Q: Our son is an alcoholic. How he got custody of his two young children is beyond me, but he did get them, and that of course means that the children have moved over here and my husband and I are raising them. At the moment we do not know where their mother is. I […] Read more
Author Archives
Alcoholic son ultimately responsible for his drinking
Strong relationship with Mom can offset abusive father
Q: After years of verbal and emotional abuse I finally found the courage and strength to end our marriage and get away from my former husband. He never hit me, but the verbal and emotional abuse was constant and overwhelming. I could do no right, and just to make his point he swore at me […] Read more
Going for a walk may alleviate worries
Q: I think I am the world’s worst worrywart. I worry about just about everything, whether it be what time I should be getting up in the morning, to what should I have for breakfast, whether or not I should continue my career, or I worry about whether I should keep working where I am […] Read more
Confidants are important for sharing sensitive news
Q: My sister-in-law phoned last week just before we were to spend the night with her at their place and said, “you can’t stay here; we are having a problem with our family.” She was so upset on the telephone that I could not help but press her a bit to find out what was […] Read more
Pet dog will likely make a great gift for elderly parent
Q: Christmas is just around the corner and I wanted this year to do something special for my dad. Last year was his first Christmas without Mom — she died earlier in the year — and that was a tough one. But he is pulling through this thing really well. It is time to do […] Read more
Indicators of a looming divorce can often be easy to overlook
Q: Last night I was told that a young couple that have been attending our church are separating and likely to get a divorce to end their marriage. I did not see this coming. They are two very beautiful people. Had I known that their marriage was in trouble I would have done anything that […] Read more
Grandparents can turn Christmas into tug-of-war for families
Q: I noticed when I looked at our calendar the other day that Christmas is but a few short weeks away. As much as I would like to look forward to Christmas and get excited with all of those extracurricular activities that go along with it, I am afraid that I am not much of […] Read more
Same page parenting is tricky
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
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
