Q: I have a neighbour who is driving me crazy. It doesn’t matter what the weather is, rain or shine, or how our markets are faring, profitable or otherwise, or whatever, he is always cheerful. I used to think that something was wrong with me because I wasn’t as positive as my neighbour. Now I […] Read more
Tag Archives Speaking of Life
Important to act on information about suicidal thoughts
Q: Last Thursday our daughter came home from school very upset. Apparently, one of her classmates took our daughter aside and told her that she was seriously considering suicide. The young girl in question insisted that our daughter swear confidence. This was to be a secret. In fact, our daughter tried to honour the commitment […] Read more
Cutting is symptom of a deeper psychological problem
Q: I have so many feelings going on inside me that I hardly know where to begin. I am angry, sad, depressed, disappointed, embarrassed, and most of all, incredibly lonely. We found out just days ago that our 14-year-old daughter has been cutting herself. She has a piece of glass (looks somewhat like the bottom […] Read more
Desire for control occurs when negotiation is abandoned
Q: I would like to hear what your understanding of a great marriage might be. The other night my fiancé and I were talking about what we might expect from each other when we are married. What he said made me a bit nervous. He thinks that I should let him know where I am […] Read more
Stress, anxiety two distinct ailments that require help
Q: I am not sure what to do about all of this. It seems that I am wired up most of the time. I don’t know what to call it, whether it is stress or anxiety, tensions, pressure or what have you, but whatever it is, it is driving me crazy. I am so restless […] Read more
ADD diagnosis in children not dire life sentence
Q: Dear Mr. Andrews: The bottom line from the notes we got from the school last year focusing on our 13-year-old son is that his teachers and school administrators believe that he is struggling with attention deficit disorder. To me this is devastating. It is like we are closing the doors to any kind of […] Read more
Step-parenting success depends on marital relationship
Q: My girlfriend and I bought a house together last week. The plan is to renovate it when we can find the time over the summer and to move into it later in the fall. Hopefully harvest will be finished earlier than it was last year and we will have time to settle into our […] Read more
Graduation will still happen this year — just differently
Q: After watching our son and his friends for the past year and a half planning their high school graduation, you can appreciate all of the disappointment we saw when the coronavirus ripped all of their plans to shreds and graduation had to be cancelled. It has been hard. Graduation from high school was something […] Read more
Husband encouraged to improve listening skills
Q: For the past four or five years, my wife has been a little more than edgy, downright unreasonable at times, and most often very difficult. I have no idea what is going on. About the only time she is at all sparking with the life that I used to see in her eyes is […] Read more
Children need parental help managing their cellphones
Q: Against my better judgment, my husband and I have agreed to put a new cellphone under the Christmas tree for our 12-year-old son. My husband is about as enthusiastic for this thing as I am, but we see our boy wandering into the classroom in his school as one of the few students not […] Read more
