Q. Our children are seven and nine years old. They’ve been asking us for a dog. How can we tell if our kids are ready to take on the responsibility of caring for a dog on their own? A. Your children are at an age when it’s possible for them to help with the...
Q. My first-grade student, Tony, is a little guy who always has his head hung low. When asked to do something, he says he doesn’t know how to do it, or he can’t. Recently he told me he is “no good.” His mother does not seem as interested or involved as other parents....
By Betty Richardson Q: Sometimes I don’t like my husband much and often don’t agree with him or appreciate him. Will my lack of love for my spouse affect our kids negatively? A This question could have come from a husband, a partner of the same gender, or divorced...
Q. I am a single mother with two boys ages 10 and 14. It’s time for me to make my New Year’s resolutions. Every year I make resolutions and my boys see me break them. I’d like to be a better role model. What advice can you give me about New Year’s resolutions? Is...
Q. The holidays will be here soon. Every year I get stressed out before and during the holidays. I worry about who’s coming to our house, what to cook, or how to get where we’re going. I also worry about buying and wrapping presents, finances, and ongoing family...
Q. Our two kids are ages seven and 12, and they want so many things. They see something a friend or classmate has, and they want it. They see something on TV, and they want it. My husband gives them everything they ask for, and even some expensive items they don’t ask...
Q.My father has been in hospice care in our home and we’ve been told he will die soon. Should my wife and I take our children to their grandfather’s funeral? Our children are two, seven, and ten years old. Our seven-year-old is an anxious child who is afraid of...
Q.Recently our 14-year-old son told us he is gay. Just yesterday, our 12-year-old told me he feels like a girl in a boy’s body. We are shocked, and my husband is having a hard time. How can we love and support our two boys? I think we may lose friends and family over...
Q. You often mention that parents need to be role models for our children. Exactly what behaviors and values do you believe we need to model? A. Being a good parental role model is important, because children mimic what they see and hear. This is sometimes...
Q.My husband and I have a 4-week-old baby who keeps us both worn out. I feel so depleted, but I have to keep myself going. Some friends have offered to watch the baby while I run an errand or go out for a date night with my husband. But I feel so guilty when I leave...
Q. My 5-year-old son has Asperger’s, and I’m working to learn about his needs and how to handle discipline. I have a 9-year-old daughter who didn’t behave the way my son does. So, what should I do when, for example, he refuses to come to the dinner table? A....
Q. My 13-year-old daughter has lost interest in things she used to love to do. She doesn’t seem to have much energy. She’s irritable much of the time. Could she be depressed, or is this some sort of phase that girls go through at this age? Should I take her to see a...
