How can I help my adolescent son settle on a vocation and make wise plans for the future? He seems to be thinking more seriously about career choices and wondering what God wants him to do with his life.
Parenting Q&As
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?
Is it okay for a young Christian girl to look up to the “Disney Princesses” – for example, Cinderella, Snow White, Jasmine, Belle, and Mulan? My daughter is so infatuated with these characters that she has covered the walls of her room with their pictures. This makes me nervous since I’m not sure how it …
Is there some way to work breastfeeding into my schedule once my maternity leave ends and I return to the office? I’ve heard that I might be able to manage it by pumping and saving my own milk, but this sounds like a lot of work and trouble. What would you suggest?
What is your opinion of diet pills or even bariatric surgery as potential solutions for obesity in children and teenagers?
Is it acceptable for parents to read their teenage daughter’s journal or diary or to go through things in her room if they have reasons to suspect that she might be involved in some kind of unhealthy or immoral activity? If so, how should we handle the situation if we do find evidence that something …
How can my spouse and I get a break from the kids once in a while? During the early days of our marriage my spouse and I used to enjoy long, quiet evenings together at home — candlelight dinners, movie nights, etc. Since our children were born we can’t even find two minutes to sit …
How can we get our finicky four-year-old to eat what we put in front of her? Her highly selective eating habits are driving us up the wall. We never allow between-meal snacks, yet dinnertime has become a major pain. I see this refusal to eat as disobedience, but my spouse is afraid that making an …
How can we help our kids become more responsible with their money? Can you suggest a workable budget plan that we can use to teach them the true value of a dollar?
How can I keep my 2-year-old daughter from “beating up” on her 10-month-old brother? She kicks him, punches him, bites him, screams at him, and whacks him with toys. It all began when he started crawling. This kind of thing goes on every day, several times a day. We’ve done everything we can think of …
How do I talk to my elementary grade children about a young boy in our community – grade-school age himself – who recently took his own life? I have a hard time understanding how a child that age has the maturity level to contemplate suicide. I’m not sure how to explain this to my own …
Am I right to be concerned about my 16-year-old daughter’s obsession with texting? In the past two weeks she has sent or received over 3,000 text messages. So far it hasn’t affected her school grades, but I worry that this much texting is excessive and unhealthy. What should we do?
Do you think it’s a good idea for our son to wait a year after graduating from high school before enrolling at the university? He’s very responsible in a number of ways, but we’re concerned about him losing momentum. What should we do?
What should we do when our toddler explodes in a fit so violent that it’s just about impossible to calm her down? She has always been strong-willed and prone to tantrums, but just recently there have been occasions when she has become so frustrated that her behavior has spiraled completely out of control. At such …
How can I know if my teenager is developing suicidal tendencies or a self-destructive mindset? I’m asking because I’m afraid that my teenager may be moving in this direction. Are there any warning signs to be aware of? Does depression always include a risk of suicide?
How do we come alongside our daughter now that she’s in the hospital after trying to take her own life? We’re wrestling with feelings of guilt, shame, confusion, and fear. We can’t understand how something like this could have happened to one of our own children. Do you have any advice for us?
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 …
How can we help our preschooler overcome his fears and get to sleep at night after watching a disturbing “kids’ movie” we got from the library? He’s been hysterical at bedtime ever since viewing this film and keeps us up half the night because he won’t go to sleep alone. What can we do about …
How can I stop my child from swearing and using “dirty words?” It’s a bad habit he’s developed, and I’ve confronted him about this several times. But the problem only seems to be getting worse. I’m frustrated. Do you have any advice for me?
Can you help me figure out if my five-year-old son is overly attached to his mother? There are some days when it seems almost impossible to separate him from her. When we ride in the car, he insists that she sit in the back seat with him. Only mama can clean him up when he …
