How can I effectively deal with my struggle with severe depression while protecting my unborn baby? I’ve tried counseling before, but by itself that hasn’t seemed to work. I have found antidepressants to be extremely effective in my treatment, but I’m afraid that the medication will do harm to my baby in some way. I …
Parenting
Is twelve years old too young for a girl to be expressing a keen interest in boys? My husband and I have a difference of opinion on this point. Our daughter and her best friend like to talk about “cute” boys and often tease each other about who has a crush on whom. To me …
What should I do now that I’ve discovered that two of my children have been engaging in sexual activities with one another? Needless to say, my spouse and I are shocked beyond words. Where do we go from here?
Is oral sex really sex? We stumbled upon an entry in our daughter’s journal and discovered that she’s been involved in oral sex. That was disconcerting enough, but when we confronted her she argued that oral sex isn’t really sex at all, and that it’s “safer” than vaginal intercourse. She even claims that she’s still …
Should I permit my child to play video games? If I do decide to let video games into my home, which games should I allow and how can I maintain control over the kind of gaming in which my child becomes involved?
How can I calm my child’s fears of Satan? Over the past few months my five-year-old has become obsessed with this subject. She’s always asking questions about the devil, and she seems terribly afraid of what he might do to her. She goes to Sunday school, and we pray and read the Bible together every …
Is it wrong for me as a parent to feel proud of my child and to tell him so? I understand that, from a human perspective, it’s normal and natural to feel this way. But as a Christian I know that the Bible has some very severe things to say about the sin of pride. …
How do I know when my disciplinary methods have crossed an inappropriate line? I was disciplining my five-year-old last night and feel that I got out of control in the way I handled the situation. I’m terrified this morning that I may have gone too far. How can I know for sure? What should I …
As a working mother, should I be worried about placing my child in a daycare facility? Personally, I have some serious misgivings about this option, but my husband thinks it’s fine. Are you aware of any research on this subject or other choices we might consider?
What should I do about the constant fighting that goes on between my daughters? Our house is the scene of perpetual sibling battles. My mother says I should intervene, but my husband thinks this is normal for kids their age. Should I be worried?
Should we put off having kids and starting a family until we’re more mature and established? My wife and I are in our late twenties. She’s in grad school and I’m working to get my new business off the ground. We’re extremely busy, and to be honest, I’m not sure I’m ready to be a …
Is there some way to get my wife to stop complaining about the job I’m doing as a parent?
Should I feel uneasy about leaving my little one with a babysitter or dropping him off at the church nursery for an hour or so? I’m a new parent, and I don’t know if it’s healthy for my child to be separated from me, even for relatively short periods of time. What’s your perspective on …
I can’t believe that the end of summer is already within sight! School will be starting again in a couple of weeks, and my children are dreading it. Is there anything I can do to help smooth the transition? What would you recommend?
At what age do you recommend that a child start a summer job?
How effective are “time outs”? Our son is entering toddlerhood and I’m not sure what type of discipline is best for different behaviors. My friends all seem to rely on “time outs” regardless of the nature of their kids’ behavior. I’m not sure this is always the best method. When are “time outs” an appropriate …
How should I handle a three-year-old toddler who is mean and aggressive with other children? He’s fine at home where there aren’t any other children around. But when he’s at church or with another family that has children his age, his behavior becomes ugly. On occasion his aggression takes a physical form – hitting, kicking, and …
How do we deal with a toddler who resists bedtime? Our 2-year-old recently went from being a great sleeper to suddenly fighting bedtime in an insane way – screaming, hitting, and running around his room. We’ve done nothing to change his schedule – nap from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m., and bedtime at 7:00 p.m. – and we have …
How can we help our four-year-old overcome her fears about going to sleep in the dark? We’ve tried everything – an established bed-time, a night-light in the bedroom, books, prayers, songs – but nothing seems to help. Can we doing anything to address these night-time fears?
How do we deal with a defiant teenager? For some reason, our son has recently gone off the deep end. He’s skipping out on school, drinking, smoking, and making all kinds of dangerously bad decisions. Nothing we say makes any difference in his behavior. The last straw came when we had to bail him out …