Is there some way to get my wife to stop complaining about the job I’m doing as a parent?
Parenting
Should I feel uneasy about leaving my little one with a babysitter or dropping him off at the church nursery for an hour or so? I’m a new parent, and I don’t know if it’s healthy for my child to be separated from me, even for relatively short periods of time. What’s your perspective on …
I can’t believe that the end of summer is already within sight! School will be starting again in a couple of weeks, and my children are dreading it. Is there anything I can do to help smooth the transition? What would you recommend?
At what age do you recommend that a child start a summer job?
How effective are “time outs”? Our son is entering toddlerhood and I’m not sure what type of discipline is best for different behaviors. My friends all seem to rely on “time outs” regardless of the nature of their kids’ behavior. I’m not sure this is always the best method. When are “time outs” an appropriate …
How should I handle a three-year-old toddler who is mean and aggressive with other children? He’s fine at home where there aren’t any other children around. But when he’s at church or with another family that has children his age, his behavior becomes ugly. On occasion his aggression takes a physical form – hitting, kicking, and …
How do we deal with a toddler who resists bedtime? Our 2-year-old recently went from being a great sleeper to suddenly fighting bedtime in an insane way – screaming, hitting, and running around his room. We’ve done nothing to change his schedule – nap from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m., and bedtime at 7:00 p.m. – and we have …
How can we help our four-year-old overcome her fears about going to sleep in the dark? We’ve tried everything – an established bed-time, a night-light in the bedroom, books, prayers, songs – but nothing seems to help. Can we doing anything to address these night-time fears?
How do we deal with a defiant teenager? For some reason, our son has recently gone off the deep end. He’s skipping out on school, drinking, smoking, and making all kinds of dangerously bad decisions. Nothing we say makes any difference in his behavior. The last straw came when we had to bail him out …
How can I help my grown-up son who is in an unhappy marriage after living with his wife for several years prior to the wedding? It’s a difficult and complicated situation, and lately he’s been talking about getting a divorce. Is there any way I can reach out to this young couple?
As a divorced woman, what can I do about my young child’s resistance to my efforts to develop relationships with men and to have a social life outside the home? My son simply doesn’t like to “share” me with anyone else. How can I best explain to him my reasons for desiring adult male companionship? …
As a single mom with three young children, is it okay for me to want another person around to help carry the load? I used to feel pretty self-sufficient, but the burden of doing it all by myself is getting heavier. I work full time, take online college courses, and I’m active in church. Do …
Where can we turn for help with the challenge of confronting our adolescent son’s problem with substance abuse? It might even be fair to say his abuse has escalated into a full-blown addiction. We’re devastated and don’t know what to do. Any suggestions?
My husband has never physically harmed me or the kids, but he constantly subjects our children to mean-spirited put-downs. For example, he tells them that they’re stupid and lazy. He demeans my son’s athletic abilities. He tells my daughter that she’s ugly and needs to lose weight. The children try to ignore him and put …
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 …
How can we comfort and support a young girl who has just been through the trauma of rape? We just learned that one of our children was recently the victim of a sexual assault. We are absolutely devastated. How can we help our daughter heal from this traumatic experience? What first steps should we take …
How should parents approach an adolescent who is involved in sexual self-gratification? Without going into details, I can tell you that I have good reason to suppose that my teenager has been masturbating. Needless to say, this is extremely upsetting to me. I’m worried about my child’s spiritual condition, and I have no idea what …
Should we allow our unmarried adult daughter to share a room with her boyfriend in our house? She lives out of town, and she plans to bring this man home with her for Christmas. To our disappointment, they have been sexually active for some time, and I know they’ll expect to sleep in the same …
How should I respond to my child’s fascination with evil characters? He’s only three years old, but whenever he plays make-believe, he always takes on the role of the villain, and the only action-figures toys he wants are those representing “bad guys.” In response, we’ve completely phased movies and television out of his life, but …
How can we help a young child who is struggling with his faith? Last night during our prayer time my young son tearfully confessed that he’s having trouble believing in God. How should I address this?