOVE - PR Inside

SANDRA BULLOCK has dismissed rumours she is unhappy with her ex-husband's decision to move to Texas to be closer to the actress - insisting she "f ully supports" his relocation. The Oscar-winner fled to Austin, Texas ...

Summer camp in prison helps kids know inmate dads - San Luis Obispo Tribune

They were unlikely dance partners in an unlikely dance hall: a 29-year-old murderer and a 10-year-old boy doing an impromptu tango as Luther Vandross' "Dance with My Father" sounded from a boom box in a prison ...

Texas executes gang member for murder of 2 girls - Tri-City Herald

AP Photo - In this July 11, 2006 .FILE photo, Randy Ertman leaves the Huntsville, Texas prison after witnessing the execution of condemned murderer Derrick Sean O'Brien. Ertman is poised for his third journey ...

Open Question: Would you be mad at your parents if they did this? (PLZ READ)?

Ok so this summer break my family went absolutely no where or did nothing cool at all. We did nothing from May 27th to August 10th which is when i got back to school. I sat at home like almost every weekdays because I was home alone like everyday when my parents worked and I had no ride to go out and hangout with friends. So now im 7 days into the 10th grade and yesterday my Mom's cousin, her husband, her eight year old son, and 15 year old daughter came to our house. They are from Texas and where going through California. They had already went to LA. I never have seen these cousins before (or maybe i did when i was a little kid). They said they were planning to go to Tahoe for a daytrip tomorrow and come back here. If you guys live in California you know what Tahoe is. If you dont then Tahoe is a kind of moutainy snowy tourist place that people go to that is on the border of Nevada and California. Now it is warm their and really nice. So I come back to school today and my parents are gone. My dad calls later and says he and my mom went to Tahoe with our guests. I really felt kind of hurt that they didnt even text me or tell me anything last night as if they were trying to hide it. But even though I really would have liked to go since I never see these cousins and because I did nothing over the summer. I told my dad and he laughed it off because I guess he didnt know how serious I was and said I had school. I didnt have any tests today, i barely have any homework, and my teachers all would have allowed me to make up the work. I would have only been gone for the day. IDK how you guys think i should feel about this but what would you think if this happened to you? my parents made no indication that they would be going with our guests to tahoe and they just seemed they would be going to work like regular and they knew me and my sister were bored at home during summer How should I act when they get home? and yes i did ask this question before but i want some more input how i should act cause I do feel a little disappointed and betrayed...umm srry i just got out of school i dont feel like grammer checking this...and i didnt communicate this to them because my cousins were just supposed to go and i thought it would just be a regular day for my familythey told me over the phone after school more

Open Question: Which Christmas Tree grows best in South Texas?

I have a son who will be a year and 4 months Christmas 2010. I want to get a Christmas tree for him but hate to buy a cut tree to represent Christ then have it die and be thrown in the garbage. I also do not want to buy a fake tree that will eventually be thrown away then end up in a landfill. So I feel the best thing to do is grow my own Christmas tree, maybe in a pot or in my front yard. I live in Victoria Texas, I'm very close to the Gulf of Mexico. I live in a very hot, humid climate which has times of drought in the summer as well as weeks of rain. So I need some advice, which type of tree would grow best in this climate? I want a very fragrant, beautiful tree that grows to a certain height so that I won't kill myself on a ladder trying to string lights on it. Also can I purchase a mature tree to plant or do I need to grow one from a seedling? If anyone can help me, I would greatly appreciate it. Help me make my sons first Christmas a grand experience! I don't want to teach him to buy a tree every year then have it die, it feels wrong to me. It was tradition when I was growing up but if I can break the cycle with my son I would love to do so. Thanks again. more

Open Question: What do you think of my movie ideas?

I'm planning to make a movie next summer. Here's a few ideas i have had. Which one is best? 1. Zombie Beach - Nazi Zombies (the result of an experiment by a devil-worshipping SS officer) kill and devour anyone who comes near their abandoned bunker. Locals avoid this French beach because of the unexploded ammunition but 8 British teens go there during their gap year to surf and smoke weed. 2. Vengeance From Beyond the Grave - Based on an Edgar Allan Poe story and inspired by Corman's B-movies. A 19th century soldier apparently commits suicide to escape his brutal officer, then returns to haunt him and drive him to his death 3. Teds - A film set in 1950s England about 2 rival gangs of Teddy Boys. There will be a lot of violence, prejudice and paranoia from the adults, romance between the Teds' leader and a high class girl from a conservative family, a rockabilly soundtrack, and an exciting car chase between a customised Ford Zephyr and Rover P5 4. Sawney Bean - The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, set in 16th century Scotland. Sawney is patriarch of an inbred cannibal family who butchers travellers and abducts women to rape. They leave no survivors, until one day a victim escapes their larder and informs King James. The cannibals (with the exception of Sawney and his youngest son) are captured and tortured to death in various gruesome ways 5. My Stalker Is A Vampire - A sexy horror show host (based on Elvira and a young Maila Nurmi) is stalked by a creepy yet sophisticated vampire (inspired by Christopher Lee's Dracula) obsessed with her body. Trapped overnight in the studio, she must stay one step ahead of his henchmen and find a way of destroying them 6. Varney the Vampire - The original Dracula book about a Cavalier cursed with immortality for betraying his friend. It will span two centuries: 1640-1820 but will have a twist near the end where Varney is dissuaded from committing suicide in Vesuvius, only to drain the priest's blood and embrace his vampire self before fleeing into the night 7. One Armed Gunslinger - A disabled US Marshal based on Virgil Earp teams up with his younger brother, a tough cowgirl and a drunk sherriff to track down and kill the surviving members of Bloody Bill Anderson's gang 8. Angel of the Odd - Edgar Allen Poe's gothic comedy on screen for the first time 9. Last of the Druids - A 2 hour historical epic about the life of Merlin: from his beginnings as an orphan in a post-Roman Britain, to student of the last druid priest, to adviser of the Celtic warlord Uther Pendragon, and finally as mentor of King Arthur more

Resolved Question: child custody placement help?

last summer my sister in law had her three kids taken by child protective services , her two daughters were already gone with their dads for the summer , and her son got placed with me and my husband. in october she was moving out of state ans cps dropped her case because she would no longer be a texas citizen, they advised me and my husband to keep her son until she got stable enough to have him. It has been over a year and me and my husband and her ex fiance have been raising him , her ex fiance is NOT his biological father but as been there raising him all his life . Well his family has been acting kind of funny lately so I went and picked up my nephew , they ar kind of keeping him from us and said they were putting him in school but they have no rights or custody over him. Now i have his mom wanting him back but she has no job and no steady income ,and still hasn't goten her daughters back either, his "dad" wants im but has no real rights to him and I don' t know what to do ? give him to her even if I don't believe it's best or let him go to her ex who is stable and can financially support him but has no legal rights or is there a way I keep him? more

Resolved Question: mother seperating children in two different states?

