Do you have any advice for parents about how to survive the teen years? I’m really getting worn down by the constant conflicts, mood swings and challenges to my authority. What should I do?
Parenting Q&As
How can we help our child overcome his terror of the school bus? The school is too far away for him to walk, and my wife and I both work, so it isn’t feasible to drive him back and forth every day. What can we do?
Before we agree to allow our adult child to move back in with us, are there some key things we ought to consider or any safeguards we need to put in place? Our thirty-year-old daughter has just completed drug rehab and we’re giving careful thought to the option of letting her come back home until …
How can I tell if my child really has ADHD? She is struggling in school, and her teacher has told us that she exhibits some of the symptoms of ADHD. I have serious concerns about the over-diagnosis of this condition and the over-medication of many kids today. Do you think I should take the teacher’s …
Do you have any advice on how to go about finding a doctor for our family? My husband and I have young children and we’ve just moved to a new town.
How can we enjoy the lighter side of life and encourage laughter in our home but do it in an appropriate and edifying way? Many of our friends find amusement in things that I personally consider offensive. Can you suggest any helpful guidelines for healthy humor within the family?
Do you have any tips for parents who want to inspire their children to maintain a healthy diet? Our two children are still very small, but we want to start training them early to develop good eating habits.
What are some things I can do to discourage my teen from engaging in “sexting”? I’ve become increasingly worried as I’ve read about the rise in this kind of activity among kids. I’m also aware that the consequences can be extremely serious. At the same time, I’m not sure that there’s anything I can do …
What’s your perspective on boys playing with plastic rifles and pistols and other make-believe firearms? I’ve always been against toy guns because I think they encourage a tendency toward violent behavior later in life. Some of my friends don’t agree. What do you think?
How can my husband and I get on the same page when it comes to child discipline? The classic differences between the distinctively male and female styles of child discipline – i.e., the dad who stresses rules and the mom who tries to understand and make appropriate allowances – are all too evident in our …
As a Christian father, should I give my daughter away at the wedding if she’s marrying a non-believer? Over the more than twenty years of our marriage we’ve worked hard to raise her in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Her decision has come as a great disappointment to us. We love our daughter, …
What’s the best way to stop a teenager from using her cell phone to send and receive sexually explicit messages and photos? We recently discovered that our daughter has become involved in “sexting.” When confronted about this, she claimed that this kind of activity is harmless since it doesn’t involve any physical sexual contact. How …
Where can we turn for advice and assistance in dealing with our adolescent son’s drinking problem? Recently things have escalated to the point where I think it would fair to call him a full-blown alcoholic. His behavior is impacting everyone in the family and tearing our household apart. Can you help?
How can I know for sure whether my child has become a target of intimidating text messages or cruel rumors on social media? Are there any tell-tale signs? If it turns out my child is being cyber-bullied, what can I do to help?
How can we stop our four-year-old from stealing? It seems like everywhere we go – church, stores, museums, friends’ houses – he walks out with something that doesn’t belong to him. I have a feeling that he’s just being irresponsible-that he puts things in his pocket and then forgets about them. My husband and I have talked …
Is the quality of time I spend with my family more important than the quantity?
What can we do about a baby who starts screaming uncontrollably the minute we leave the room or put him down for five minutes? Rocking, soothing, noise makers, sleeping with us – nothing seems to help. My wife has been forced to take him to work with her, but she can’t get anything accomplished. What’s the …
As Christian parents, how do we prepare ourselves to give our kids an accurate understanding of God and the kind of solid biblical teaching they’re going to need later on? How can we help them “succeed” in those areas of life that matter to us most – the areas where unseen values take precedence over …
As a parent, how should I deal with my children when mass shootings, natural disasters, and other tragic events involving loss of life occur? Should I do my best to shield them from this information – an almost impossible task in the face of today’s constant news media cycle? Or should I try to talk to …
Is it unhealthy to poke fun at ourselves and tease other family members? We’ve always enjoyed laughing together at our house, and sometimes that includes what some people refer to as “teasing.” Friends of ours have expressed concern that we may be fostering an “unsafe” environment that doesn’t promote respectful relationships. Do you think there’s …