3/4 of my kids start school today! Back to a happy Mrs. when I come home for lunch as well as after work . No more of the stressed out, on-the-edge, run ragged Mrs. of the summer. At least until Christmas break. Lots of smiling faces on the parents, especially the moms, this morning.


When do kids start school where you live?

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1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

I started last Monday (the 20th), but I'm in college and my parents have had that smile on their face since 2003!

September 5th.

finalmente I can get a decent uninterrupted handjob,maybe more if I'm "up"for it.....

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Pretty much all of the Texas school system started this week.

Bittersweet relief however...daughter's financial burn rate for summer activities has been replaced with school supplies, lunch accounts, athletic fees, etc.

Commuting traffic has increased dramatically with the addition of SUV-driving soccer moms on the road.

I also get interrupted with homework projects making it difficult to get other tasks done!

On the bright side, her mind is absorbing useful information for a change, rather than the mind-numbing MTV programming and MySpace garbage!

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2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car

At the hands of others, I'm assuming

True G-, financially it's no better. Just gets the kids out of my wife's hair, gives her a break during the day and, as a result, makes my day just a bit easier Traffic-wise, I've only got a 1/4 mile to work that's before the morning and afternoon kids/bus traffic.

I was surprised at the list of stuff my kids' teachers sent home over the summer. It was damn near a couple hundred bucks per for the two older ones. The thing is, I would have bought them all of the stuff on the list anyway just because I'd rather have them prepared for anything and everything, but the fact that it was on a "required list" annoyed me for some reason. OTOH, both of their teachers are very involved, interested and expect a lot out of the kids so I shouldn't b!tch.

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1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

That is so funny. LMAO.

You kill me, man.

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

I start class on Tuesday! $600 on books last week, ouch! Thanks dad!

My dad will be happy when I graduate next fall, he wants a new truck and boat.

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2006 CL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2026 Genesis GV70
2007 Tiara 3200

Can you buy books used?

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"It's normal for these things to empty your wallet and break your heart in the process."
2012 SLK 350
1987 420 SEL

As if to say, what she does/watches/surfs during the summer is not your responsibility?

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1980 300D - Veggie Burner !

That may very well be at used prices.

At ERAU, I had a Business Law book that was $125.00 !!
And that was in 1985.

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1980 300D - Veggie Burner !

Easy mon that's harsh--G-Benz has demonstrated himself through doting on his daughter many times here, hell, look at his avatar, as a devoted responsible parent. I am sure when my daughters are 13-14 they will slip a few MTV shows or what not by me too


Example: we hate Barney (If everyone would join me in this, he would cease to exist). We have warned all family members about this and have received a few Barney gifts--they go in the trash. However, my daughter still knows who Barney is, and has managed to pick up some of the songs through visiting with other children her age. I guess I should be more careful of who they hang around after dinner parties

Actually, it IS! I was only dramatizing the contrast.

And we blocked MTV and made her get rid of her MySpace account, locking out the site from all of the PCs in the house...

...this is not to say that she can't go behind our backs and resurrect her account at someone else's slumber party or watch MTV at a friend's house.

How hard was it for our generation to procure beer and weed as minors despite countermeasures from parents and authorities?

The point is, the potential is always there. So I allowed her SOME MTV time (despite the abhorrent shows that they offer), and her surfing is monitored.

Kids will get into all sorts of stuff you won't want them engaging in, and any attempts to thwart will only serve to have them go elsewhere for the same. So your best bet is to guide them in their decisions, so that they will be responsible enough to know what to do when you can't supervise their every move.

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2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car

Some are used, I purchased all but two online at discounts!

I have 6 classes and at the campus bookstore they wanted $100-$150 each for them, half of them used.

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2006 CL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2026 Genesis GV70
2007 Tiara 3200

OK, my bad. I forgot the damned little winkie and smilie guys again.
It wasn't a shot.

But either way - To call it “harsh”. No way. Harsh - My arsh !!

Sure - From all that I’ve seen him post, I’m sure he’s probably a wonderful parent. And - On the plus side – he did mention the “financial burn rate for summer activities”.

But to come out and state that (school) “…for a change, rather than mind-numbing…”, does say something about what his kid did during the summer.
And if it was something he (or the parents) doesn’t approve of, it’s his (their) responsibility to not only make a change, but they’re also responsible for the kid heading to it to begin with.

As for the need to block MTV and have a MySpace account closed:
We’ve found it a whole lot easier to teach them (“guide them in their decisions”) as to what’s mind-numbing (and the all important: What’s not.) at what I’d guess to be an earlier age, then it is to set up “countermeasures” later on. It cuts that “potential” issue way down. As well as the “behind our backs” issue.

Perhaps this could fall into the “dramatizing the contrast” category as well. But maybe that’s a difference between suburb kids and rural kids. They just grow up differently. Most kids (~10 year olds) we know and deal with think MTV and MySpace are mind-numbing (though they don’t use that exact term), and don’t need to have any time allowance for either.

G-Benz: I’m sorry to hear you’re in a position where you do.
Keep up the good work. But – keep in mind too (when you’re thinking things like “our generation”), that kids these days are WAY ahead of where we were at their age. And that every peer issue for them starts WAY sooner.

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1980 300D - Veggie Burner !

WVOtoGO on a normal day driving around my neighborhood you will not see any kids outside. However there is a middle school bus stop at the end of my street, and I am amazed every year to see about 12 kids waiting there. Where the heck are they the rest of the time!? Probably playing video games.

The area is perfectly safe, we played outside all the time when we were little, heck I keep the keys in my cars ignition during the day.

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2006 CL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2026 Genesis GV70
2007 Tiara 3200