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Thanks for your comment, Arlene. I am also heartbroken when I see how the official interventions for kids who have abused other kids ignores the traumas these acting-out kids have suffered. You are so right - anger management is certainly not the approach that will really help them.

Life is hard. Perhaps depression is, in part, a by-product of modern society with the spreading out of families due to higher mobility and lower expectations that the generations will stay together. Perhaps it has always been around to the same extent as now but people just didn't pay attention. The helplessness in the throes of depression is excruciating. Thanks for sharing your life with us. I am enjoying getting to know you.

It is very important to distinguish depression from sadness. We are an overmedicalized society and turn some things that are normal responses to lifecycle events into depression and I think that that keeps some people suffering longer than they need to. Sadness needs to be expressed and not held in or "put-on-a-happy-faced".

Nice to meet you. You are so active online. Don't know how you keep up with it all. Looking forward to reading more of your articles.

I have dyed with pokeberry. Only problem is the pretty purple color fades to brown. It's called a fugitive dye meaning it doesn't last.

Love this use of junk! Great way to get young minds moving and to get help organizing ye ol' junk drawer at the same time.

I hadn't heard of using grass as a dye. It's great that you like to experiment. Have you tried pokeberries? The Declaration of Independence was written with pokeberry ink.

Spot on Evelyn and thanks :)

Children play and the learning just comes as they work out strategies for playing the games. Great article and wonderful message.

My church once desperately needed to double it's available charity funds. Using the talents Bible story as a base, they distributed the money between the congregation--even the children got a small amount to keep them involved. Then it was everyone's responsibility to double their money and give it to the drive.

It was a resounding success and many of your ideas were done. Some people who didn't want to go to a lot of effort, used the money to buy lunch food and placed the money they would have spent on eating lunch out in the fund. Some people brought back 10 times the amount they were given and more! I don't know of anyone who didn't at least do the minimum doubling.

Yep. There's always a use for a little bag.

Wow, Arlene... that's probably the hardest type to deal with. Those who aren't outwardly challenging just might take the cake. I know what you mean about the slow "feed". I've run into that before and it's not pretty. Good for you that you moved on... I refuse to let these people occupy real estate in my head anymore.

Definitely try the hay tied together. We have a hamster who loves this, too. Thanks for reading and commenting, 2uesday.

I've heard stories like this so often. Well over 100 people released after serving years on Death Row, because new DNA evidence proved that they were innocent.

I hope that things work out for your friend. Have you contacted Amnesty International?

Wow! I really wish I was you right now. You've got it all to come, brand new, discovering it for the first time. I'm on 100th of re-reads later. Still brilliant, but your position is even more wonderful.

Happy reading!