I have 2 sons with my ex we are not married. She left the state of texas the first time and took my kids with out warrant or notice. After a year i relocated cause we reconciled. I moved to PA were I found out the day I got there that she doesn't want a relationship with me she just wanted me to bring the furniture. I had to relocate back to texas. With out my sons again. I moved back north to jersey city to be 2 hours a way from my sons. I had no cooperation when it came to visitation due to her being in a new relationship. My oldest son took it really hard and began to fail in in school during his 3rd grade. The mom immediately gave him to me to make him happy and for me to raise him up to be a good man. She kept the baby of course. I asked for my other son as well which she refused on numerous occasions. I had to relocate back to texas and left the other son with her in Pa and one with me in texas. 4 years later our youngest son started school and failed kindergarten and she couldn't control or discipline him so she had him come stay with me and his older brother. He has been living in texas for 3 -4 years now. Im married and have 2 other kids now and I have all 4 in one household with my wife. We agreed that every summer she would get the kids and she would send 100 dollars every two weeks which she didn't stick too. But I still aided her in getting the kids to her every summer even driving them the whole distance from texas to new jersey. Well summer of 2010 she finally pays for there full round trip tickets. The day before they arrive i get a text stating that she will not be sending me back the little one and Im only getting the oldest one. I have not heard from our youngest child or her in the last 3 days since the oldest has arrived. Am i considered the custodial parent and can she be arrest for kidnapping a child when they reside in another state with an established family for the last 4 years of his life he is 9 years old by the way. more

Resolved Question: what do i do about his mom?

okay this is going to be a long one so here it goes. i am 15 and got into a relationship at the beginning of the summer. the only problem is his mother. she is completely overbearing, and over sensitive. she literally walks all over him and treats him like dirt. he has to drive her everywhere even when he is only half conscious. there was one day when she told him like he always gets mad at her and he pretty much said no i don' and when we got back to his house she was folding laundry and everything of his she picked up she threw at him and it hit him in the face. it has gotten to a point where she is now planning our wedding and has been since before we were together for a month. she gives me no say in what she has planned and she told my mom me and her son were going to get married on a cruise because it will be too expensive for her family to come down to texas to see her son get married. she doesn't care about anyone but herself and she will not stand up for anything she says to believe in nor her children. she and her daughter talk crap about gay and my aunt is a lesbian and i have no problem with them i am straight but i am a 100% gay/ lesbian/ bisexual/ trans-gender supporter. i say it is there life and if everyone should be able to be who they are no matter what everyone else says. a few more problems are the fact that i am 15 and i don't wanna plan my wedding now. i have 3 years till i even can get married. and i want to sit down and have a talk with her and tell her she needs to stop but i am afraid she will take him away from me if i do. everyone ive talked to has said she acts the way she does because she kept him home-schooled and he had literally no social life before me and shes kept him so sheltered she doesn't know how to let go anymore but her son is 17 now. hes at a point where he is about ready to move out of him house because he is so sick of her crap and i don't know what to do about any of it. she contradicts herself and says she trusts me and her son but she has only let us go on one date in 2 months and everywhere else she has to go with us. she gave him thins huge lecture on being everywhere 30 minutes early and then he had to drop her and me off at some places and she made him drop me off first and she got there 5 minutes before she had to do what she has to do. and i just don't get it. i don't know what to do because she is driving me nuts with the planning and all this crap. because my brother had a kid at 15 and now she claims not to trust him because he had sex before marriage but she did to so she has no room to talk. and im just not sure what to do anymore. i cant take it. she says she adores me but i am telling you it is like the movie monster in law in real life it is soooo bad!! please help me and give me some advice. thank y'all so much. more

Resolved Question: My 14 year old step-son came to visit this summer and wants to live here?

If your 14 yr old son comes to visit for the summer and does not want to go back home what can you do? My husbands 14 yr old son son finally got to come spend the summer with us in Texas from Pa. We paid the whole round trip,But he wants to stay? He was born here in Texas and she has moved around everywhere from state to state since he was born,they were never married and my husband has paid child support his whole life but has not been able to see him since he was 2 yrs old,It's not fair because my husband always wanted to see him but because she was so far away the lawyers fees were too much,until this summer she would never put him on a plane! But he was demanding about it this year,she tried to talk him out of it but at 14 yrs old theres not much she can do anymore,If he wants to stay now that we have him,Do we still have to keep paying her child support? I don't mind the summer part even though he was here but she shouldn't keep getting it if we have him.How can we begin this process and is it costly? because we don't have allot of money..this is so unfair for the good dads out there:' ( more

Resolved Question: Child Custody in Texas...Husband withholding the children?

I am a mother of a 11 and now 4 year old girls. My husband and I split over a year ago due to various reasons and I moved back to Dallas, Texas where I was from while he still resided in Mississippi. The agreement was to allow them to live with him a year until I got on my feet since I already have a son that is not his that I had to take care of (age 15) and then send them home. Also, we were considering working things out but it just didn't happen. He now will not allow them to come live with me, tells me I can't afford them and they are better off with him while he lives at home with his mother (he can't afford to move out) and it is a constant battle on holidays, birthdays, summers, ect. If I want to see them I have to drive 6 hours to visit because he never will bring them to visit me. We are still married, but I am filing for divorce in the next few weeks. I want to share custody of the girls but I want them to live with me. I can't afford a lawyer. Does anyone have any advice on how to proceed in this matter? I am not sure of how Texas laws work when it comes to divorce and custody situations. Any help or advice would be great.I have seen my children within the year, but the only efforts are made by me, not their father. I will make the trips with no problem. I got at least twice a month. He will not bring them to visit me as agreed upon. more

Resolved Question: my x has never paid child support. When i tried to talk to him and ask for help he threatened to sue?

My x husband and i divorced 6 years ago, we had 2 children together. He got into drugs and became violent so i had to leave. We agreed on child support for the 2 girls at 25% of his net income and he would pay for their health insurance. I have 100% physical custody. He has never once paid child support; and he backed out about half of his weekends when we lived in California. he did add the girls to his insurance last year and he paid for a season of soccer. I have since remarried (3 years ago) and had a son. We had to move out of California because of the crashing economy and increasingly high rent. My x signed a visitation modification and only wanted the girls for 4 weeks in the summer. He never calls them, didnt send them christmas presents, didnt even call my oldest daughter on her birthday. He does pay for them to fly from Texas to California every year. My husband now is an amazing man. He loves my girls like his own children. We have paid for everything. We have never had a vacation,or even a weekend together. We have never even been able to afford a family vacation. Our finances have been hard especially on my husband because he went from a single man to an instant Dad to two girls over night, and we had a son about a year later. This year i had enough. He drove out to get the girls for the summer, He drove up in a new car and apparently he got married (they walked in with huge rings) and never told the girls. He supports his wife who doesn't work and her parents are moving in with them and they are all buying a 5 bedroom house in California together. I guess im playing the "its not fair card", I just want him to help out with the kids. With his income of 55K a year according to every child support calculator i have tried it states that even with the travel expenses every year that he would owe about $800 a month. He told me that he could afford $450 and he wants extra time with the kids and i have to wave all back child support and if i dont do what he asks, he will sue me for full custody and make me pay child support. What do i do? We dont have money for a lawyer and im not willing to give him extra time when he has never paid a single child support payment. I have told him in the past he can fly out and see the girls any time he wants or he can fly them out for any school break. I want them to have a good relationship with him. I pay for their own phone so he can call them anytime he wants (he calls maybe once every 2-3 months....he hardly even returns their calls when they try and reach out to them. Why does he only now ant extra time when i ask him to help with the kids? My girls are very happy and involved with the community. They play sports, have tons of friends and are doing excellent in school. They dont even enjoy spending time with him. Its not even a safe environment. He sells drugs (i cant prove it, but he has told me many times that he grows and sells weed...actually he tried to sell me some the last time he drove out he had a softball sized amount in the back of his truck....i tried to call the cops but for some reason CHP and the local police dont talk; and i dont want my girls to be there when he gets arrested). Should i just let him pay $450 a month? I dont want him to be destitute, i dont want him to be screwed financially...but i do want help with the kids expenses.sorry long story..needed to vent after getting off the phone with my x more

Resolved Question: is this a good plot? please answer fast?

i'm not going to be to decscriptive since i don't want anyone to steal. it was the summer of 1952, and the small town Converse, Texas was shaken to its core when a terrifying murder took place in the small farming community. it was on the night of July 16, 1952 when Jason Billmosher sent his 15 year old son out into the forest of Converse, Texas to kill a deer and return with it to become a man. when Jason woke up the next morning, his son had not returned. days pass and Alex still dosen't return, and the town sets up a city wide search party. as grief and stress tear the Billmosher family apart, they discover a deadly secret within the town no one could have ever imagined. more

