How do we stop our two teenage sons from fighting over a girl? What should we do? The sixteen-year-old, who has always been more outgoing than his brother, has struck up a “friendship” with a girl our seventeen-year-old has liked for over a year. This kind of thing has happened before, though it’s always been …
Parenting Q&As
I’ve heard a lot about the post-partum blues, but is it normal to be feeling emotionally down before the baby arrives? I’m currently about three-quarters of the way through my pregnancy, and lately I’ve been very low and sad. Is there anything I can do about this?
Should I insist on being in the exam room when my child visits a doctor? Recently I took my 14-year-old daughter to our family doctor for a check-up and was told by the office staff that I would need to stay out. To be honest, my husband and I are concerned about messages my daughter …
How do I tell my young children (ages eight, seven, and four) that their grandparents – my husband’s mom and dad – are splitting up as a result of Grandpa’s involvement with another woman? Since these grandparents live out of state, we only see them every three to four months or so. We don’t plan …
Should I let my teenage girls wear pants? I was raised in a conservative Christian home where modesty in behavior and clothing were always stressed as matters of the highest importance for young girls. In particular, my mother made sure I understood that women should never wear pants, since “A woman shall not wear anything …
Should parents come to the rescue when grown and married children need monetary assistance? Our daughter and her husband are struggling, and we’d like to help them out. But we don’t want to set an unhealthy precedent or cross a boundary. How do you think we should handle this?
Do you have any advice for parents trying to help a teenager who struggles with bad feelings about her figure and physical appearance? Our daughter has a poor body image and a distressingly negative view of herself, but she won’t talk about it. How do we bring this up without smothering her, alienating her or …
Do you have any suggestions for things families can do together while the kids are out of school on Spring Break? We don’t have a lot of money to spend, but we would like to take advantage of the time off to strengthen our relationships and have some good old fashioned fun. Any ideas?
Now that I’m divorced, how can I stay involved with my kids? One of the most difficult outcomes of the settlement is that it limits my contact with them. Legally, I’m only allowed to have them a few days out of each month. I’d like to be more involved, but my ex-wife is very strict …
How can I help my 14-year-old son turn his grades around, especially when he doesn’t see the need for getting assistance from me or anybody else? He’s been falling behind in school and recently brought home 2 “Ds.” I used to tutor him when he was younger, but for the last two years he’s refused …
Could talking about suicide have the effect of pushing a teenager in the wrong direction? I have reasons to believe that my son may be struggling with self-destructive thoughts and tendencies. While I think it’s generally important to confront this situation directly, I keep wondering what might happen if I bring up my concerns and …
Should children be taught to fight back or to “turn the other cheek”? As Christian parents, we’ve drummed it into our kids’ heads from day one that physical violence is unacceptable. Unfortunately, the school playground has turned out to be a pretty rough place for one of our sons, and the non-violent policy hasn’t worked …
Can you help us figure out how to eliminate as much fighting with our teenager as possible? We’ve argued over pretty much every subject under the sun: grades, tattoos, music, movies, hairstyles, pants-length, study habits, politics. If only for the sake of our own peace of mind we’d like to when it’s okay to back …
How much do my children need to know about my past? I’m a strong Christian and a dedicated parent, but during adolescence and young adulthood there was a time when I chose to “walk on the wild side.” Is there any reason to be completely open with them about the moral failings of my early …
How can I help my small child deal with his overwhelming fear of insects? He’s always been a little scared of bugs, but recently he was bitten by something at school during snack time, and now he gets hysterical every time the class is supposed to go outside. What’s the solution?
How do we know when it’s time to start encouraging our child to use the toilet? And when he’s ready, what can we do to help the whole process go smoothly?
What should I do if I fear my teenage son may be too withdrawn? When he was younger we thought it was just a phase and assumed he would gain more confidence as he matured and interacted more with his peers. So far those expectations haven’t panned out. He doesn’t seem to have any interest …
As parents of a child with special needs, how can my husband and I manage all of the difficult emotions and added stress that comes with our situation? There are times when the job seems like more than we can handle.
How should I talk with my adolescent son about a friend of his who recently took his own life? The boy was hardly more than an acquaintance, but I know that this incident has impacted my teenager deeply. Can you help me figure out the best way to approach the subject with him?
What should we do about our teen’s sudden academic struggles? He’s always been an excellent student, but since entering high school his grades have dropped significantly. When we ask him what’s going on, he just shrugs his shoulders and says, “My teachers don’t like me.” How can we get to the bottom of this?