I do have a few observations on the subject. My wife and I became disillusioned with public school after seeing the results our son was coming home with. We did not have the money for private education so we had to figure out something on our own. We called it homeschooling.

We discovered that there are 2 groups.
The first wants more structure in a child's life than school offers. These people tend to be religious types.
The other group wants less structure. These tend to be the unschoolers.
In the end, it does not seem to matter. Both groups get involved with the kids. The kids benefit.

When our friends heard we were homeschooling, they asked a few questions:
1. Is it legal?
2. You don't have a credential? How could you possibly be qualified?
3. How do you tolerate being with your kids all day?
4. My kids don't listen to me. You must be a saint.
5. What about the "socialization?"
6. And (mostly from teachers) If I had to raise my kids again, I would definitely homeschool.

Fifteen years later, we have our 2 sons (now 18 and 20):
1. Each of them has 2 black belts (Iaido and Jujutsu)
2. Both of them are Eagle Scouts
3. One of them started college at 15. The other started college at 13.
4. Both of them are straight 'A' students.
5. Both of them are employed.

I enjoy their company. We have great fun talking around the kitchen table. They bring their friends over and we enjoy them too.

We did make compromises. Homeschooling does take time. My software business would be more successful if I had devoted the same time to it.

My wife and I don't regret a single minute we spent homeschooling our sons. And, we could not be prouder.

> How would you convince them to abandon their plan to dive into project management and use an existing solution?

The 2 core beliefs are:
1) We are so special
2) We know what we want

Neither of these assumptions are true. But, you know that already.
The best course of action is to get a simple program and get them to use that. Get them to use it the standard way first. With sufficient training and motivation, they may be able to use last year's program.
After that, the event will have started and everyone will be too busy to do anything else.

I do have a few observations on the subject. My wife and I became disillusioned with public school after seeing the results our son was coming home with. There were no charter schools in the area. And, we quickly noted, the real problem is that parents really don't care. They *say* they care. But, the reality is that parents do not care enough to actually get involved. And, since the parents do not care, the teachers do not care and the administration does not care either.

We did not have the money for private education. We had to figure out something on our own. We called it homeschooling.

We discovered that there are 2 groups.
The first wants more structure in a child's life than school offers. These people tend to be religious types.
The other group wants less structure. These tend to be the unschoolers.
In the end, it does not seem to matter. Both groups get involved with the kids. The kids benefit.

When our friends reacted to the fact that we were homeschooling, a few things happened:
1. Is it legal?
2. You don't have a credential? How could you possibly be qualified?
3. How do you tolerate being with your kids all day?
4. My kids don't listen to me. You must be a saint.
5. What about the "socialization?"
6. And (mostly from teachers) If I had to raise my kids again, I would definitely homeschool.

Fifteen years later, we have our 2 sons (now 18 and 20):
1. Each of them has 2 black belts (Iaido and Jujutsu)
2. Both of them are Eagle Scouts
3. One of them started college at 15. The other started college at 13.
4. Both of them are straight 'A' students.
5. Both of them are employed.

I enjoy their company. We have great fun talking around the kitchen table. They bring their friends over and we enjoy them too.

We did make compromises. Homeschooling does take time. My software business would be more successful if I had devoted the same time to it.

My wife and I don't regret a single minute we spent homeschooling our sons. And, we could not be prouder.

And, we are very happy we did.

We never taught any 'formal' subjects. Instead, we built forts, cooked meals, crawled under the house to do plumbing, went to the library and did a lot of reading. 15 years later, we are extremely proud of the results.

My advice is not to worry about chemistry. There is plenty do to outside of a classroom. Get involved with Boy Scouts and go on the outings. In short, get involved with your grandson.

Your academic concerns will be replaced with pride. Good luck.

The problem: 2 excessively bright and energetic boys Symptoms: The first time we really noticed it was when the oldest enrolled in kindergarten. There constant trouble. But, what could we do about it? We did not have the money for private education so we had to figure out something on our own. We called it homeschooling.

We discovered that there are 2 groups.
The first wants more structure in a child's life than school offers. These people tend to be religious types.
The other group wants less structure. These tend to be the unschoolers.
In the end, it does not seem to matter. Both groups get involved with the kids. The kids benefit.

When our friends reacted to the fact that we were homeschooling, a few things happened:
1. Is it legal?
2. You don't have a credential? How could you possibly be qualified?
3. How do you tolerate being with your kids all day?
4. My kids don't listen to me. You must be a saint.
5. What about the "socialization?"
6. And (mostly from teachers) If I had to raise my kids again, I would definitely homeschool.

Fifteen years later, we have our 2 sons (now 18 and 20):
1. Each of them has 2 black belts (Iaido and Jujutsu)
2. Both of them are Eagle Scouts
3. One of them started college at 15. The other started college at 13.
4. Both of them are straight 'A' students.
5. Both of them are employed.

