How should I discipline a pre-teen whose behavior is characterized by a serious lack of maturity? He’s not disobedient or defiant – just irresponsible. For example, he doesn’t put things away. He leaves his bike out in the front yard where it could easily be stolen, and I’m constantly tripping over his clothes, shoes, and …
Parenting Q&A
How can we assess whether or not our child is ready to start school? Can you suggest any basic guidelines?
How can my husband and I make sure that we don’t overindulge our cute little girl? She has a wonderful sweet personality and everyone in the family has been doting on her since she was born. But now that she’s four years old, I’m wondering if she’ll ever grow out of this “cute baby” phase. …
When it comes to parenting roles, aren’t moms and dads interchangeable? I understand that there are some basic and very important differences between males and females, and I can even see how these sex distinctions might come into play in the parenting process. But it seems to me that one can go too far with …
What are the theological and ethical implications of a woman carrying a preborn child for another woman? I’ve been thinking about doing this for an infertile couple I know. But I’m a Christian and want to be sure I consider any biblical issues about surrogacy.
What should we do about paying for college? This is our son’s senior year in high school. We have yet to discuss specifics, but he obviously assumes that we’ll be footing the entire bill. Though he’s only an average student, he seems to be making some pretty big plans and entertaining some extremely high hopes …
How useful are rules as guidelines for adolescents? As our children move into the teen years it’s becoming more difficult and confusing to govern their behavior by this method. It certainly doesn’t work the way it did when they were younger. For example, I can’t get my middle son to keep his room clean no …
Can you share any ideas for getting a newborn to sleep? For some reason, our baby fights to stay awake, especially when we put her in the crib or bassinet. The only place that isn’t problematic is the cradle swing, and the only time things go smoothly is after a late-night feeding. How should we …
How can we tell if a babysitter has acted inappropriately with our kids? It’s painful even to think about this, but we have reasons for suspecting that our babysitter may have abused our young child. What would you suggest we do in such a case? Are there “red flags” or tell-tale signs that we should …
What factors do we need to consider – what should we look for and what should we avoid – when selecting a daycare facility for our child? Some of our friends and family have had bad experiences in this area. Naturally, we’d like to avoid that if at all possible. Do you have any suggestions?
How should we respond to our teenager when he claims that we don’t care about what he has to say? We do try to give him our full attention whenever he talks to us, but he still complains that we’re not listening. We don’t think his accusations are fair, but we also want him to …
As parents, how should we deal with a dismissive and smart-alecky adolescent? Our son says that we don’t treat him with respect, but from my perspective the shoe is actually on the other foot – his behavior towards us is extremely disrespectful. What can we do to resolve this conflict?
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?
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 …
Is twelve years old too young for a girl to be expressing a keen interest in boys? My husband and I have a difference of opinion on this point. Our daughter and her best friend like to talk about “cute” boys and often tease each other about who has a crush on whom. To me …
What should I do now that I’ve discovered that two of my children have been engaging in sexual activities with one another? Needless to say, my spouse and I are shocked beyond words. Where do we go from here?