What should I expect from a child with a mental disorder? How can I know which behaviors he’s capable of controlling and which behaviors I should simply accept and make allowances for? We’re facing this situation with our teenage son, and we have no idea how to handle it. Can you help?
Parenting Q&A
Is it normal for a pre-adolescent child to become nervous, uneasy, or afraid when mom and dad aren’t around? My daughter doesn’t want me to leave the house without her, and says she misses me when we’re apart. There have been no dramatic changes in our family life during the last few months, so I’m …
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 should I help my unwed pregnant daughter?
What’s the best way to confront our teenage daughter with our discovery that she has become sexually involved with her boyfriend? We found an entry in her journal describing a sexual encounter. We can’t allow this behavior to go unaddressed, but we don’t want to create a wedge and close the door to future communication. …
Should I be worried when my preschooler talks about having a boyfriend? I wasn’t too concerned until recently when she and a boy of the same age kept going off into a corner of the yard “to be alone” as they played with other neighborhood kids. What do you think about this?
Am I right to be concerned about my 16-year-old daughter’s obsession with texting? In the past two weeks she has sent or received over 3,000 text messages. So far it hasn’t affected her school grades, but I worry that this much texting is excessive and unhealthy. What should we do?
How can I teach my kids anything about God when I don’t fully understand who He is? This is something that most Christians seem to take for granted, but I have to confess that it’s always been hard for me to grasp. Given my own difficulties in this area, how can I possibly be of …
How can I help my 7-year-old daughter understand the proper use of prayer? I’ve tried to teach her that talking to God is simply a way of staying close to Him, but lately she’s been using prayer to ask for everything she wants, such as getting a new toy, going to the movies, or winning …
Should we be concerned about our oldest son’s abusive behavior towards his siblings and our household pets? We’re constantly getting on his case about hitting his younger siblings, and lately he’s also been hurting the cat and dog. I used to think he was just aggressive or hyperactive, but now I’m not so sure. Is …
How should I deal with the tension that has arisen between my child and his sports coach, who also happens to be his father? The season is starting up again, and I’m dreading the inevitable fights between them. My son doesn’t want to disappoint his dad, but he’s getting nothing out of this particular sport. …
How can I get my child to obey and do as he’s told? Our young son is defiant and talks back. He won’t do his homework and refuses to clean his room. When we try to discuss these issues with him in a calm, mature way, we usually end up getting angry and yelling at …
What should we expect with a pregnancy in later life? My wife is in her early forties and we just learned that she is expecting a child. We’re happy but stunned (to say the least). We already have three children (all in their teens now), so we’re familiar with the territory in a general sense. …
Is it okay for a young Christian girl to look up to the “Disney Princesses” – for example, Cinderella, Snow White, Jasmine, Belle, and Mulan? My daughter is so infatuated with these characters that she has covered the walls of her room with their pictures. This makes me nervous since I’m not sure how it …
How should we parent a grown child when there are also two younger children in the home? We have three kids altogether: a boy and a girl who are still in high school, and an older son in his mid-20s. The oldest has had some tough luck recently and needs to move back home for …
What are your thoughts on corporal punishment as a method of child discipline? Do you think spanking is an appropriate and effective way to correct undesirable behavior? As first-time parents, we want to be certain that we’re doing what’s best for our child. Can you offer us some guidelines?
When should parents start talking with their sons about what it means to be a God-honoring husband and father? Our boy isn’t even in his teens yet, but we want to be sure to lay a strong foundation before it’s too late. Should we wait until after puberty? Or would it be better to hold …
What’s your perspective on the safety and advisability of child immunization? Several of our friends, who are also new parents, have very strong feelings against vaccinating children. I want to do what’s best for our baby. Can you give me some guidance in this area?
Can you suggest some disciplinary methods that might be effective in dealing with a fussy baby? My child cries a great deal of the time, and I’m finding it difficult to get anything else done. What can I do to change this behavior?
How can we prepare our child for the arrival of a new baby? I’ve heard some horror stories about this type of situation, and I’d like to avoid trouble if possible. What can my spouse and I do to ease the transition for him?