• Last updated 3/31/10 by Mothering Editorial

I have a nine-year-old daughter who gets very angry when things don't go her way. At meal times for example, she yells and insults the food if she doesn't want to eat it. I don't force her to eat, but I don't make a separate meal for her either. On occasion she opts to eat just fruit which she can get for herself. Her persistence in getting what she wants is not a bad quality, but I don't feel comfortable catering to her, or with her constant yelling. Do you have any suggestions?  Dear Parent, One of the best ways to prevent healthy demands and upsets is to fulfill... read more

• Last updated 9/5/10 by Mothering Editorial

Oh, help! My husband and I have been having an ongoing argument about hygiene for nearly 3 years now, and I have reached my limit. The argument started when our son was a few months old. My husband wasn’t washing his hands after changing our son’s diaper, and then somehow I discovered my husband wasn’t washing his hands after his own bowel movements. I was really shocked and I confronted him the moment I became aware of what was happening. He was really defensive, and said that in third-world countries they use their hands, not toilet paper; he said the world does not... read more

• Last updated 4/7/13 by AdinaL

    I had a profound moment today that I’d like to share with you. As I got onto the metro this morning with my son a mother in our neighborhood shouts out: “Hi you guys!” It’s my son’s friend’s mother, a woman I don’t know well but I do know that when we moved here just over a year ago she talked alot about how much she loved her job. It was one of those dream jobs where she was director of a department responsible for using creative methods to bridge the gap between liberals and conservatives in America and create a more peaceful... read more

• Last updated 4/1/10 by Mothering Editorial

I am gradually working on becoming a connected and attached parent, which is a big change and we are still getting there. I am finding that the more leeway I give and the more respect I try to show to his feelings my 7 year old seems to be behaving more and more selfishly and disrepectfully. Having said that, he is more caring towards his siblings, but more reluctant to do anything that he doesn't want to do. I expected that there would be a transition, but the "selfish" and "uncooperative" behaviour (my husband's judgement, not mine) is increasing the resistance... read more

• Last updated 3/30/10 by Mothering Editorial

We have lived since my daughter's birth 4 years ago in an apartment and directly next door is a boy the same age that she has known since birth. His parents chose a different path than us and have sent their child to day care from a young age. When he comes home he always comes to our door to play with our daughter and after that the two are difficult to separate even for dinner. On weekends they also want to play together all day and now sometimes she asks to sleep with him at his house which I am reluctant to do because she still sleeps with us. They have a... read more

• Last updated 4/10/10 by Mothering Editorial

I am the mother of four wonderful boys. My husband and I have been married for 11 years. I have been home with the boys and both my husband and I love parenting and have great relationships with our boys. The problem is that my husband and I are not happy together and have not been for a long time. He has not considered divorce but I consider it all the time. We have put so much of our work into having our boys grow up secure and loved I am afraid that a divorce would end all of that. Is there a way to separate without really hurting our children and is it maybe better... read more

• Last updated 3/20/13 by mamazee

  Bonjour, Camille! Somewhere along the line, I didn’t end up raising my children in France. It was one of my single gal dreams. Didn’t quite work out, although the kids’ dad is half-French and he’s finally getting around to getting their EU citizenship squared away. One of the ways that I make peace with raising them in Santa Fe, NM is selecting an item of clothing from Olive Juice Kids every now and then. Another way I make peace with it is consuming very large amounts of red and green chile (you cannot get that in France, and it would be... read more

• Last updated 3/28/10 by Mothering Editorial

Hello! Our three and a quarter year old does not go to daycare and has only been with family. She has always enjoyed both playing with us and playing on her own. Recently we have found that she is asking us to play with her more and more. Sometimes the request sounds more like an order, "do a puppet show, mama", and this many times a day. We are often unable to meet her requests, and find ourselves saying no to her. We also have a ten month old baby, whom she absolutely adores, if that is helpful information. You once did a teleclass on "how not to be your child's play... read more

• Last updated 3/30/10 by Mothering Editorial

Dear Naomi, could you please give us advice about potty learning? Our son is two and a half. We keep offering the potty but he refuses to sit on it. Same goes for the toilet. We think he's not ready yet. How do we know when he is ready? Should we wait for him to request the potty or should we keep offering it and wait for him to say "yes"? It will be great to read what is your experience with your children, if you are willing to share with us of course. Thank you. Joanna and LukasDear Joanna and Lukas, Your son wants and needs to make his body choices autonomously.... read more

• Last updated 3/30/10 by Mothering Editorial

Hi Naomi, My question is about how I can help my 4 year old daughter. She says she has scary thoughts "all the time". She told her scariest one is about two robbers wearing all black with solid black faces and she can't see their eyes. She says she can't stop thinking about them. To my knowledge, she has not actually seen anything like this or heard of anything like this but she must have somewhere. I validated her feelings and we talked about some of the times she does not have scary thoughts. Do you have any other suggestions? Warmly, Catherine in Atlanta  Dear... read more