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
Author Archives
Attention deficit disorder diagnosis often too quick
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
Self-efficacy may be a better goal than self-esteem
Q: I don’t know how many times I have been told that life would be more enjoyable for me if I took some time to raise my self-esteem. I got that advice all the way through high school, from various professors at university and from my colleagues at work. It is not that I don’t […] Read more
Children of alcoholics can face serious problems as adults
Q: I have learned over this last little while to admire my 13-year-old nephew. His mother, my sister, is a committed alcoholic. Her relationship to the bottle is more important to her than are her responsibilities to her family. Fortunately for her, her son, my nephew, picks up on a number of chores around the […] Read more
Smiling can help shy daughter avoid isolation in big city
Q: I am really worried about our daughter. She graduated from high school earlier this spring and has since found a job in the city. It is a great job. She would be foolish not to take it. But our daughter does not easily make friends. Most everyone here in our little town knows her, […] Read more
Aging well requires acceptance, preparation
Q: I am afraid that I am not doing well with this whole getting old thing. I see other people my age who appear to be happy and smiling and doing great but I am not. My days start and end with handfuls of pills, waiting for various doctor appointments and scheduling yet again more […] Read more
Life changes can cause difficulties in preadolescence
Q: We are no longer sure what to do with our daughter. Until recently, she has always been a great kid. But that is not always so now. This past couple of years, both in Grades 7 and 8, she has been moody, temperamental, not as co-operative as she once was and not nearly as […] Read more
Families are urged to take control of their own schedules
Q: When the dealership offered me a full-time job if I moved into town I thought we were about to get the perfect place. I love my job and our new home is convenient to everyone important to our family. My wife’s parents are just about an hour and a half to the west of […] Read more
Listening best way to ease Mom into care home
Q: What an ordeal this has been. For the past 13 years, ever since my dad died, my mom has been living alone in the little house she and Dad bought when they sold the farm and moved into town. Mom has always been fiercely independent. Unfortunately, that is not working for her any more. […] Read more
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