Resolved Question: problems with the family, and i want out....please help?

last night the family trip to the lake for the fourth of july went horrible. Basically my parents have been fighting for very long and my dad got into some mess so now after more than ten years not living with us he has come and has been living with us for now three months and my mom and him constantly fight and i hate when my mom calls me me when they fight because i am 17 and the eldest son but when they fight she calls me and i am just confused because i dont know what she expects me to do? i mean i dont want to fight but last night after my dad fighting my two youngr brothers i mean one fist fight sort of and my younger brother of 12, after pushing him and threating him to fight him like a "man" i had enough i took my brother and told my dad to go away. i told my mom that the best thing to do is for my dad to leave because she always threatens to send him away but she never does, but after telling that to my mom she went off to tell my dad. My dad then came rushing at me cursing me and pushing me. at that point i had enough i kept all my comments to myselff about their fighting i didnt tell him anything about his mistreatings to my younger brothers i had enough and we got into a fist fight..... after that i couldnt stop crying i didnt want to fight him and i regret it dearly and now my question is: is there a place in dallas or another state where i can go away from my family for the rest of the summer or work i can do in a farm or something anything i basically want to stay somewhere else than my house or dallas or even texas for that matter! more

Voting Question: MY HUSBAND WAS DEPORTED AFTER 2 MONTHS APART I WENT TO VISIT. MADE IT WORSE?

LEAVING WAS SO HARD ON THE BOTH OF US, I HAVE NOT BEEN RELEASED FROM MY DOCTOR BUT I MADE THE 8 HOUR TRIP TO MEXICO TO VISIT. I LEFT ON THURSDAY AND HE TRIED TO COME HOME ON FRIDAY AND GOT CAUGHT. I LIVE IN THE COUNTRY MY DRIVE WAY GATE HAS BEEN OPEN 3 OCCASIONS SINCE JUNE, I LIVE ALONE.MY RECOVERY FROM HERNIA SURGERY IS TAKING TO LONG AND OUR DAUGHTER IS GETTING MARRIED IN DECEMBER. I GET THE RUN AROUND WITH USCIS AND MONTHS AND YEARS ARE PASSING BY AND I AM STILL AT THE START LINE. I HAVE YET TO GET CORRECT INFORMATION AND I HAVE TO WAIT MONTHS TO GET PAPERWORK RETURNED STATING I NEED TO SEND IT TO ANOTHER STATE AND NOT THE LOCATION USCIS GAVE ME.I PHYSICALLY NEED MY HUSBAND. PLEASE SOMEONE GIVE ME GOOD ADVICE TO ALL THE HATERS, MY AMERICAN EX SEVERED MY LEG, 2 CONCUSSIONS, HE MAKES TIGER WOODS LOOK GOOD,BROKE MY NOSE AND THREW MY SON ACROSS THE ROOM, MY OTHER HUSBAND MY DAUGHTER CAUGHT HIM WITH HIS GIRL FRIEND WHILE I WAS WORKING OUT OF TOWN, WROTE HOT CHECKS AND CHARGED MOTOR CYCLES ON MY ACCOUNTS. HIDE UNDER BED TO SPY ON ME, CUT UP MY CLOTHES, SLICED MY WATER BED, MY LITTLE MEXICAN IS A BREATH OF FRESH AIR, MAKES ME LAUGH, FEEL GOOD, AND NEVER DID ANYTHING TO HURT ME. HE HURTS HIMSELF WANTING TO BE WITH ME. WE LOVE ONE ANOTHER AND CANT LIVE TOGETHER. PLEASE ANYONE. HATERS NO COMMENT, I HAVE LIVED 2 SUMMERS IN HELL IN RED NECK COUNTRY. I HAVE LEARNED YOU CAN NEVER GO BACK, MOVE FORWARD. NEVER GO BACK HOME........EAST TEXAS IS SO BACKWOODS. THEY ARE VOTING NO TO UNDER GROUND WATER PIPELINES........ more

Voting Question: If you could read a book about a girl and her summer what would you want to happen to her?

im writng a book right now (dont worry about my grammer here) and there are going to be 4 girls and i am going to swich off chapter with them tellling the story. one of my girls is getting shipped off for the summer to live with her aunt in texas bc she gets caught drinking and gets in trouble with the cops, so she meets a boy up there and yeah they become good friends. My other girl over the summer hooks up with this guy and then finds out that its her moms boyfriends son and they are moving in with them. (there all going to be senior by the way) so hes like cocky and she has to but up with him after they had sex so its rlly wierd for her. what other things can happen to my to other charactors (anyything i dont care, i just need some ideas) thank youthere all best friends by the way! more

Resolved Question: What can I do about my son's fighting so much?

My 17 year old son Chris is gay and I did not raise him, he grew up in Los Angeles with his mother and I live in Texas. He's staying with me over the summer. My 12 year old son bothers him and makes fun of him for being gay all the time. I've tried explaining to him that it's not cool to make fun of him for being gay but he doesn't listen. He bothers him like crazy no matter what we try to do to him more

Resolved Question: Need advice about my son... people in this situation?

my son will be 2 on sunday... his biological father has never been in his life... and only "paid" child support because the state filled for it, (thats a different story though) he only paid the first few months after it was ordered last summer then stopped... they started taking it out of his check at my request about 2 months ago and it caught him up... he is only ordered to pay $90 a month. my husband is his daddy and the only person my son has ever known. my husband changes his diaper, plays with him, financially supports him, and loves him dearly. we also have a 2 month old son, all 3 of us have the same last name while my 2 year old has his fathers last name. he has never came around, called, or ask people we mutually know about him (to my knowledge). he recently took off with his wife and girlfriend and the girlfriends kids (dont ask cause idk lol) and moved to texas ((we live in tennessee and he did too)) we have talked to a lawyer and have a good case for abandonment so that my husband can adopt him. the only problem is, im worried about what is best for him. im thinking when he turns 13 and his old enough to understand i can explain to him that his father wasnt mature enough to take care of him but loves him very much, and my husband is his daddy and always has been. but i know this will still confuse him, do you have any experience with this kind of situation... can you offer me any advice? more

Voting Question: need advice about my son... people in this situation?

Resolved Question: Should undocumented immigrant student who attend Harvard University be deported?

