Family Bonding During Quarantine
Q We went from everyone in our family of three going in separate directions nearly every waking hour to being together 24/7. I feel like we are growing apart rather than closer together. My husband Sam’s habits annoy me a lot, and I tell him so. When he changes...
6 Secrets to Being “World’s Best Dad”
Q. My wife and I have two boys ages 9 and 6 and we are expecting another child. During this time of COVID-19, I’m working from home. Of course, I’m spending more time with my boys and my wife. I want to be a great dad and role model for our boys. Do you have any...
Express Love Through Teaching Useful Skills
Q. My husband and I have six children. Since we’ve all been spending so much time together at home, I’m finding that I’m so tired and grouchy, I want to nap all day. However, I can’t because I have household chores like cooking, cleaning, laundry, and more. I’m...
Is Your Family Ready for a Pet?
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...
Can a Child Be His Own Superhero?
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....
6 Ways Parents Can Model Healthy Relationships
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...
Making Kindness Your Family’s New Year’s Resolution
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...
Dealing with Holiday Stress
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...
How to Foster Gratitude in Children
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...
Should Children Attend Funerals?
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...
Raising a Child Who is LGBTQ
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...
10 Behaviors to Model for Your Kids
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...
