Should I be concerned that my young son has been spending a lot of time watching violent cartoons and playing with the “spin-off” action figures marketed by the shows’ producers? How do you think these programs and products affect the attitudes and behavior of children?
Parenting Q&As
As a parent and grandparent, should I step in to help if I feel that my son-in-law is not caring properly for my daughter and my grandchildren? What makes this especially difficult is that his actions (or lack thereof) could put his family’s safety at risk. For example, he constantly forgets to put oil in …
How do we deal with an adult child who has no job, is living in our basement, and drawing heavily on our financial resources? My husband and I can’t agree on the best way to handle this situation, and it’s becoming a real strain on our relationship. What should we do?
What can I do when I feel like our house is being overrun by neighbor children? It seems every kid on the block plays in our yard these days. We seem to have stricter rules than most parents on our street about where our grade-school children are allowed to go, so all the kids end …
Is it unusual, abnormal or immoral for my child to be touching or playing with his genitals? I’ve caught him at it several times at home, and once it even happened in public. What should I do?
What kind of standards of conduct and behavior should parents impose upon an adult child living in their home? Our single 29-year-old daughter lives with us in separate quarters off of the main house. She knows how deeply we feel about marriage as the only appropriate context for sexual expression, but she’s made a habit …
Does the Bible forbid tattoos?
There are many overwhelming moments in your parenting. Even when it feels challenging, one of the best gifts you can give your child is to pray he or she will follow God. John and Danny encourage you to keep being a godly influence for your kids, even when it’s hard. Featuring Heidi St. John.
Psychologist Dr. Bill Maier says that imaginary friends are a totally normal part of life for preschoolers. Parents shouldn’t be concerned about imaginary friends unless a child is so focused on the relationship with the “friend” that he or she seems to be losing touch with reality. And of course, you should never let your …
Do I really have any influence over how my kids turn out?
I’m six months into my pregnancy. For the first few months I avoided alcohol. But about three months ago my friends convinced me that a drink now and then wouldn’t create any troubles with my unborn baby’s health, and I started having a glass of wine once or twice a week. Now I’m worried that …
What are some meaningful ways our church can help and support a family of a child with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)? This young family attends our church regularly but struggles to connect with most of the people in our congregation. I’m ashamed to say that we’re largely to blame for their feelings because we’ve …
How can I deal with the effects of sleep deprivation that come with a newborn? Our little girl has been home for two weeks, and already my job performance is suffering. My wife and I take turns getting up with her in the night, but unlike my wife, I can’t go back to sleep again …
How do we prepare for and manage the expenses that come with having a baby? My wife and I were ecstatic when we discovered we were pregnant, but now reality has set in. I’m feeling very anxious about the challenge of supporting and caring for a child. Can you help?
Should we provide financial assistance to our middle-aged adult children? Our son-in-law just lost his job. He’s always made a good living but has struggled with serious health issues that have placed a burden on their finances. Our daughter has never once offered to help with their income by seeking work of any kind. I’m …
Do you have any practical help for the adoptive parents of a child who comes from very difficult circumstances? We recently brought into our family a 7-year-old girl who’s been in and out of five different foster homes over the past three years. She was abused emotionally and physically by her birth parents, both of …
What’s your opinion on teens getting involved in social networking and online chat rooms? I’ve read some of the teen conversations on the sites my daughter wants to visit, and they seem relatively harmless. But I’m still afraid of losing control over my child’s interactions with her peers. Should I be concerned?
How do we help our other kids thrive when we have to devote so much time and attention to our child with special needs? My husband and I have four kids ranging in age from eight years to two months. Our youngest son was born with Down syndrome, and as a family, we’re doing our …
How can I help my granddaughter who is struggling with her racial identity? She’s the child of an interracial marriage – her mother is white, her father black. Her parents have now divorced and her dad is no longer in the picture. On top of the many other problems that go along with being a …
Is it appropriate to pay our school-aged children for doing household tasks? When I was growing up I always received an allowance, but my spouse says that kids need to work without being paid because that’s part of being a family. What do you think?