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Parenting Q&As

Mom hugging young adult daughter at event

Distance In Relationship With Grown Child

Is it normal for married adult children to become disconnected from their parents? There’s a coldness, distance, and separation that’s crept into my relationship with my adult daughter, and I think her spouse may have something to do with it. What have I done wrong? How do I show my concern and let her know …

Dad and young son reading by flashlight

Divorced Dad: Child Doesn’t Like New Girlfriend

How can I overcome my child’s aversion to my girlfriend? I’m the father of a wonderful six-year-old boy. His mother divorced me when he was about three, and has since remarried. At present, she has primary custody and I have visitation rights. My son doesn’t like to “share” me with anyone else and this has …

girl leaning over unhappy

Father-Daughter Conflict

How can I make peace between my husband and our teenage daughter? Every day when he picks her up from school he either starts a fight or delivers a lecture about how she’s not measuring up academically. Then she calls me, angry or in tears. Grades have always been a problem for our daughter, and …

Mom and daughter having fun at festival

Helping a Teen Girl Become a Woman

What can my husband and I do to help our teenage girl become the woman God wants her to be? In this gender-bending society, we’re especially concerned to make sure that she retains her femininity while also growing up to be a strong, well-adjusted, self-sufficient adult. Any suggestions?

Dad and daughter posing in sunglasses

How Dads Teach Daughters About Modesty

How can fathers help their girls learn about modesty? I want my daughter to get a handle on this concept before she becomes a teen, but I feel awkward about raising this subject with her. I realize that as a dad I can either be a big asset to her in this area or embarrass …

Toddler crying on bed near parent's hand

“Night Terrors” and Satanic Strongholds

Could “night terrors” be demonic in origin? I have serious concerns about some of the advice your ministry and certain other Christian organizations are giving on this subject. We’ve confronted this problem in our family. Our son used to wake up screaming and go wandering through the house in the middle of the night. Experience …

man walking away over bridge

What Does Proverbs 22:6 Mean? Is It a Promise or Just a Hope?

Does Proverbs 22:6 promise that kids raised in a godly home will turn out OK?

father and son are watching something in the distance

Parental Authority Over a Grown Child

Now that our son is over 18, should he still obey us?

teen boy and girl holding hands

Parental Guidelines for Teen Dating

What rules and guidelines should we set for our teenager who wants to start dating?

teen girl behind glass words love hate sad

Parenting a Bipolar Teen

Do you have any advice for parents who are dealing with the challenge of raising a teenager who struggles with depression and bipolar disorder? We’ve tried everything we can think of to help our daughter, but so far our efforts haven’t had much of an impact. Can you offer us some hope?

Teen boy holding a pregnancy test and looking uncertain.

Parenting a Son Whose Girlfriend Is Pregnant

How should we respond to our teenage son who has gotten his girlfriend pregnant?

two girls on sled in winter snow

Parents Concerned About Young Kids Interacting With Gay Neighbors

A lesbian couple with young children recently moved in a couple of houses down the block. Our kids have struck up a friendship with their kids, and I’m at a bit of a loss as to how to handle the situation. I want to teach my kids to be loving and accepting of the children. …

woman sitting on bed arms wrapped around knees upset sad

Pregnant Woman Is Afraid of Having Another Miscarriage

Is there anything I can do to improve my chances of carrying a baby to term after losing my first pregnancy? My doctor told me that about one in four pregnancies ends this way. But he didn’t run any tests to find out what went wrong, and I can’t bear the thought of having another …

Preschool boy covering face so he can't see.

Preschooler Walked in on Parents Having Sex

What should we do about our young son walking in on us during sex?

baby with pacifier in car seat

Recognizing Autism in Toddlers

How can I know if my child might be in danger of developing autism? He’s one year old and starting to walk, but he hasn’t begun talking yet – no “mama,” “dada,” or anything else. If he wants something, he just points and screeches. I’ve also noticed that he often stares off into the distance and …

kids lying with heads in the middle on carpet

Setting Boundaries With Neighborhood Kids

What can I do when I feel like our house is being overrun by neighbor children? It seems every kid on the block plays in our yard these days. We seem to have stricter rules than most parents on our street about where our grade-school children are allowed to go, so all the kids end …

Child lying on bed looking at camera with defiance

Strong-Willed Child Won’t Stay in Bed

How can we get our defiant toddler to lie down and go to sleep at night?

mom talking to young son on bed

Talking to a Young Child About Sex

At what age should I begin teaching my child about the “facts of life?” He’s still small —in fact, I would have assumed that he’s not old enough for “the talk” yet. The problem is that he’s already been hearing a lot about the subject. It’s obvious that he has picked up certain words from …

Person talking to annoyed young man

Teens and Mandatory Church Attendance

Should we force our adolescent son to attend church with us? He used to enjoy it, but now has no interest in going at all. We want to respect his independence and give him the freedom to make age-appropriate decisions for himself, but it also worries us to think that he may be drifting away …

gloved hand holding a tattoo pen

What Does the Bible Say About Tattoos?: Advice for Parenting Teens

Does the Bible forbid tattoos?