Q: My husband and I agreed to write to you to see if you could give us a little guidance for dealing with our children. We need help parenting. The problem is that we are seldom together on this thing. I tend to be a little more rigid than he is, and within the family […] Read more
Author Archives
Same page parenting is tricky
Spirituality can help increase a person’s psychological health
Q: I read your column regularly and for the most part agree with much of the advice you give to your readers, but I have a concern. I have noticed that you never refer to the church when you are giving your advice and that you seem to refrain from any and all spiritual references. […] Read more
Psychologist may help teen’s school trouble
Q: I guess that it is my turn to talk about our son. He is 16 years old, has just started Grade 11 and is doing very poorly in school this year. We know that he is capable, but he does not appear to be interested in his school work, and the results are telling. […] Read more
Care homes not only option for elderly parents
Q: I am worried about my sister. Of the five of us who grew up on the farm, she is the only one who stayed behind after high school graduation. That, of course, is just fine, but somehow in the process she has become the family caregiver, and I am concerned that she is spending […] Read more
Personal interactions continue despite cellphone use
Q: My husband recently took me on what the young people today might call a date night. We ate at one of the more elegant cafes, and it was wonderful. But during the evening, the two of us saw something that we thought was somewhat distressing. A young couple came to the table next to […] Read more
Find the words to help conquer fear of flying
Q: I am afraid of flying. I have always been afraid of flying but until recently it was not an issue. Of late our children have moved out of the home and are settled almost everywhere about this great country of ours. That is great, but it means if I want to spend time with […] Read more
Dealing with postpartum depression on the farm
Q: I think that I can start this letter by saying that it was not supposed to be this way. We have had a couple of tough years here on the farm. Both of my wife’s parents have had major health problems, our crops have not been as great as they could have been and […] Read more
Attention deficit disorder diagnosis often too quick
Q: Late last spring our son’s Grade 2 teacher asked for a parent-teacher meeting between herself and my husband and I. The principal of the school was also there. According to our son’s teacher, our son has a hard time staying on task. He is easily distracted and often presents a disturbance to the other […] Read more
Controlling father unlikely to change without a struggle
Q: I want you to know that I love my husband like crazy. He has a big heart, is generous beyond compare and loves me and our children to no end. But he also frustrates me. As generous as he is, he has a tendency to not to listen to me or the kids. He […] Read more
Be careful when helping neighbours whose spouses die
Q: A few days ago, our neighbour’s husband died. It was not entirely unexpected because he had been ill for some time, but it was still difficult for my neighbour. I would like to reach out to her but I am a touch reluctant to do so. We are new to the district. We left […] Read more
