I have a little boy who will be 6 next month and he's in all-day kindergarten--he's in a special ed class. He has a developmental delay.

I wish I broke the camera out last week because I actually saw him write his name for the first time--and say each letter as he tried to write it!

His teacher agrees that the intelligence is there--it's just prying it out that gets tricky.

He does know how to work the DVD player (how else is he gonna watch Bob the Builder) and how to hold a DVD correctly. And he has a really good memory--he knows where all the places are in town that have toys!

We did have to ban him from watching pro-wrestling when he was a toddler because he did an F5 move with his xylophone and gave his daddy an HBK elbow drop!

Robbie Burns, the Scottish Poet, didn't speak a word until he was nearly six. His folks thought he was mute. Apparantly he didn't have anything to say, he said.

I hope your little chap gets his straps in due time Alex.

I have a boy - a man for a while now. A good man. My best mate. Musician, scholar, a kind fellow. Trustworthy. I love him heaps.

My Daughter, Grown too. 'My little petal'. Musician too. Car mechanic - high performance engines. Won't talk to me. I love her heaps too. She is getting married in December. I haven't been invited. PAS.

(there isn't a sad enough smiley)

I'm sorry to hear of your situation, Percy; I anticipate similar with my half American daughter, especially with her so-called grandmother's venomous tongue in the background.

I have three girls; eight, six and two.

My eldest is the one I'm closest to, she is a level headed girl who recognises b/s from her mother or at least asks me for my side of it.
(e.g. when she was a baby, I accidentally knocked her head against the edge of a table. After we'd split, her mom told her "Your dad smacked your head into a table" - no more, no detail, no 'how', no nothing. She enquired with me directly how it came to be and once explained in full details, she was fine about it.) She is very mature for her age, but my ex-wife didn't like her one bit (even after she'd told her "I love you", my ex-wife just blanked her, but reciprocated when my other daughter when she had said the same.)

My middle daughter definitely has my looks, the scowl, the frown, etc. She is very like me in personality too, often too shy to stand up for herself, instead choosing to curl up quietly into her own little world. She has minor speech issues and still has the 'D'is D'at and d'e other' sound going on when talking. Her mother tried to blame me for it (she cried a lot in her baby days, and yes I would often grumble 'oh shut up a bit' or similar) claiming psychological abuse... then about one year ago I was on the phone to her and she told me that she'd found that our daughter had a mildly extended jawline which was causing her tongue to be misplaced when talking. I explained how glad I was that it was natural causes. She claims not to have remembered trying to blame me, and I wasn't going to remind her how if she'd magically forgotten.

My youngest daughter is a ball of fun, loves her cuddles and all that (as did my eldest when she was a toddler). But aside from the camera - I'll never get to see her. Her mother & so-called grandma will make sure she only knows the worst of me, with the mandatory lies & exaggerations that must be included with everything they say. (e.g. after her brother had harassed me using multiple identities to get around blocks, i threatened legal action (because he made a veiled threat of malice to her) - my exwife's version she told friends was completely different. She only told them I'd argued with him (inferring I'd gone to him) and threatened him... forgetting to include approximately 80% of the facts. I'm pretty certain by the time she's an adult, she'll be as messed up in the head as the rest of that screwball family, where violence and abuse is 'normal' everyday routine.

@ Alexandra

That's wonderful that he's progressing!

@ Percy and Marx

I'm so sorry.

As for my children, I have three, ages 8, 11 and 13. I had my children quite young, so we've always had a lot of fun together.

My oldest son is the most like me. We like the same music, play the same video games, feel the same on many things. He shares my passion for humanity and has a strong sense of principal. I raised him to think independantly and he's anything but a follower...ofcourse that comes back to haunt me when he also questions everything I say.... Even at 13 he's a true defender of right. He's gotten in trouble quite a bit at school for arguing when the teacher has done something he felt was unfair. When he was in elementary school one of his teachers told me that intelligence wise he's in the top 1% of the country, grades wise...not so much, because he has a tendency to do assignments as he sees fit, even if that contradicts with what the teacher's directions. All in all, he's a great kid and I'm very proud of him. He's an excellant snowboarder and likes to skateboard.

My only daughter is 11. She's never gotten into any trouble at school, always does well and is well liked. It's at home that she's a bit more...difficult. Like my son she's very strong-willed and determined. Traits which are wonderful but can be a little trying when we're the ones she's butting heads with. She's a natural swimmer and at gymnastics and is on competition teams in both. She grew so much last year that we are now the same size. Great for her since she sees it as her wardrobe has now doubled....not so great for me. She's a beautiful, wonderful girl, though. Like my son she shares my humanitarian side. Her area of focus is abused children and animals.

