How can parents help kids adjust to a cross-country move?
Family Q&A
What can we do to encourage our school-age son to get away from the television and computer screen and spend more time playing outdoors? We’re getting worried about his health and fitness, and we’d like to know how we can motivate him to become more active. So far all of our “nagging” hasn’t helped a …
What’s the best way to confront our teenage daughter with our discovery that she has become sexually involved with her boyfriend? We found an entry in her journal describing a sexual encounter. We can’t allow this behavior to go unaddressed, but we don’t want to create a wedge and close the door to future communication. …
How can we help our adolescent daughter, who is depressed and angry as a result of our recent relocation to a new town and a new school? The move has taken a heavy toll on all of our kids, but our teenager is particularly upset. She won’t talk about anything but our old home, and …
How do we deal with an unhappy and contrary pubescent boy? Our ten-year-old son has just hit puberty, and it seems to have drastically altered his personality. He went from a generally happy little boy who laughed all the time to a miserable pre-teen who is always fighting with someone – my wife and me, his …
How can I know if my daughter is anorexic or bulimic? She’s lost a great deal of weight over the past few months, and she’s become extremely thin. What should I do if I find out she has a serious eating disorder?
How do we stop our two daughters, ages thirteen and seven, from fighting and bickering all the time? I’m concerned that the effects of all this conflict may be potentially harmful. We’re a Christian family, so we’ve talked many times about what it means to be kind, loving, and forgiving. After one of these discussions …
What do you do about a kid who attacks other people with his teeth? Our strong-willed toddler has been displaying this negative behavior with increasing frequency over the past couple of months. How do we put a stop to it?
How should I talk to my elementary-grade child about Santa Claus? She’s been asking a lot of questions about him. I am ready to tell her the truth, but I’m hesitant because I don’t want her to think that we’ve been “lying” to her all these years.
How can I tell if our teenager is faking an illness to get out of school? He often complains of not feeling well on school day mornings, but, interestingly enough, his symptoms usually disappear by mid-afternoon and rarely surface at all on weekends. Is it wrong of me to distrust him?
Should we tell our children that their mom had an affair?
What tools does Focus on the Family make available for use in passing the Christian faith along to our kids?
At what point does a child become personally responsible for his or her actions before God? This is not just an academic question; as I see it, your answer will affect how I choose to discipline my children. I know that we’re all born with an inherited sin nature, but I’m not sure what the …
Is it possible to be consistently pro-life while still making an exception for abortion in cases when the life of the mother is at risk? What’s your perspective on this difficult ethical question?
Is it normal for me to be dealing with troubling emotions as the result of a past abortion? It happened years ago, but I still have a really hard time coping with my feelings.
Should I have an abortion if my baby is likely to be born with a serious – potentially fatal – medical condition?
Should I slow things down with my boyfriend just because he is a new Christian? I recently began dating a young man whom I like very much and who seems to be a person of strong character. He accepted Christ about five months ago, and had been attending church and Bible study before we met. …
What can a young couple do about parents who often stop in for a visit unexpectedly? My husband and I are newly married, and my in-laws have a habit of making unannounced visits. We’ve asked them to call first, but so far nothing has changed. Is there a way to let them know that we …
Should I pursue a serious relationship with someone of another denomination whose theological framework is radically different from my own? While serving on a short-term mission this summer, I met a young lady for whom I have developed deep feelings and great respect. We’ve been corresponding since we returned to the States, and our friendship …
Can you help me and my new spouse set some reasonable financial goals for our life together? We haven’t been married very long, and my husband is already talking about buying a house and setting up retirement funds. Meanwhile, I’m concerned about paying rent and buying groceries. Is he being realistic? Am I worrying unnecessarily? …
