oh, definitely--have the son put a freeze on his credit w/ the credit unions, in case dad tries to take out a loan or credit card. (is it possible that dad doesn't realize the son will not get his refund bcs of this? Maybe dad thought the only party affected would be the U.S. govt? And so dad didn't think he was actually stealing from his own kid?) And help your son figure out what he'd need to prove that he is not his dad's dependent: -rent receipts and utility bills from the entire year, to prove that he paid for his own roof -ATM-card records to show that he bought groceries often from a grocery store near his home, to prove that he paid for his own food -pay stubs, other work documentation to prove that he was occupied full-time and therefore not a student If he doesn't have any of these things, he can substitute letters (notarized!) from the appropriate people--landlord, boss, roommate. "Junior was a full-/part-time employee who worked X hours a week, from Start Date to December 31, 2006"--especially if he doesn't have pay stubs w/ hours worked, etc. Also to prove he wasn't a student. Have him put it in a folder, and label it, etc., and find a place to keep it so that he'll find it when he needs it. (I keep all receipts, etc., from every tax return in a folder w/ the return itself--just in case) Another thing perhaps, to help w/ the immediate crisis, is for someone who could be a go-between (paternal uncle? paternal grandma? you?) to call the dad and tell him he needs to give his son some money to make up for the fact that he has stolen his kid's tax refund. I know you're using the term "adult" lightly, and in this situation, you *should* use it lightly. Things like this are hard for kids to learn while they're still "kids" and being taught by their parents. This sort of grownup-finances stuff is why parents' work isn't done just because a kid turns 18. This could be a good lesson for him in how to prepare documentation for court, in how to keep records of finances, etc. (all the best lessons hurt, unfort.) I wonder if your son could take him to small-claims court for the amount of the refund? print out the reply from the IRS, ask his brother to testify to the conversation? The ideal would be if he could get his hands on his dad's tax return; I don't think you can subpoena documentation for small-claims court.

Not quarterly, but every paycheck. If he receives a regular paycheck from the restaurant it is his responsibility to claim his tips through them. Much easier to claim them at the restaurant. Every one of the restuarants I've worked for were very helpful in regards to how to claim the tips. He should be having this taken out each pay period, not the end of the year. The IRS can ding him for not having enough withheld (I realize that common practice to not withhold enough.) Most likely the restaurant will hold out enough to at least pull him up to minimum wage. Our state min. wage is higher than the national and my son's employer claimed $4 per hour in tips, so he ends up owing very little at the end of the year. Seems like all my paycheck was good for was paying those taxes. Gloria

I did see the tent/fort covers online too. I like them also. Or I could maybe use a cool shower curtain. So it seems like nobody likes the round rug. This makes it hard because it was my husband's first choice. lol. The middle two have the advantage of being padded with memory foam to protect against accidents but they are the smallest and only 5 feet wide. I like the idea of two rugs which I didn't really consider before. I could do a solid color or coordinating pattern underneath just the Loft portion.

Lose wires should never be HOT and work-space should always be clean after everyone is out. At the same time nobody should be in the work-space (especially children) even if this is your Home when Contractor is not there, unless he tells you it's OK to be there. Being a home builder during new home construction when you meet with the homeowner on the job-site to discuss something I tell them not to bring kids with them, because kids are all over the place no matter what parents tell them and it only takes a second for something to happen. When working on remodeling project for homeowners with children you try to block the area off best way possible when you leave but not always you can do that and it's the parents responsibility to keep the kids and themselves out of the work-area while the project in progress. One example, it happened to a friend of my when I was starting out, he was doing work on the basement and they would leave tools on the job-site. Over one weekend the homeowner was building shelves in the garage and he used contractor saw to cut a few pieces of wood and the saw kicked back and he end up cutting his leg and getting 45 stitches. The family went after the insurance company and insurance company covered only 50% and the only reason they got that is because they left the saw plugged in. If the saw was wrapped up they wouldn't go that because he took it upon himself to use the tool at his own risk. For the last 30+ years I been packing all my tools away, my kid use to tell me just leave it we coming back tomorrow and I tell him pack everything up and put in the truck. That said, and in regard to the job they doing, in most States you have to give a contractor a chance to fix the issues...unless the contractor is unlicensed in the State in that case you can fire him and get someone else. Any other reason to replace your contractor, he would have to be in breach of contract, not showing up or abandoning the job, create hostile environment, create major safety issues which can cause harm to you and your family etc in that case you can stop the job and seek legal advise, but you will need documented proof, pictures, texts, emails, etc to show cause... because if there is no evidence (not counting subpar work) you can end up being in breach of contract yourself. Good luck.