Nix the Name-calling
Q. My wife and I are in the habit of criticizing each other in front of our children. She calls me stupid and I call her crazy. Sometimes I tell her in a negative way that she is just like her mother. She questions everything I do, insinuating I’m not doing something...
Speak Now
Q. Our daughter Kristin (age 12) socializes almost totally through social media. In addition to avoiding talking with peers, I’m told she doesn’t raise her hand in class. When called on she looks down, mumbles and can’t be understood. Her teachers try to get her to...
Put Up Your Dukes!
Q. My husband and I took our two little girls, ages 8 and 6, to a house party at the home of friends. There were other parents there with children about the ages of our children, and while the adults were downstairs visiting, the children went upstairs to play. When...
Tackling the Terrible Twos
Q. I’m a stay-at-home mom finding it hard to deal with what people have called the “terrible twos.” Our 2-year-old son is so challenging, saying “no” all day long and throwing lots of temper tantrums. He gets into everything and I can’t take my eyes off him for a...
Fake It Til You Make It
Q. My good friend Beth has a 10-year-old son Jason, and we spend a good bit of time together. Recently my son Zach, who is also 10, told me he no longer wants to hang out with Jason, and when asked why, responded, “Because I don’t like the way he acts.” While I want...
I Spy Online
Q. My friend Eleanor likes to post photos of her family on Facebook. Recently she posted one to my timeline that I decided to “hide” because I didn’t think it’s appropriate, but Eleanor thinks it’s “cute.” The photo was of Eleanor’s 14-year-old daughter in a very...
Picking Up the Pieces of a Broken Heart
Q. Our 14-year-old daughter Bella’s first and only boyfriend Justin broke up with her and is now with another girl in her class. We were told that the new girlfriend can go out on dates with a boy alone until midnight. Bella is very upset about not having Justin as...
Managing Middle Child Syndrome
Q. Our “middle child” Katie is 10 years old. We seem to be working harder with her than with her sisters as Katie’s never content; it seems she’s always looking for something else to buy or to be entertained by someone else. Katie’s inability to be happy in the moment...
Teaching Tolerance
Q. I have primary custody of my two children, but the kids spend school holidays and most of the summer with my ex-husband. They have a good relationship with their dad and I never say anything negative about him. I do worry about him using racial slurs and speaking...
Odd Man Out
Q. We have two daughters, ages 6 and 11; there are two girls on our street who are the same ages as our kids, but the older child doesn’t often play with my older daughter. How common is it for children to exclude a playmate? What can I do to make this better? A....
Letting Go of Self-doubt
Q. As our children are growing up, I wonder if I’m a good mother. Do my husband and I do the right things and make the right decisions? Do we spend enough time with our kids? Do we give them too much or indulge them without merit? How can I get beyond this self-doubt?...
Putting Bedtime Battles to Sleep
Q. My wife and I have a difficult time getting our children to bed at night. They fuss and whine about bedtime and make excuses to get up after being put down for the night. Getting the kids to bed is taking a toll on us; we try to get them to sleep early enough that...