Harvard student faces deportation to Mexico By Maria Sacchetti, Globe Staff A 19-year-old Harvard biology student, who has been in the United States unlawfully since he was 4 years old, was detained at a Texas airport this week and is now fighting deportation to his native Mexico. Eric Balderas, a sophomore on a full scholarship to Harvard, was detained Monday while preparing to board a flight back to Boston to spend the summer conducting research at the university. He had been visiting his mother in San Antonio, where he grew up and was valedictorian of his high school class. Balderas said he had lost his Mexican passport and tried to board the flight using a consular card from the Mexican government and his Harvard identification. Instead, he said, airport security called immigration officials, who handcuffed and fingerprinted him, and detained him for five hours before letting him go. He boarded a flight back to Boston the next day, pending a July 6 court date with an immigration judge, probably in Boston. Today, Balderas was shaken and fearful of being forced to return to a country he barely remembers. He hopes to finish school and become a cancer researcher. "I’m very worried to be honest," he said in an interview. "I’m willing to fight this, of course. I’m just hanging in there." Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Brian P. Hale would not comment on Balderas's case because of privacy laws, but he said ICE evaluates each case on an individual basis. Balderas's arrest comes a year after Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust urged Congress to support the Dream Act, federal legislation that would allow immigrant youths to apply for legal residency, under certain conditions. Faust also recently met with US Senator Scott Brown, in part to urge him to support the measure. A Harvard spokeswoman praised Balderas today and said he is an example of why Congress should pass the act. "Eric Balderas has already demonstrated the discipline and work ethic required for rigorous university work, and has, like so many of our undergraduates, expressed an interest in making a difference in the world," said Harvard spokeswoman Christine Heenan. "These dedicated young people are vital to our nation’s future, and President Faust’s support of the Dream Act reflects Harvard’s commitment to access and opportunity for students like Eric." The Dream Act would create a path to legal residency for youths who arrived before they turned 16 and have lived here for five years. They would have to complete two years of college or the military, among other requirements to qualify. Opponents say it would reward students and their families who broke the law by entering the country illegally, but supporters point out that children had no say in their parents' decision to bring them to the United States. The presidents of Harvard, Brown, Tufts, and other universities have backed the legislation, which has been stalled since 2001. Balderas' stunned friends and classmates today, who rallied to his defense, joining a Facebook page and urging immigration officials to let him stay. They said he has tried to be a good citizen and stellar student. Friends pointed out that Balderas barely remembers Mexico, and feels like English is his first language. "He's like an American, but without documents," said Mario Rodas, a member of the Student Immigrant Movement, which has been pushing for legal residency for immigrant youth. "These are the kind of people we need in this country, doing research for cancer." Balderas said he is the son of a single mother who left an abusive husband and worked 12-hour days packing biscuits while raising him, and his younger brother and sister in San Antonio. At home, he would babysit his siblings while juggling homework on his own. "I honestly never thought I’d make it into college because of my status but I just really enjoyed school too much and I gave it a shot," he said. "I did strive for this." Now he is at one of the world's best universities, majoring in molecular and cellular biology. But on Monday, as he sat handcuffed, he said he contemplated suicide at the thought of being sent back to Mexico. He does not remember his hometown of Ciudad Acuna, in the northern state of Coahuila. His family is in Texas. "They just kept (asking) me if I had any other documents, that they were just trying to help me so that I can get on the plane," he said, recalling his conversation with immigration officials. "But at that point I realized there was nothing that I could do, that anybody could do." http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/06/harvard_student_5.html more

Resolved Question: What do you think - son going to work on ranch?

I live in a small city in New York now, but I am from Texas, go down to visit pretty often, and most of my family still lives down there and my brother runs a large ranch. I have an 11 year old son who has always been in love with Texas (hates it in New York). He is a very good rider, fantastic with horses, and a hard worker, and has always talked about running a ranch when he grows up. My brother and his wife have invited him down for the summer to live with them and help on the ranch. My husband and I are debating whether to let him go (our son is all for it). What do you think? It would be a nice opportunity for him, and I'd rather he spent his summer outside in fresh air than playing video games, but I'm wondering if he's too young. Any thoughts?I will admit that I might be being kind of overprotective... nearly 3 months just seems like a long time to be away from home at that age! My husband, who is NOT from Texas and was a city boy, is more concerned about the "dangers of ranch life" as he puts it. more

Resolved Question: How to file visitation in Orlando, Florida?

The custodial parent resides in Texas, the non-custodial resides in Orlando. When divorced in 05, it stated that non-custodial parent would have visitation during holidays, summer recess and long weekends. The divorce occurred in Florida and child support is payed through the Department of Revenue in Florida. Custodial parent told non that only their son could fly to Florida, while their daughter remains in Texas for not doing her chores throughout the year. Daughter has good grades, no problems. The children love their father as he loves them and sends extra money from child support through western union. I am trying to help him by obtaining the necessary information for him. more

Resolved Question: Hardship License for a 15 year old?

I take care of my 90 year old grandparents and I was thinking I would like to get my son a hardship license when he is 15 years old, so he could drive in case of emgency. I went to the Texas DPS website and read the requirements. Is there anything else I should know about getting him a hardship license that the website didn't mention? I haven't gone to the DPS office yet. My son is going to be 14 in July. So next summer he will be 15, and I was wondering, when is the best time to enroll him in driver's ed? It is required right? Also, I was thinking I might enroll him in defensvie driving, just for good measure...after the first class of course. Can he take defensive driving that young? Thank you!Also...another reason why I want to get my son a hardship license is because I don't have a single relative in the city I live in or anywhere near me besides my grandparents whom I take care of and my son. My own parents have passed away, and I am the only driver in the household. My grandparents frequently have doctor visits and such and it is hard to manage taking care of both of them when I am the only driver. This will be a good reason to get him a hardship license right? You think he will be approved? more

Resolved Question: Single parents nighmare Summer Time - Help with Summer Camp 2010?

It's summer time again, and while the kids love it, I hate it! It's so expensive. Does anyone know of an affordable summer day camp in the clear lake, league city, south houston Texas area where I can take my 12 year old son. There are many camps, but I need one for the entire summer from at least 7am to 6:30pm because I work, and I do not trust leaving him alone all summer at home by himself. Plus he would be bored and would not be a fun summer if he had to do that. Please help! more

Resolved Question: Is it a terrible mistake to visit Walt Disney World in July?

I've been to WDW many times. This summer I will be with my parents (in their early 60's and in good health) and my kids (13 and 8 years old). The first time I took my son (he was about 2 1/2 years) it was the middle of July. I have great memories, and only remember the heat being a little much. (I'm from Texas, though, so it's not big deal.) We've planned a vacation for July 5-9, 2010, and I plan to take advantage of the extra magic hours as much as possible. I guess I'm just wondering if anyone has been to WDW in the middle of summer in the last few years and totally regretted it. more

Resolved Question: How can me and my son get used to the Texas heat?

Although I am a rancher I am a sissy when it comes to summer heat. I run in the house when it hits 90 and turn on the air. Me and my toddler son need to get accustomed to the heat. My husband handles it just fine and works for 16 hours in the heat, without dying, so why can't I, lol. What can I do to get used to it, and possibly live without AC? Any suggestions? If I go out each day and build up the amount of time I can handle it, will that work? I want to try and get used to it, in case there is ever a time we don't have AC anywhere.Really! I live about 80 miles east of Dallas. I am guessing you live in either Royce City on I 30, or the Forney area on I 20.... more

Resolved Question: Where and how do you get exercise with your kids when its hot as hell outside?

Living in the middle of nowhere I have no gym, so me and my son usually go on walks during the year. Winters are not cold, so summer is our shut in season. Texas summers often reach 110 here, and its already hotter than hell, so I am doing the typical shut us in the house and crank up the a/c, and it gets boring, and instead of losing 5 pounds during the summer like most people, I gain that 5 pounds and lose it during winter. What do y'all do when its scorching outside? I've thought of buying an inground pool, but the thought of it with my son really scares me. Maybe night walks? It gets hot around 7 am, so I'm not getting up before then to exercise, lol. What are your summers like if you live in a hot state? more

Resolved Question: I have a problem with my In home Childcare!?

i moved to USA almost 3 years ago, i have a 1 and 1/2 year old son and i started taking care of a couple of kids as a childcare to contribute with expenses at home because my husband is the only one that works while i stay at home. Las February i used Craigslist to post an announce about me interested in taking care of more children in this post i mentioned that i was currently taking care of a couple of kids. in a very short time many people started contacting me for the Childcare purposes and i then the same month i started taking care of 4 more kids 2 couple of brothers from 2 different families. My husband started noticing that i had a full hand of kids and more got concerned and suggested me to Cal the DFPS to ask what i had to do in order order to not break the law and not get in trouble. So when he helped me calling the next day the DFPS on a friday of the first week of me taking care of all the kids he notified me that the DFPS was totally against people running a home daycare without notifying the authorities. I also checked on the webpage from IRS and there were big fines if i did not claim the profit i got from the childcare and, they were big fines up to 5000 dollars per child. so the next Monday i informed the parents that i was not going to be able to take care of their children anymore, because i did not want to get in trouble so they could start looking for a different childcare and, i also told them that in order to not get in trouble i was going to register and after 60 days of process if they were still interested in bringing their kids they were more than welcome. so One of the parents said that she was happy with me and that she would rather nat claim it on her taxes, and this other lady was going to claim it in a different way but i insisted that i wanted get registered because i did not want to get in trouble so the first lady said she was fine and that she could take her kids with grandma for the 2 months and than take them back with me and the second lady said that if i could wait to get registered in may when her sister was out of school or in summer when her family could take care of her children, so what i did next is to tell them that May was the Due Date for me to take of their children so i could start the process of registration. My problem is that the second lady 15 days before the due date stopped paying me and started sending her husband instead to drop off the kids and picking them up and when i would ask him about my check he would say "Oh! i forgot my wife says that she will write you a bigger check instead for the 3 weeks and the stupid of me kept taking the lies and the kids. So at the end the last day that was Friday they did not show off they never paid and i tried to contact her by phone and email and she said that she was not going to send my check if i did not provide her my SS# so she could claim her on her taxes so i said OK i do not have an inconvenience and i gave it to her. So now a week has passed and the check was not on the mail. So now i do not know what to do, Sometimes i believe i should go to the small court, and some other times i think that i should just let it go. I am already in the process of getting listed with the state of Texas for childcare and the next step is the registration. so please tell me what you think i should do? Thank you so much for your help! more

