How can I convince my adult son that matrimony is valuable and worthwhile when his own parents couldn’t make it work? My ex-spouse and I split up when my children were still small, and I thought it was all water under the bridge. Now I find that my son blames me and his dad for …
Parenting Q&A
Should we be worried that our child is having trouble paying attention and sticking with her assignments in the classroom? We don’t think this is ADHD because she can sit for hours in front of the computer or the television without being distracted. Is this kind of behavior common among kids in the elementary grades?
How can I help my family develop a healthier lifestyle? We have young children, and I’d like to do everything I can during these early years to encourage everyone in the house – mom, dad, and kids – to develop habits that will give us many long, healthy, happy days together. Can you provide me …
Do you have any advice for handling an elementary school-age child whose life is dominated by, in my opinion, senseless rituals?
How can I effectively deal with my struggle with severe depression while protecting my unborn baby? I’ve tried counseling before, but by itself that hasn’t seemed to work. I have found antidepressants to be extremely effective in my treatment, but I’m afraid that the medication will do harm to my baby in some way. I …
Should I get my adolescent daughter started on birth control now that I know she’s been having sex with her boyfriend? Needless to say, I’m extremely upset about this. They’re both Christian believers, and they understand that pre-marital sex is wrong – they’re just unable to control themselves. I don’t want to appear to be …
Does your emphasis on the importance of a father’s presence in the home imply that the mother’s role is less crucial in raising children? There are many single moms raising children by themselves, and I can’t help wondering if you view these families as “inferior” or “second-class.” Doesn’t your high regard for the father’s role …
What’s the best way to stop a teenager from using her cell phone to send and receive sexually explicit messages and photos? We recently discovered that our daughter has become involved in “sexting.” When confronted about this, she claimed that this kind of activity is harmless since it doesn’t involve any physical sexual contact. How …
Can you advise me as to how I should talk to my teenage kids about their dad’s homosexual affair? I’ve just been informed that he’s divorcing me and leaving the family for another man. That’s bad enough, but what especially concerns me is the thought of how this is likely to impact my kids. I’m …
What’s your opinion on teens getting involved in social networking and online chat rooms? I’ve read some of the teen conversations on the sites my daughter wants to visit, and they seem relatively harmless. But I’m still afraid of losing control over my child’s interactions with her peers. Should I be concerned?
Would you agree that homeschoolers need to branch out and study subjects other than the Bible? My spouse and I have decided to begin home schooling our children. In researching various curriculum options, we’ve encountered some groups who advocate teaching kids strictly from Scripture to the exclusion of other academic texts or disciplines. We are …
How can I help our young sons control their tempers? My husband comes from a long line of “angry men,” and I’m beginning to see the same tendency in our kids. What should I do?
Is it appropriate to pay our school-aged children for doing household tasks? When I was growing up I always received an allowance, but my spouse says that kids need to work without being paid because that’s part of being a family. What do you think?
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 …
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 …