I enjoy their company. We have great fun talking around the kitchen table. They bring their friends over and we enjoy them too.

We did make compromises. Homeschooling does take time. My software business would be more successful if I had devoted the same time to it.

My wife and I don't regret a single minute we spent homeschooling our sons. And, we could not be prouder.

Whenever I teach the Computer Merit Badge, I start with a couple of old hard drives. I pass them out and supply tools. Within 30 minutes the the drives are history. Wires are pulled out and examined. The platters are bent, scratched and shuffled. The magnets are gone. They go home with REFRIGERATOR MAGNETS FROM HELL. Best of all, the boys are eager to learn more.

An IQ test predicts how well you will do on the next IQ test that you take. Period. A high IQ does not mean you have any manners, are an interesting person or even that you can use your brain. This is one of the most popular subjects for discussion in Mensa. Invariably, each and every debate ends up with the same conclusion.

Assume you will *not* have any communication.

They fail because of the lack of coverage, the charge in the battery or the fact that no one else will be able to figure it out (if you are the one hurt).

Some simple precautions go a long way: the buddy system, first aid kit, topo map and compass, planning your route, extra food and water, notify friends of your departure and return. These do not cost as much and will do a lot more.

I used to carry a 2 meter rig when I went backpacking with the scouts. I found there was no coverage - except near cities.

The back country is a great place. But, it is terribly unforgiving for any lack of preparedness.

I do have a few observations on the subject. My wife and I became disillusioned with public school after seeing the results our son was coming home with. We did not have the money for private education so we had to figure out something on our own. We called it homeschooling.

We discovered that there are 2 groups.
The first wants more structure in a child's life than school offers. These people tend to be religious types.
The other group wants less structure. These tend to be the unschoolers.
In the end, it does not seem to matter. Both groups get involved with the kids. The kids benefit.

When our friends reacted to the fact that we were homeschooling, a few things happened:
1.Is it legal?
2.You don't have a credential? How could you possibly be qualified?
3.How do you tolerate being with your kids all day?
4.My kids don't listen to me. You must be a saint.
5.What about the "socialization?"
6.And (mostly from teachers) If I had to raise my kids again, I would definitely homeschool.

Fifteen years later, we have our 2 sons (now 18 and 20):
1.Each of them has 2 black belts (Iaido and Jujutsu)
2.Both of them are Eagle Scouts
3.One of them started college at 15. The other started college at 13.
4.Both of them are straight 'A' students.
5.Both of them are employed.

I enjoy their company. We have great fun talking around the kitchen table. They bring their friends over and we enjoy them too.

We did make compromises. Homeschooling does take time. My software business would be more successful if I had devoted the same time to it.

My wife and I don't regret a single minute we spent homeschooling our sons. And, we could not be prouder.

I do have a few observations on the subject. My wife and I became disillusioned with public school after seeing the results our son was coming home with. We did not have the money for private education so we had to figure out something on our own. We called it homeschooling. We discovered that there are 2 groups. The first wants more structure in a child's life than school offers. These people tend to be religious types. The other group wants less structure. These tend to be the unschoolers. In the end, it does not seem to matter. Both groups get involved with the kids. The kids benefit. When our friends heard we were homeschooling, a few things happened: 1. Is it legal? 2. You don't have a credential? How could you possibly be qualified? 3. How do you tolerate being with your kids all day? 4. My kids don't listen to me. You must be a saint. 5. What about the "socialization?" 6. And (mostly from teachers) If I had to raise my kids again, I would definitely homeschool. Fifteen years later, we have our 2 sons (18 and 20): 1. Each of them has 2 black belts (Iaido and Jujutsu) 2. Both of them are Eagle Scouts 3. One of them started college at 15. The other started college at 13. 4. Both of them are straight 'A' students. 5. Both of them are employed. 6. I still enjoy talking around the table. They bring their friends over and we enjoy them too. We did make compromises. Homeschooling does take time. My software business would be more successful if I had devoted the same time to it. But I don't regret a single minute I spent with my sons. I could not be prouder of the results.

BUY THIS BOOK. It's written by a patent attorney for problems like yours. You can get it from http://www.nolo.com/ It cannot not give you all the answers. But, you will have a better understanding if you do need to talk to a patent attorney. The author does mention that a patent lawsuit costs 1-3 million dollars.

It's called, "On killing." http://www.amazon.com/Killing-Psychological-Cost-Learning-Society/dp/0316330116/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218237398&sr=1-1

The author started out his military career as a grunt at boot camp. He ended up teaching at West Point. Now, he is a psychologist.

His point is that our society is very good at teaching people to kill. What we are not good at is dealing with the aftermath.

The fact that one of the armed services is acknowledging there is a problem and trying to do something about it is a step in the right direction.

You can find this book at your library. It's well worth reading.