Resolved Question: best camp in texas that has dorms?

my son is looking to go to a summer camp for the summer with maybe bb gun wars and canoeing archery all that outdoor stuff with a dorm where him and his friend can stay un attended. more

Resolved Question: Do i have to make my kids go with the other parent if they don't want to?

I live in Texas (Tarrant County) and my step sons mom has not seen them for 2 years. She keeps telling us she is going to come out in the summer and see the kids. The keeps have told her and us numerous times that they do not want to talk to her or see her. So if she comes out and calls the police stating they will not go with her what will the police do? Do they have to go with her or is it their decision? The ages of my sons are 16, 14, 12, 10 and 9. more

Voting Question: if i could find an emplyee with Texas teacher retirement that would be awesome. everything would totally?

everything would totally be off the record, i just need information in terms that i can understand and how teacher retirement works with social security ? whats available? what should i know? I need some help answering questions of the Texas Teacher Retirement System. My boyfriend's mom works for the school district and is considering retiring next year or by the end of this school year. She came to me about TRS and how it works. I tried to look online and see what I could help her with but it's all lingo I can't figure. Plus I'm not really sure what she's asking or if it's possible. She did mention that she thinks she still has to work five more years for school district but she's already 62. And social security is a whole another ball game she and I are trying to figure out. How does teacher retirement work? (googling this question didn't help). Is there any way she can pull out some of her retirement just for the summer since there is no work during summer? (she is part of the cafeteria staff). Can she pul out social security at same time? *(she also doesnt have very many um ? credits i guess its called for social security because she didn't work much. she also asked me if i could find out if Teacher's Retirement could give out some kind of loans for her? I guess monetary resources she can use meanwhile she is not working. *(her granddaugther and 2 sons lives with her. One son can't work and the other is a College student with merely a work study job that pays only min. wage with only 15-20 hrs a month.) Any advice or helpful information would be useful. Thanks so much , any support is greatly appreciated. Email me! allyrgv3 @ y a h o o . c o m (without the space) i wasnt sure if could post my email more

Voting Question: social security and texas teacher retirement ? how d they work? can they work together?

any one with information that i can understand?I need some help answering questions of the Texas Teacher Retirement System. My boyfriend's mom works for the school district and is considering retiring next year or by the end of this school year. She came to me about TRS and how it works. I tried to look online and see what I could help her with but it's all lingo I can't figure. Plus I'm not really sure what she's asking or if it's possible. She did mention that she thinks she still has to work five more years for school district but she's already 62. And social security is a whole another ball game she and I are trying to figure out. How does teacher retirement work? (googling this question didn't help). Is there any way she can pull out some of her retirement just for the summer since there is no work during summer? (she is part of the cafeteria staff). Can she pul out social security at same time? *(she also doesnt have very many um ? credits i guess its called for social security because she didn't work much. she also asked me if i could find out if Teacher's Retirement could give out some kind of loans for her? I guess monetary resources she can use meanwhile she is not working. *(her granddaugther and 2 sons lives with her. One son can't work and the other is a College student with merely a work study job that pays only min. wage with only 15-20 hrs a month.) Any advice or helpful information would be useful. Thanks so much , any support is greatly appreciated. Email me! allyrgv3 @ y a h o o . c o m (without the space) i wasnt sure if could post my email more

Voting Question: retirement questions ? any employees on here? i need something in laymens terms?

I need some help answering questions of the Texas Teacher Retirement System. My boyfriend's mom works for the school district and is considering retiring next year or by the end of this school year. She came to me about TRS and how it works. I tried to look online and see what I could help her with but it's all lingo I can't figure. Plus I'm not really sure what she's asking or if it's possible. She did mention that she thinks she still has to work five more years for school district but she's already 62. And social security is a whole another ball game she and I are trying to figure out. How does teacher retirement work? (googling this question didn't help). Is there any way she can pull out some of her retirement just for the summer since there is no work during summer? (she is part of the cafeteria staff). Can she pul out social security at same time? *(she also doesnt have very many um ? credits i guess its called for social security because she didn't work much. she also asked me if i could find out if Teacher's Retirement could give out some kind of loans for her? I guess monetary resources she can use meanwhile she is not working. *(her granddaugther and 2 sons lives with her. One son can't work and the other is a College student with merely a work study job that pays only min. wage with only 15-20 hrs a month.) Any advice or helpful information would be useful. Thanks so much , any support is greatly appreciated. Email me! allyrgv3 @ y a h o o . c o m (without the space) i wasnt sure if could post my emailsee i saw the 1800 numbers on there but i didnt want to cal yet without gettin more infor. i have no idea how to ask these questions for her or what shes exactly asking. i just psted up only what she actually said, which in my opinion is confusing. i gues im trying to get a leg up on informatin before i cal so i knw what were calling for or what she needs. lol i would feel weird just calling and sayin hey can you explain this to me? i tried reading their plicies online bt it was ekkk?!?! more

Resolved Question: teachers retirement of texas, help! so complicated? any help? please thanks!?

Resolved Question: 4th grade school problems....Parents help please?!?

My son is in 4th grade and gets picked on each day. He is very smart and gets straight A's most of the time. He is not very good at making friends, in reality horrible at it. He is socially awkward. I have had him a special counseling class and summer school in the past to help him learn the skills to make and keep friends. It helped a lot. They do not offer anything like this here. Here is the problem...we moved to a small Texas town which has it own issues. There is only 17 kids in his class. The school is preK to 5th and class size is 11-20 with each grade having two teachers. It is great for one on one learning but the kids are very cliquish. My son is an easy target. If you pick on him he explodes nicely. He likes schedules and if it changes he freaks also. I have worked with him on this and it is better. I just do not know how to help him, he loves school but does not want to go because of the kids there. I have worked with his teachers and principal at the school, they have no councilor. It helps for one day or so then is back to the same. It is to the point he is getting physically sick and mornings to send him to school are atrocious. What can I do to help? Any Ideas? Thanks and blessings to all who took the time to read this and offer help.Yes I am looking into disorders and such. I am also working with the school which has not helped much. He is in after school activities like 4-H, basketball, and the like. Home schooling is a last option we have considered. I personally do not want to do this, thinking of private school. more

Resolved Question: What should I start to look at in our night sky with a telescope to intrest my 8yo son?

Other then the moon what should I look for to get my son interested in using a telescope during summer in Texas more

Resolved Question: Is it wrong for me to get mad about this?

