Compassionate advice on raising your Children
Dear Sara,
About 2 or 3 days a week, my 12 yeaar old daughter Kaitlyn misses the school bus. I don’t want her to miss school, so I end up taking her. This is inconvenient plus I have a gas guzzler car. How can I motivate her to get ready on time and catch her bus? [Read more...]
Dear Sara,
With this economy our family is really struggling. We really can’t afford dental insurance. I have 3 preschoolers and dread taking them to the dentist because I am afraid of a big bill. Anything wrecks our budget. What can I do to save money on dental expenses? [Read more...]
Dear Sara,
My 13 year old daughter came to me complaining of a severe vaginal itch. I took her to my gynocologist for an exam and found out she has a sexually transmitted disease. I was shocked. She is not allowed to date yet. She was crying but told me she went with a boy to his car during half time at a ballgame. Luckily her pregnancy test came back negative. She isn’t allowed to go anywhere without my husband or me for now. How can I protect her from doing something like this again? [Read more...]
Dear Sara,
My daughter wants to go to private school but the truth is, I can’t afford it. She is absolutely resenting the idea of going back to public school. I found this private school that isn’t expensive but I still can’t afford it. Her teachers in public school love her. I need to figure out what’s wrong and how to tell her that this is impossible for me to afford. [Read more...]
Dear Sara,
I have two kids who are just starting their teens. They are bugging me for cell phones. They are using the standard complaint of “everybody has one.” What kinds of things do I need to think about? [Read more...]
Dear Sara,
Together my girlfriend and I are raising our autistic three year old. He has two younger brothers, one is 18 monthsn and the other will be arriving the 15th of this month. He has a tendency to be mean and aggressive towards his younger brother by walking up to him and either pushing or pulling him down to the ground and laughing about it as if it were a game. He also slams the door on his brother’s hands and feet, arms and on occasion, laughing about it. He’s very destructive, tearing up almost everything in the house. At times it’s very overwhelming and it’s as though he’s out of control in a world where to someone else’s pain is a game. What advice could you give us to help maintain our son? [Read more...]
Dear Sara,
I am worried about my two nephews, ages 7 and 10. My sister and her husband live down the street from me. He is an ex-marine and he treats those two boys like they are in boot camp. He has them out early in the morning and makes them run with him, maybe a mile or two. They have a lot of chores to do and can’t play until they are finished. He also insists that they are there for every meal and eat everything on their plate. I think he is too severe with these boys. Should I call Child Protective Services? [Read more...]
Dear Sara,
My 13 year old daughter Nicole has a problem that most girls would probably envy. She is getting a very nice bust-line, but she is very uncomfortable with it and tries to hide it. She isn’t overweight at all, so this is not a problem. Her best friend is petite and has very little development in that area. What can I do to help her appreciate her assets and be more confident. [Read more...]
Dear Sara,
My daughter Chloe was born five weeks premature. She spent two weeks in the hospital before we could bring her home. She’s a petite two year old now and doesn’t want to eat solid food. I worry about her weight constantly. I have been reluctant to take her bottle away because this is about all the nutrition she gets. What can I do to get her to eat more. [Read more...]
Dear Sara,
I have two preteens, Kelly and Brian. So far they have been relatively easy to raise with few problems. Their school is going to offer a free home drug testing kit to test for marijuana or other drug use. There is a presentation by police officers before the drug testing equipment is given out. Is this an invasion of my kids privacy or do I have the right to make sure that they are drug free? They’re good kids so should I feel O.K. to trust them? [Read more...]
