What should I give my baby when he’s ready to start eating solid food? How can I know when he’s reached that stage of development?
Family Q&A
Should I tell my kids the truth about why their father doesn’t live with us anymore? After becoming involved in an adulterous affair, he left me and moved in with the “other woman.” My children are confused because their dad has been lying to them about where he’s living and the reasons for our separation. …
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 …
What should we do when our adolescent son is never available to take part in family activities because he’s spending all of his time with friends? Is his behavior normal? Is it unreasonable of us to expect him to participate in family life?
Would you advise adopting a child from another country or a different ethnic group? My spouse and I are seriously interested in helping a child who needs a home, but we’re unsure about the potential risks and challenges that come with interracial or intercultural adoption.
Can you tell me more about your foster care and adoption outreach? I’ve heard that Focus on the Family is actively involved in promoting adoption and ministering to the needs of children in foster care.
Why can’t I have a biblically based family with multiple partners? Most of the great men of the Bible – Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon – had many wives. Given your ministry’s strong commitment to the Scriptures, I can’t see why you’re against things like polygamy and polyamory. I consider myself a polyamorous Christian. I love several different women, and …
How can I help my husband who is having disturbing flashbacks as a result of active combat duty during his time in the military? Can you provide any helpful information concerning post-traumatic stress disorder? His condition has become much worse over the past several weeks, and our entire family is deeply worried about him. How …
Do you have any ideas for dealing with a spouse who is overly sensitive, like a land-mine just waiting to go off? I walk around the house on eggshells, trying desperately to avoid triggering yet another emotional overreaction. Is there a better way to deal with this?
Should I hold on to pictures of old girlfriends now that I’m engaged to be married? I’ve had a few relationships before this one that never resulted in marriage. I don’t like the thought of destroying my photos of those girls, but I’m pretty certain that my bride-to-be would react strongly if I don’t get …
Should I marry my pregnant girlfriend? Our relationship has always been fine, but I’ve never really thought we’d be together for the rest of our lives. This changes everything. She will be keeping and raising the baby, and I’d like to do my fair share, as well. My girlfriend has some major issues in life, …
How would you advise a woman who just found out that her husband is viewing child pornography?
How should I respond when my mother-in-law continually shows partiality by giving preference to my husband’s sister and her family? When I called about visiting on Mother’s Day, I was told to come the day after since she had already made plans with her daughter. More recently when I asked about Thanksgiving, she said that …
Should married couples sink a portion of their monetary assets into investments? I’ve always been of the opinion that playing the stock market isn’t much different than playing the slot machines in Vegas. I believe in trusting God for our needs one day at a time. My spouse disagrees and says that investments are a …
How should I respond to a wife who has a tendency to resort to violence?
Is my spouse’s use of pornography the same thing as marital infidelity?
Is it wise to try to put a broken marriage back together again? My ex-husband and I were divorced several years ago. Since that time he has become a Christian, and his life has changed dramatically. As a result, we’ve been talking about getting remarried. Do you think this is a good idea?
Is it normal for a husband to lose interest in sex after his wife has had a hysterectomy or mastectomy? Several years ago I underwent a hysterectomy. More recently, a bout with cancer meant the loss of one of my breasts. That’s bad enough, but it gets worse: since my last surgery, my husband has …
Is there a way to stop my spouse from trying to “fix” my problems and actually start listening to me? I’m the kind of person who needs to “vent” from time to time, but whenever I start sharing my emotions, he just cuts me off and gives me a list of things I should do …
Does the Bible consider marriage a kind of second-class state?