Like I've said before, I'm 27 weeks pregnant, living with my boyfriend. He hasn't done really anything through my pregnancy, so far (like getting a job). His plans were to stop smoking weed this summer and join the navy, because the benefits are good! He'll get health and dental insurance and they'll pay his way through college, and our son will get those health benefits, as well. That's what was most important to me, because I'll be going off to college within the next year and it's going to be so hard for me to pay for hospital bills/medication (if something should happen to me or our son) while going to school. Those benefits for the baby would have eased alot of stress. But NOW, he's wanting just to go to college. I asked why he changed his mind and he said because he doesn't want to stop smoking weed. I support any decision he makes to further his education, because that's better than nothing, but I think that's selfish on his part. I had to exchange my career dreams for a career that I'm not completely interested in, but can support our family, but he can't put down the pot? It's not only that, but he's trying to go to college in COLORADO. We live in Texas and the thought of him being so far away from us tears me apart. Question is: Should I support his dreams fully and be positive that everything will turn out okay? OR Is this really something to talk/argue about with him?The reason I'm having to stay here is because I already have housing in Lubbock. Free housing and daycare. more

Voting Question: getting child support from my x?

I have 2 kids from my previous marriage. We have been divorced for 5 years and he has never once paid child support. I have since remarried and have a son with my current husband. My husband took my girls and support them with no problem. He loves them as his own children. My x hardly even contacts my girls and the only visitation he has is 4 weeks in the summer (he lives in California and i moved to Texas 3 years ago for my husbands work). Since the bad economy hit my husband now travels 4-5 days a week and i am unable to work without putting my kids in very extended daycare. We just lost our house (shortsale) and we moved into an apartment. My husband is starting to get a little peeved at my x, who just bought a house and a new truck and the only person he supports is himself and his non working girlfriend. My x did recently buy some clothing and paid for soccer and health insurance(even though they have been fully insured with my husbands company for years and my x plays the martyr saying he is paying for insurance the last 3 months that we might never use). My x was a very scarry guy for a long time, hence my divorce. Im really scared about going after him for the child support even though it seems like he has calmed down. He said since i moved the kids out of state (with his signed permission and revised visitation schedule) that he shouldnt have to pay anything and my husband should just get over it since my girls call my husband daddy (they asked us if they could call him daddy)...i need some encouragement. I know we need the money all of our savings is gone and we have no college savings and heck, the kids eat a lot. We could really use the extra $990 a month...Am i being a beas coming after him for support after all this time, i feel bad trying to collect money from him...i dont want him to loose his house or anything i just need financial helpi guess i should add that ive worked beyond full time since my kids were born. It kind of hurts that people just attack me because we were young and divorced. I quite my job because it got to the point where my kids were with the babysitter more than us, and the kids were just not doing well with being transferred from babysitter to house etc. When my husband started having to travel out of state 4-5 days a week life just got too insane. My X has never once paid a child support payment over the last 6 years since we separated. The $990 a month was the minimum court ordered payment based on what he made. I asked his permission before we ever truly considered moving out of state. My husband works in corporate tile and the California market tanked so we had to follow the work. My x said he only wanted to see the girls for 4 weeks a year...it was his decision. I offered him more time and i have asked him to visit (although not stay at my house overnight) on numerous occasions more

Resolved Question: Can a parent take a child out of the country without the other parent's permission?

My sister's ex-husband lives in Florida and has custody of my nephew. My sister-in Texas gets him Christmas, Spring Break, and summer. Her Ex is from the Dominic Republic and is asking for their son's passport. This makes her nervous because she is afraid he will not bring him back from D.R. She is asking for a notarized letter with flight dates/times and copy of flight tickets. Is he allowed to take him without her permission?? And if he does not return him... is that called kidnapping? Thanks for your help. :) more

Resolved Question: Which Bands Are Christian?

I know a lot of you have been looking for or asking which bands are christian and who is not, so I am here to help you out. Please feel free to add any that I have missed. Metal: ///Seizethemoment (R.I.P.) A Hope For Home A Plea For Purging Advent akissforjersey (R.I.P.) Agraceful As I Lay Dying As They Sleep August Burns Red Becoming The Archetype Before Their Eyes Beloved (R.I.P.) Blessed By A Broken Heart Blessed Is He blessthefall Bloodlined Calligraphy (R.I.P.) Brian "Head" Welch Burden Of A Day Call To Preserve Catherine Chasing Victory (R.I.P.) Corpus Christi Cry Of The Afflicted (R.I.P.) Demon Hunter Destroy The Runner Emery Extol Figure Four (R.I.P.) For Today Greeley Estates Gwen Stacy Hands Haste The Day He Is Legend Here I Come Falling (R.I.P.) Impending Doom In Fear & Faith In The Midst Of Lions Inhale/Exhale Inked By Blood Kingston Falls (R.I.P.) Life In Your Way (R.I.P.) Living Sacrifice Maylene And The Sons Of Disaster Means (R.I.P.) Mychildren Mybride No Innocent Victim Nodes Of Ranvier Norma Jean Oh, Sleeper Once Nothing Onward To Olympas Project 86 Remove The Veil Secret & Whisper Sent By Ravens Sever Your Ties Showbread Sinai Beach (R.I.P.) Sleeping Giant Soul Embraced Still Remains (R.I.P.) Take It Back! Texas In July The Ascendicate The Chariot The Color Morale The Devil Wears Prada The Famine The Showdown To Speak Of Wolves Trenches Twelve Gauge Valentine (R.I.P.) Underoath War Of Ages With Blood Comes Cleansing Wrench In The Works xDEATHSTARx xLooking Forwardx ZAO Rock: 12 Stones As Cities Burn Between The Trees Blindside Brandtson Creed Dead Poetic (R.I.P.) Decyfer Down Disciple Falling Up Far-Less Fireflight Flyleaf Kids In The Way Kutless Lifestory: Monologue Lucerin Blue (R.I.P.) Pedro the Lion Pillar Seventh Day Slumber Since October Skillet The Afters Thousand Foot Krutch Write This Down Soft Rock: Article One Copeland (R.I.P.) Deas Vail Eisley Jonah33 Kiros Leeland Lifehouse Mae mewithoutyou Nevertheless Starfield Switchfoot The Fray The Glorious Unseen The Rocket Summer Waking Ashland (R.I.P.) Punk: A Dream Too Late (R.I.P.) Acceptance (R.I.P.) Ace Troubleshooter (R.I.P.) Anberlin And Then There Were None Capital Lights Children 18:3 Craig's Brother (R.I.P.) Eleventyseven Everyday Sunday Family Force 5 Flatfoot 56 FM Static Futher Seems Forever (R.I.P.) Gasoline Heart Hawk Nelson Hello Kelly Ivoryline Jonezetta Joy Electric Last Tuesday (R.I.P.) Mainstay MXPX Number One Gun Paramore Relient K Run Kid Run Ruth Search The City Sherwood Slick Shoes Stellar Kart Sullivan (R.I.P.) TGL (R.I.P.) The Almost The Classic Crime The Fold The Juliana Theory (R.I.P.) The Last Hope Tonight Tonight Rap: Grits KJ-52 Manafest Shad Tobymac Unsure Of: Dashboard Confessional Of Mice & Men Not Christian Anymore: Abandon All Ships Attack Attack! Comeback Kid Emarosa Evergreen Terrace more

Resolved Question: Does this sen. sound grammatically correct? please help?

In the summer of 2005 in Corpus Christi, Texas, everything appeared normal— my whole family enjoying grilled bar-b-q, bathing in the sun's warmth, and also watching my step sister, Kari, yelling at her son, James, to be careful as he was catching flying frisbee's in the air and running around the house to set a world record in one minute. more

Resolved Question: How do I move on and forget my past of hate, sex, and abuse?

