LOL Chaotic! I’m the same way. Hubby would bring the boys to the movie they wanted to watch and I’d take my daughter (usually a better movie!). One time we went to see a sequel of the Pokemon movie and my daughter didn’t come with us so I went with the boys. Two minutes of Peeka peeka Peekachu and I turned to my husband and said “Is the WHOLE movie going to be this way?!?”

I also agree with you on setting standards of behavior and sticking with them. My kids know how they are supposed to behave. When I’m on the phone with a friend and hear her kids talking to her with absolutely no respect, like she’s some sort of hired help, it’s like nails on the chalk board. I tell her “if my kids talked to me like that I’d slap them right in the mouth.” I’ve never had to slap them in the mouth because this behavior was addressed when they were toddlers and a time out was the worst thing ever.

When they were younger I also watched what they watched and read what they were reading. And if you’re able to keep the Naruto character’s straight you get parent of the year award! “I’m always asking “who’s that guy with his hair straight up?” They’re like “they ALL have their hair straight up.”

My kids are older now, and one of my son’s took Japanese this year (my daughter was born there) and the animae (sp) did help him immensely. The writing part is difficult for him (he’s a lefty).

I’d love to have a portion of the money back from the millions of Yugeo cards. They all still play it. Older one goes to tournaments (geeky I know). But they have dozens of shoe boxes of those stupid cards. On the upside, it helped basic math skills. And memory! If someone could figure out how to put something like history or science into a game like that we’d have a generation of geniuses’.

I home schooled the twins their 8th grade year. (Algebra is the highest math subject that I felt comfortable teaching.) It was awesome. We had the minimum hours required by January. We were able to discuss everything! History, literature, science, it was so fun that hours would just get away from us. My husband would come home from work and we’d be “wow, 4:30 already?!? Ok, we need to finish this up before we end for the day.” I never had a problem with them doing their homework either, they were anxious to do it.