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1500 questions
24
votes
9 answers

My son refuses to celebrate. What should parents do?

I have a twelve year old son who will turn thirteen in about a month. We have begun planning for a birthday celebration for him. However, he resents the idea of any celebration whatsoever. Information about my son My son is very interested in…
rando
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24
votes
6 answers

Daughters refusing to go home with my ex their mother

I have a situation that I could use some help with. My wife and I started living in separate houses because our marriage was failing. My ex and I were both ok with that. I have 3 daughters with my ex: 8 year old twins and a 4 year old. The reason I…
Gabe
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24
votes
2 answers

Should I have the same bedtime as my sister?

I'm a 13 year old girl and share a room with my 9 year old sister. Our mom always sends us to bed at 8:30pm, although I'm 4 year older. My sister is nagging that she can't sleep alone. 8:30 pm is too early for a 13 year old, I think. I should stay…
jill2008
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24
votes
6 answers

Why is my baby suddenly screaming in the bath?

My baby has always loved bath-time, almost since he was born. He learned to splash when he was only a couple of months old and loves to play around with the water, and over the past few weeks I've been giving him bath toys. He could stay in there as…
babiesRyummy
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24
votes
15 answers

My daughter just turned 13 and confides in me she wants to be a boy

Last week my daughter turned 13. The following day my mom left with my daughter to go babysit my 12 year old niece while her parents are out of town. I didn't see my daughter again until Saturday but she did text me that she wants to talk in private…
user39478
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24
votes
7 answers

How do I prevent my grandchildren from throwing a big fit when I leave them after playing with them for a few hours?

My 2-year-old granddaughter and 3-year-old grandson always throw a big fit when I leave them after playing with them for 1-2 hours and it breaks my heart :( I do tell them that "I will be back", and when they see me the next day or later that day, I…
Nana Gina
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24
votes
3 answers

Is it ok to let my 3 month old drop her head a few inches during 'tummy time'?

My daughter is 3 months old and has just learned how to roll over a few days ago. She's doing it all day long and is now spending a considerable amount of time on her tummy (a dramatic increase in tummy time). We did tummy time with her before and…
Astroturf
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24
votes
10 answers

18-month-old kicked out of church nursery

Our 18-month old was kicked out of our church's nursery where we send him during worship services & church classes. He's kicked out unless one of us are in there with him, which makes it difficult to attend church with my spouse; we can’t have him…
thecoolmacdude
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24
votes
12 answers

Email and social media for pre-teens

My daughter is 11 and I discovered that she had a Facebook account and a personal email account. These were two things my wife and I had told her she wasn't allowed to have. I felt she was still too young. When she was caught, she obviously offered…
Ominus
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24
votes
10 answers

How can I stop my toddler from playing with electrical outlets and plugs?

My 2.5-year-old son has this weird fascination with electrical outlets and power bars. I tried telling him that it's dangerous (he understands and can identify dangerous objects and situations, and usually surrenders them to a parent), and I've…
ashes999
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24
votes
9 answers

Should children be encouraged to get themselves or their clothes dirty?

I'm not a parent myself, but I frequently look after two siblings of close relatives. While the girl (3 years) does not have a problem with wiping hands in pants or getting in any other way ridiculously dirty, the boy (5 years) would rush to the…
Zwie
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24
votes
5 answers

At what age can/should a child be able to clean themselves after bowel movements?

How can parents find the right time to encourage a child to clean itself after bowel movements? Our son is nearly 4 years old and it is still difficult for him to get to the toilet early enough (see here: How can we potty-train our pre-schooler…
BBM
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24
votes
11 answers

How can my toddler learn to stay under the blanket at night?

My 2yo son slept in a sleeping bag (see image below) until around 1½ years old, then he didn't like that anymore so we switched to using a blanket. He moves around so much while sleeping that the blanket usually isn't covering him at all. This…
Torben Gundtofte-Bruun
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24
votes
3 answers

Foster care for a friend's kids

Back story. We have a friend who is having troubles keeping her life together. I'm not aware of all the issues. However, they include an abusive husband (who has now been kicked out), financial troubles, and probably no shortage of poor life…
Elros
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24
votes
5 answers

Disclosing parent separation to all children together or each one separately

I am separating from my spouse, and we have decided to tell our children, who are between 5 and 8 years old. Should we break the news when they are all together (eg in the living room), or to each one separately (eg in each one's bedroom)?