I was born Oct 25, 1993, my mom was fifteen when she had me. I was placed in a foster home soon after being born because my parents were starving me and I was dying. At age 2 ½ my foster home became my real home. Three other kids from another family were adopted with me. Life moved on. I loved my parents, I loved my siblings. I excepted Christ as my Lord and Savior at age four. I was a proud Christian who loved the fact that I was adopted because it made me feel special. Years past by and then my little brother started acting up. He began to hate my parents and hate the rest of the family. My little brother who was my best friend soon became my worst enemy. He yelled at me and he cussed at me. He would even hit me and throw me against things. When he turned twelve my parents sent him to a boys ranch in another state. He admitted his wrongs there and got baptized. He came home a loving brother and son, but it didn't’t last. He soon went back to his old behavior, cussing at me and hitting me. He even sexually assaulted me. He got so out of hand my parents sent him to another boys ranch in Texas. He became the worst child there and the first ever to get kicked out of that ranch. He came back to Oregon and was placed in a foster home. The government finally took all custody of him away from us so we wouldn't’t be responsible for his actions. He moved from foster home to foster home, facility to facility, getting kicked out of each one. He was finally placed in a prison lock down and it changed his life. He was let out and got placed in another foster home outside of the Idaho border, eleven hours away from us, and that is where he is at currently. After my little brother got kicked out of Texas my parents started going through a depression, and began to ignore me. I tried everything to get their attention but they only seemed to notice my wrongs. “Friends” never cared enough to ask how I was and I hardly ever got a compliment. I was never invited to a “friends” house and I eventually stopped inviting them to my house. I felt worthless and unloved. Adoption became hard on me because I did not live in a “normal” family with my real parents. I always thought there was something wrong with me because I was the only one in my biological family that was adopted. I began to hate myself and hate God. I didn't’t care if I lived or died and I cut myself. I deprived myself of sleep and food and I didn’t drink water but once a week because I didn’t like the taste of it. I deformed my ribs and sexually abused myself. I tried drowning myself but couldn’t force myself to stay underwater after I began to get dizzy. Everyone I thought I could trust would end up hurting me in the end. A guy came into my life and he became one of my best friends. He really wanted to know how I was and after not being able to tell him he continued to encourage and love me. Time passed and I moved from homeschooling to online school. I hated homeschooling and was grateful for the change. I did most of my socializing online and that made life even more depressing. I became very into Goth and black and emo music. One day an old friend started talking to me online. He had moved back to the states the previous summer after spending years overseas doing missions work. I poured out my heart to him and gave him most of my life story. He spent evemo mtoment he could loving me and telling me I was special, talented, and beautiful. Not once did he tell me I was wrong for everything I did, but instead encouraged me. One day he told me he loved me and we started dating. Through him I met another old friend who very quickly became my best friend. He cared about me and helped me even though he was going through very much the same thing as me. One day my dad could not seem to stop getting mad at me for the smallest of reasons, and then that night a “friend” found out about my boyfriend and threatened to tell my parents. I cut the worst I had ever cut that night and sat in my room with a knife ready to just end my life. My boyfriend ended up getting me out of my house without my parents knowing and took me to one of his friends house to spend the night. He finally convinced me not to run away and took me home before my parents woke up. A few couple days later I told my mom about my boyfriend and she became very into my life. I told my dad later that day and he didn’t seem to care. After telling my parents everyone automatically began to assume that I was magically okay, and one of my friends started believing I didn’t want to be friends with him anymore. Everytime he hurt it killed me and it hurt that he didn’t see that I never wanted to lose him as a friend. I began eating and sleeping and I was starting to actually feel loved, but I was not okay yet. I still hated myself and there were times where I wanted to die. more

Voting Question: What should I do in my relationship? I need help! PLEASE!?

I am here cause I need some advice please noone be mean or cruel or anything I just need someones opinion and just someone to talk to. I have no where to turn a the moment. I am 29 years old and I have a 9 year old son. His biological dad has never been around but my husband and I have been togather for 4 years now and have been married for 2. My son calls him daddy and loves him. I also have 2 step kids a son and daughter that I love so much and I want the kids to be able to talk and everything. Anyway here is the deal.,. We met over a chat line. I was in Texas and he was in Boston we talked for about 2 months before he came and saw me everything was great then. Then a few months later I came to Boston to see him by myself and when we were in the grocery store getting something I asked him what he thought we should get and he said it does not matter he is not my master and just had a attitude. When we got back to the motel room he told me that he was leaving and I said but I spent all this money comming to see you and he said he did not care. Then he apologized and he seemed so sincere and everything. I went to Texas the next day and he stayed. We talked for about 2 more months and then I decided that me and my son would move down here with him and we would start a life togather. We got here in May 2006. Everything was okay for maybe 2 days and then everything just went strange he would just get mad over nothing, I mean he would come home from work and not saying anything to anyone and he would get all mad at me because I would say to him that he could at least acknowledge me or something when he comes home and he would just get mad at not talk to me or just say he was leaving but wouldnt leave. Then everything seemed so strange he started expecting my son to do school work all the time and it was summer time now dont get me wrong yes i believe in a kid working on things to improve but it just seemed like everything needed to be so perfect. He would say things to my son like there is no way in hell I am going to be out working in the hot sun and you are going to be here doing nothing but playing and everything and i would get mad at him and tell him to leave him alone he didnt do anything. I was going to just up and leave but then my son and yes I know I am the adult but he said to me I want to stay he is my dad and I love him so I said ok we will work on it. Then one day my son was sitting at the table writing something and my husband said to him no that is not good enough it needs to be better and just kept going so I went in there and told him that he needed to back off and leave my son alone because he is trying and my husband told me that he was tired of my damn mouth all the time and hit me. I cried and my son started hitting him telling him to just leave me alone and my husband got up to leave cause he said he did not want to stay since he hit me and my son ran to him and begged him to stay so that was that. But, it just continued for a long time everything had to be his way and if it wasnt he wouldnt always hit me but he would just get quiet and not talk or do anything with us. I tried to find anything and everything that I could to be a reason for him being like that so I thought maybe it was because of work he was always so tired so I told him to quit and find something else and he did quit. He wanted to get his CDL so I told him to just work on that and I would take care of everything else for awhile. So everything was a little better until the day we got married. We dropped my son off at his grandmas and went home to spend time togather and my husband started yelling at me about a house we were looking into and all i said was that she hadnt called and I did not know what to tell him then he jumped up and just started hitting me and I just fell the ground and just cried and cried and he came over there and told me it was going to be ok. Not even a hour later he hit me again and left a big bruise on the side of my head and by my cheek and I know dumb me should of just gotten up and left but I didnt his momma told him to leave me the hell alone and started hitting him and again I started to leave but my son just panicked so I stayed about a month later I said I missed home and I wanted to go back to texas for awhile (which I only missed my dad the rest of my family isnt that great either) and while we were there everything was ok for a long time we were in texas 2 years and then one day he did start yelling and hit me with a pan and again stupid me stayed. I just didnt want to hurt my son but at the same time i thought about the fact I am hurting him by him going through all this with us. So now 2 years later we are back in boston and things were ok for a little but he is so non shalont i guess you could say. He doesnt talk to me at all and he gets mad at me for wanting that , I mean I just want someone to talk to and be able to express themselves to me is there something wrong with that? I jThank you all so much I agree with all of you and yes I know it was long I am sorry was venting. I am going to get away I am going to start saving money to be able to leave I should be able to do it within a week or two. Thank you I really needed the support.I know I should of left. but I just thought we should work things out guess I was so wrong more

Resolved Question: Air Force summer camps for teens?

My son (14) wants to go to an Air Force summer camp this year, we live in Dallas, TX if you know of any in Texas that would be great. more

Resolved Question: Should I stay at home with my son, or push on through school?

