No. What does slapping back accomplish? It's not going to undo any of the damage that's already done, only create more.

I'm 100% for seeking justice, though.

Homeschooling does not mean kids are deprived of social interaction. There are plenty of opportunities for kids to get out and be with peers, such as afterschool activities, vacation camps, the playground, meeting up with other homeschooled kids, and plenty of other ways. If the kids don't get social interaction, it's because the parents aren't letting them.

I was just going to suggest taking action against the school and then I read your update and alternately cheered that you were doing something and was totally horrified by what the school administrators were allowing to happen by not punishing the boy. My heart breaks for your daughter. I can't even begin to imagine what it's like for a child who's been sexually abused to have something like this happen to her, but I've learned enough about the affects of abuse to know this must have been terrifying for her. Absolutely go to war for her.

I take back what I said previously about talking to your daughter about telling someone instead of hitting, because she did and the teacher *twitchtwitchtwitch* did nothing. I don't think your daughter was in the wrong for defending herself. The next time a guy harasses her, she should just kick him in the nuts. For her sake, I'm glad no serious damage was done to the boy. What else was she supposed to do, tell the teacher again and get yelled at for being a tattletale? It totally burns my ass the teacher actually said that to her. Telling the teacher Bobby is picking his nose is tattling, NOT that Bobby is pinching her butt.

If you can, find out who else the boy has attacked and talk to their parents and maybe a bunch of you could sue the school together for failure to deal with a known problem. Write letters to the editor about the school's failure and make noise.

I'd like to pass this along to www.thisistrue.com. It's a weekly e-newsletter with various news excerpts and reports of administrators with their heads up their butts and zero tollerance punishing the innocent, people doing the genuinely stupid, officials being busted for being naughty, and other things that remind the rest of us how screwed up everyone else is. ;)

I'd say something along the lines of "What you think should matter...why?"

I'm with you on that one. A bear or a cat.

Being able to carry on an intelligent conversation

There's a dearth of decent single men in Rochester, too.

I'm with you on that. I am out of here first chance I get.

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. The subconscious is a confusing thing.

Love. If I just want to get off, that's what a vibrator's for.