Q.  I’m the grandmother of five grandchildren of varying ages. None will do what I say when I ask them to put away toys or help with chores. I hear, “I don’t want to. You can’t make me.” I know teachers who complain that the behaviors in school are much worse...

Q.  My sister, a single parent, passed away this summer. My husband and I are raising her two children, my 11-year-old nephew and 14-year-old niece. We are all still grieving my sister’s death. It’s hard for me to think of ways to make any of the holidays, especially...

Q: Our son Nate has started his freshman year at our local public school, but he comes home every day and asks to change schools. He says he doesn’t fit in there. I don’t know how to handle this request as I have no experience with this. My dad would have just told me...

Q.  Our daughter Olivia struggled with school last year in the first grade. This year was following the same pattern. Recently, her teacher suggested that we have her tested for a learning disability, and we found out that she has dyslexia. I feel terrible that I did...

Q.   My husband Jack and I are young parents. We have a two-month-old baby girl, Misha. Jack and I are under a lot of financial stress. We don’t get enough sleep. Misha cries a lot in the evening. Jack told me last night that he wanted to shake Misha to get her to...

  Q.  My wife Marian and I are discussing when one or more of our kids ages 12, 8 and 6 can be left home alone and for what length of time. We also wonder how old a child has to be in order to be left in the car if one of us quickly runs into the store for one or...

  Q.  We have young children ages 3 and 5. My wife and I want to raise them to be respectful. We’ve observed disrespectful kids running in restaurants, kicking the seats in front of them on airplanes and even calling their parents names. It seems kids are less...

Q.  My husband and I parent very differently. He is laid back, lives in the moment and has fun with our kids by doing simple things at home or in the neighborhood. On the other hand, I am more structured with our kids. I’m a planner and a doer who likes to stay busy...

Q.  How can I get rid of nagging guilt for not being the ideal mom? I went back to work after each of my three children was born. I felt guilty about leaving them either with a caregiver or at daycare. I still feel guilty about missing milestones like their first...

Q  Our 6-year-old daughter, Zena, is very anxious. Every night she has to be reassured there are no monsters under the bed or in the closet. Recently, she agreed to a sleepover with her best friend. The friend’s mother called at midnight to ask me to pick up Zena as...

  Q  Is it good for children to win at games all of the time? My husband lets our 10-year-old son Neil (an only child) win every game they play together. I wonder if all parents let their kids win all of the time or not. Does never losing affect whether a child...

Q  Our son Micah is 2 ½ years old. He has become increasingly negative. In fact, his favorite word is “no.” He gets into everything and is constantly on the go. Micah won’t listen to me or his father. If he doesn’t get what he wants, he throws a tantrum. We try to...