Our Kids Need More Exercise
Q. Our kids seldom go outside to play. I think they need more exercise, but my husband seems very anxious when they are outside. He worries that they’re going to run into the street or something bad will happen to them. (They are 3, 7 and 13, by the way.) Do you have...
She’s a Slob, I’m a Neatnik and It’s Making Us All Crazy!
Q. Yesterday, I came home to a messy house, which is typical. There were dirty dishes all over the kitchen, toys everywhere and piles of undone laundry. I lost my self-control and yelled at my wife and kids. When we married, I didn’t realize my wife would be so messy....
Do We Have to Choose Between Tiger Parenting and Free-Range Parenting?
Q. My wife and I differ on how our children—ages 9, 11 and 14—will spend their summer. I am all for plenty of free time playing, but my wife wants to schedule their days with activities like learning a new language, music lessons, team sports, theater lessons and...
A Loner or Lonely? How to Tell the Difference, and Why It’s Important
Q. My wife and I are both extroverts. We love to socialize. We have two girls who are much like us—and then there is our 8 year old, Jacob. He’s a real “loner,” spending as much time alone as he can get away with. When we send him to camp or a week with his...
At My Age? Some of the Best Parents Are Older Parents
Q. My husband and I have two energetic boys, ages 5 and 7. I’ve just gotten them both in school and am enjoying some “me” time, but I find I desperately want another baby. My husband is ok with the idea; however, I just turned 40, and he is 46. We both hear scary...
Letting It Go – Escape the Icy Grip of “Frozen” and Other Childhood Obsessions
Q. Our 4-year-old daughter Lucy is obsessed with princesses and everything about them. She has princess dolls, a play castle and storybooks about princesses, which she wants us to read to her every night. She imagines she was born a princess, and we are not her real...
Help Grandma Shine as a Sitter
Q. We have a 3-year-old daughter and a 6-week-old son. I need to go back to work to help with our bills and to save up for a house of our own. We currently live in an apartment that doesn’t offer much room for children to play. I am thinking of asking my mother to...
Give “Scary” Boyfriend a Chance to Prove Himself
Q. Our daughter Sara is 15 and a sophomore in high school. She is a good student, and up to this point, she has been an easy child to raise. However, recently she seems to be attracted to kids who pride themselves on looking different and not being well-engaged in...
Resolve to Choose Happiness This Year
Q. My fourth grade son Elijah’s class has been talking about New Year’s resolutions, so he brought it up at dinner last night. His sister Sienna got excited and immediately wanted us all to come up with resolutions. I fear that if we make resolutions, we’ll make...
Give “Busy-ness” the Boot, Make People your Focus this Holiday Season
Q. I love my three children, and I want their holidays—and my husband’s and his family, who join us—to be memorable. I tend to get stressed out with so much baking, cooking, addressing cards, buying and wrapping presents, etc. I remember the holidays years ago when my...
When “How was your day?” Meets Silence
Q. How do you get a child to talk about his day at school and about his feelings? Our son Joshua is eight–years–old and in the third grade. He rarely says anything to his father or me about school. I ask him how his day was and he replies “fine;” that is the end of...
Help Your Child Learn to Love Reading
Q. My daughter Emily is 10 years old and doesn’t like to read. Emily’s mother also avoids reading and says she doesn’t like to read. I tried to encourage Emily to read by taking her to the library to check out a book. She kept procrastinating and then lost the book...
