How do my husband and I know when it’s time to stop having children? We’re expecting baby number five in a few weeks. That will make a total of five kids within the space of five years! I’ve seen a lot of Christian literature on the subject of starting a family, but how can we …
Parenting
How can I encourage my husband to take the responsibilities of parenthood more seriously and get involved more directly with our children? He likes the “fun” part of raising kids – for instance, he’s great at getting down on the floor and “wrestling” with our toddler. But when it comes to the practical side of being …
How can I tell whether my toddler has a serious case of stuttering or stammering, or whether it’s just a normal part of speech development when he has difficulty getting his words out?
Why are so many kids overweight these days? What can we do to help our child avoid obesity and develop healthy eating habits?
Is it a good idea for children to get involved in sports, dance classes, music lessons, and other commitments outside of their school work and household chores? How much of this kind of thing is too much? Can you suggest any practical guidelines?
How can I know whether my screaming baby has colic? He cries inconsolably for at least three hours straight every night, and nothing I do seems to help. What exactly is colic, and what are the tell-tale symptoms? Can you help me figure out what’s going on?
How can I get my three-year-old son to take his medicine? He’s prone to get the coughs, ear infections and fevers that are so common among kids his age, but he doesn’t like swallowing the medications our doctor recommends. It’s an ongoing battle for me to force it down. Is this normal? Can you suggest …
How do I handle 2-year-old who opposes and contradicts me at every turn? says “no” to everything? I’m exasperated! If I offer him a cracker or a cup of water, he says “no!” If I set the cup aside, he cries and begs for it. He acts the same way with other children at the …
How can I help my small child deal with his overwhelming fear of insects? He’s always been a little scared of bugs, but recently he was bitten by something at school during snack time, and now he gets hysterical every time the class is supposed to go outside. What’s the solution?
How should I talk with my adolescent son about a friend of his who recently took his own life? The boy was hardly more than an acquaintance, but I know that this incident has impacted my teenager deeply. Can you help me figure out the best way to approach the subject with him?
Should parents come to the rescue when grown and married children need monetary assistance? Our daughter and her husband are struggling, and we’d like to help them out. But we don’t want to set an unhealthy precedent or cross a boundary. How do you think we should handle this?
Can you tell us what changes we should expect as our child goes through puberty and enters adolescence — and how we should deal with them? I realize that this is likely to be a challenging time in our son’s life. I’m also assuming that my spouse and I will have to bear a large …
How do I tell my young children that their dad won’t be around for a long time because he’s going to jail? He just received a two-year prison term. Is there a gentle way to break this to them and help them understand?
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 can I make sure that my children will recover from the emotional impact of disaster and trauma? I’m especially concerned about the long-term effects. Over the past month our community has been devastated by a terrible flood. The impact to my family has included the loss of our home, interruption of work and school, …
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?
Can you help me figure out where my teenage daughter’s anger is coming from? A few years ago I would have described her as a soft-spoken, contented, happy-go-lucky little girl. Now she seems disgruntled most of the time and lashes out in fury at the drop of a hat. Sometimes I have no idea what …
How do I talk to my pre-teen daughter about the danger of date rape? I’ve heard date rape is becoming more common, and this worries me as a parent. My daughter is approaching adolescence, and I want to know what I can do to prevent her from becoming a victim. How should I bring this …
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 …
Should we tell our children that their mom had an affair?