The main question seems to have an obvious answer, right? Well, it gets a little foggy to me once I start thinking about the details. My son is due to go live with his dad in the UK for 5 years come this summer. I started Cosmetology school last September, thinking that I could do it all. I have the support of my mom (whom we live with), and figured that she could pick up the slack when it came to watching my son, and with daycare and his schooling, I thought it would all work out. Around Thanksgiving I got really sick, and have stayed pretty poorly ever since. Around the same time, my mom found out she has fibromyalgia (she already has a laundry list of other health issues, this one is just the most recent, and most debilitating problem). I've missed a lot of school, and have been able to spend a fair bit of time with my son. I realized yesterday that I'm running out of time to spend with him, that summer is coming up fast, and before I know it, I'll be flying him over to England. He even said to me today that he loves spending time with me, and wishes I could be home all the time. That broke my damn heart. So, I've come up with a "plan" to spend time with my son, and not give up on my career plan, but it involves putting school on the backburner until after I send my son to England. I guess I'm just asking...do you think it's okay for me to take a leave of absence from school so that I can spend as much time with my son as possible before he leaves? He struggles with serious ADHD, and dyslexia, compounded with a slight speech delay. I feel like if I'm home with him, I can finally get things situated with myself (in regards to time management and getting myself into a routine). My mother's health is declining rapidly, and my dad lives in Colorado (he stationed there until he retires this November) and only comes home once a month at the least. Once my son moves to England, and my dad moves home from Colorado (early Fall), I am planning on moving to Texas to live with my boyfriend, but I feel like at the moment I need to take care of my family. My mom needs help (she owns and manages a salon) with mobility (last night I had to help her get her clothes off as she couldn't lift her arms above her head), and I need to spend time with my son before he moves. I feel like I've already missed so much school due to being sick/run down, that it would just be better to take a leave of absence so as not to miss any more school due to being sick...and it'll give me the time I need to get myself healthy, spend lots of quality time with my son (one thing about my school is that we are required to go to school on a Saturday, no excuses unless it's medical or legal, and you have to have a written note stating as much, so I miss Saturday's with my son, he spends his Saturday's in daycare), and help my mom out as much as I can until my dad can take my place...but I guess I'm just looking for some clarification. Should I just stay in school Tuesday-Saturday, and try to fill in the gaps? Or do I take care of my family, and just start back to school once I get transferred to Texas in the fall? more

Resolved Question: Scary S***! Which ones are true? which are false?

1) In the 1930's a young careless mother drops her baby from a high window only to be cought by a man named Joseph Figlock. Both the baby and the man were unharmed. 1 year later the same baby landed on the Joseph Figlocks arms, one again unharmed. 2) A British officer, Major Summerford, while fighting in the fields of Flanders in February 1918 was knocked off his horse by a flash of lightning and paralyzed from the waist down. Summerford retired and moved to Vancouver. One day in 1924, as he fished alongside a river, lightning hit the tree he was sitting under and paralyzed his right side. Two years later Summerford was sufficiently recovered that he was able to take walks in a local park. He was walking there one summer day in 1930 when a lightning bolt smashed into him, permanently paralyzing him. He died two years later. But lightning sought him out one last time. Four years later, during a storm, lightning struck a cemetery and destroyed a tombstone. The deceased buried here? Major Summerford. # In 1899 a bolt of lightning killed a man as he stood in his backyard in Taranto, Italy. Thirty years later his son was killed in the same way and in the same place. On October 8, 1949, Rolla Primarda, the grandson of the first victim and the son of the second, became the third. 3) On 1893 Henry Ziegland of Honey Grove, Texas, walked out on his girlfriend one day. Her brother did his "heroic" duty and shot Ziegland. Ziegland, however, was barely injured by the bullet, which only grazed his face before embedding itself in the trunk of a tree in front of which Ziegland was standing. The brother, thinking himself avenged, ended his own life with the same weapon. Twenty years later, in 1913, Ziegland decided to remove the tree from his property. Unable to perform the task manually, he decided to use dynamite. In the explosion, the bullet, which had originally been intended for Ziegland, became dislodged with such a catapulting jolt that it was shot violently into Ziegland's head, killing him at last (unverified). 4) In Prague, Czechoslovakia, a woman who leapt out of a third-floor window after learning of her husband's unfaithfulness. The husband, entering the building just as she jumped, broke her fall. She survived. He died on the spot (unverified). more

Resolved Question: How can I keep my oversensitive mom from dissappearing?

I am a Sixteen year old Male( Born in September 30, 1993), and my mom has dropped out of high school in her Freshman year, had an abusive stepfather, who she says "Molested" her, and has been struggling with drugs all her life. I am her only son, and she had two other daughters. Well, About four years ago, she asked my adoptive parents to let me stay at her house in Texas (We live in Colorado Springs), and she was so hurt over it that she did not talk to ANY of her children for FOUR years! She had stopped taking hallucinagines, but had not stopped smoking, or drinking, or gambling(She even took me to a store to watch her gamble, and made me SWEAR I would not tell her new husband, Larry that she was gambling.), She has had several failing relationships, and is a very VERY sensitive Woman. When I finally talked to her about last weekend, she said that she was so hurt my parents would not let me stay with her over the summer, that she was willing to stop talking to us altogether for four YEARS! I started thinking about inviting her over for a week(in a motel this time) to visit, but I'm afraid she will try again, and then get dissappointed again, and then DISSAPPEAR again! How can I get her to stop this destructive behavior?Obviously, She feels torn that I cant be with her, but she has family issues, alcoholism, and painful trauma. I'm trying not to provoke her, because right now, she's obviously not stable enough for it!I just wanna make her happy.......You know, without getting her hopes up! more

Voting Question: Should my husband do everything that his dad asks him to do?

My husbands father just moved to houston texas. He used to live about 20 minutes away from us. He kept his house so that he can come back here and retire in 6-10 years. His dad called yesterday and told him that he was going to have to start going to his old house once a week and picking up his mail for him. I told my husband that he needs to get his mail forwarded and be done with it. There is no reason that we should have to run up there every single week. His dad also wants him to mow his yard during the summer for the next 6-10 years. I think that is crazy. He has a huge yard andd it would take him an entire saturday to do it. We have a 2 year old son, are trying to have another baby, and my hubby works full time. If it was just one summer i could go with it but not for the next 6 years. i mow our grass at home so that when hubby gets off he doesn't have to do it and can just see his son and family. am i wrong? more

Resolved Question: What are some interesting places to stop between Michigan and Texas?

We are planning a trip for this summer from Northern Michigan to Odessa Teaxs. It will be me, my husband and 3 yr old son traveling. I have went this way before and we stopped at Merramack caverns in MO it was awesome, but i would also like some other ideas on what are some other cool places or fun places to stop in between. Any ideas will be helpful!!!I will be going down through Indiana and Illinois not through wisconsin. I would like to stick to a straight bath though and work through indiana, illinois, missouri, oklahoma and then texas. So basically i want to know neat things to see or do in those states! more

Resolved Question: which one is true and which one is false?

Resolved Question: Which one is true and which isn't?

Resolved Question: can my ex move and take my son to another state without my permission?

well, she called me yesterday and told me that she is moving after summer somewhere out of state, i live in texas and she wants to move to california or new york or something like that. she has two children with two different guys, and i am one of them....i live about an hour away from her, i have my son and sometimes her daughter every weekend, i have him for ALL holidays, even mothers day. i pay my child support every month. plus what ever extras he may need. now shes telling me that i have no rights as his father and that if she wanted to she could move to china the next day with out telling me. the thing is i don't want my son to leave, is there any way that i could keep him here with me? he doesn't like being with her, he loves it here with me. can she take him with out telling me? what are my options??to trevors wife: the reason i have him and his older sister whos not my daughter for mothers day is becauseshe doesnt want them, in the 8 yrs shes been a mother she has never had them once for mothers dayyes i have always been ready to be his full time dad. i already am a full time parent for my daughter, and a full time husband to my wife. my wife loves my son and also does not want him to leave. more

Resolved Question: what is the age to start kindergarten in texas?

I have a son who will turn 5 on aug 24th and i just wanted to make sure he would be able to start kindergarten this summer more