My youngest son (8) is my little buddy. He's just an all around great kid. Much more easy going than my other two. He's 100% boy. He's told me since he was two that he's going to "save the day", because "that's what heroes do". He wants to be a soldier, a firefighter or a policeman when he grows up. He's naturally athletic and loves all sports. For him, there's nothing better than time spent with his dad. It can be the most mundane of tasks and he loves doing it if he's doing it with his dad. He's practically always sweet and happy and he really appreciates everything. Giving him things is such a joy because it doesn't matter how small or insignificant it is, his face always lights up and he thinks it's the best thing ever.

They have their difficult days, but all in all, I think they're amazing. When they were little I was always worried I'd lose them because they just seemed too good to be true.

I keep getting bumped off, so I have to make this short.

My son is 16, was homeschooled until 5th grade, when we found out he has ADD. Has has been in government school since then, due to their spec ed programs. He is in 10th grade.

His interests are: video games (esp. Socom 3, Medieval Total War 2, and Rome Total War), football, baseball. He plans to enlist in the US navy or US Marines after high school.

My oldest daughter is 14, in 8th grade, homeschool. Her interests are: helping save the Giant Panda (she started a kids group for this purpose); Mandarin Chinese (she taught herself the language); the Five Browns (a Juilliard-trained homeschool family of five sibling classical pianists); the 12 Girls Band (Chinese female classical musicians); Shakespeare, anime, and manga. She recently graduated Hebrew school and is now a part-time volunteer teacher at the school.

My youngest daughter is 9, in 4th grade, homeschool. Her main interests: saving polar bears, Hebrew school, and gymnastics. She is in the intermediate level for gymnastics at the local community center, and will be in a major city-wide competition in two weeks.

It seems to have passed....

I have 16 kids and another on the way, probably a lot more than that but they are nothing to do with me owing to the fact that they are property of the state and the mothers are temporarily still in charge of them until the state finds a way to shunt them out of the picture and into work..

I try to avoid them as much as possible, as this pisses off their mothers and that way I get to spend good time with them..

If I wanted to spend time with them, I would get denied..

So, to be a good dad, dont give a fuck..

My oldest son is my step son who is 11. When we stuck him in kindergarten, they said he had ADHD, was opositionally defiant and recommended special ed. We took him out and he has not seen the inside of a school since. Now he is at least a grade level ahead in math and that really doesn't do justice to his ability in that subject much of which lies outside of normal American secondary school metrics. He is also highly literate (reads all the time) and has started learning Latin out of Henle. He has never been nor will ever be medicated.

I have a six year old bio-son who has a fairly pronounced speech delay. He is also pretty literate and on schedule with his math. (Although, we haven't pushed him nearly as much as our oldest. I think we realize, now, that it was unnecessary.) He's the quiet middle child.

Finally, my daughter is 5. She's a little behind of where we would like her to be due to our lack of pushing her enough. (We tend to sacrifice the other two for the oldest who practically needs someone watching him every second for him to do his work. But, that's all about to change.) She is our most normal child -- no speech delays, no ADHD. She takes ballet....

My son obeys me and my husband more readily than his teacher and teacher aides. One time I actually spent a day with him at school, and since then, I'm told, things have been better! If he refuses to put his hat on, all his teacher has to say to him is that his mom wants him to put it on.

They don't believe in discipline, that's the problem--and my husband told them that. They're too worried about "self-esteem." Can't speak sharply to them. Then they wonder why they have a hard time.

I kind of feel sorry for him because of all the feminization. He's an active little boy and this one pediatrician said he might need medication down the road--and I flat-out told her, I ain't GOING down that road! No. Way!

I think having a son has made me more conscious of the destruction feminism has caused.

Oldest Daughter G is a Daddy's Girl. She goes to Mom for regular problems. When in serious Trouble she calls me.

T is my Oldest Son. Did not speak until he was 2 years old. A Semi Truck drove by with the McDonald's logo on it. We were crossing Highway 9 headed towards Santa Cruz California to go to the beach. Out of the blue he says. "French Fries. Boy I could use some and a Big Mac, Chocolate shake. I sure love McDonald's, Daddy can we stop."??? I nearly had an accident. I said "He Speaks. He can actually speak." He replied. "Well up to now I wasn't hungry."!!

B is my Math prodigy, our "Klingon child". No fear that one. Helped his Brother in High School with his Calculus when B was in Kindergarten. He could be my clone. Built with his Buddy Zack a working Airplane, and flew it. His Step Mother still howls with laughter when you mention the story. "yeah I kinda got grounded around Mechanical things."

N is my youngest Daughter and is older than B. She is her Mother's Clone and battles a weight issue. She is smart, outgoing, full of life a real live wire. And she is sweet and sensitive.

T is our Youngest. A real charmer and character. B is protective of T. Who has one working kidney. He loves Baseball, due to his Step Father. And is a Sports Nut.

J is my Step Son. Lived with his StepMother and