Q: I’m the mom of three children — two boys ages 9 and 6, and a 4-year-old daughter. I wonder if I am unreasonably consumed by fear and anxiety about my kids’ safety and well-being. This issue is starting to be a source of friction between…

Q. I’m writing because I’m concerned about my 12-year-old granddaughter’s attitude and behavior. My daughter—her mother—is a single parent. The father is mostly absent and generally unreliable. Ever since my granddaughter was very young, I…

Q. The youngest of our four children is leaving for college at the end of the summer. He is counting the days until he begins this new adventure, but as the day of his departure grows closer, I can feel myself growing more anxious. I’m…

Q. This question might be filed under, “What are these people thinking?” My high school freshman got a ride home from a recent sporting event from a teammate’s parent. The conversation in the car turned to a high school party that took…

Q. Our family dog, Rory, is nearly 15 years old. When we got him, our children were seven, five, three, and a newborn. They have virtually no memory of life before we brought Rory into our family. He has been a great pet. His presence in…

Q. I’m the mom of three children—two boys ages nine and six, and a four-year-old daughter. I wonder if I am unreasonably consumed by fear and anxiety about my kids’ safety and well-being? This issue is starting to be a source of friction…

Q: What’s with babysitters these days? I have hired at least a half-dozen teenaged girls in the past two years, and the issues that have arisen have led me to conclude that it’s not worth the trouble for my husband and me to go out for an…

Q. When I was growing up, we had a “chore chart” on the wall of our kitchen that listed all the housework each child in the family would do during the week. But my kids have no time for chores because they are completely consumed with their…

Q. My 13-year-old daughter is begging me to be allowed to date. She claims all the other kids in her eighth grade class are allowed to go out with their boyfriends and girlfriends, and she is the only one who isn’t permitted to socialize…

Q. We’re only a month into the new school year, and already we’re off to a rocky start with my son’s second grade teacher. Each day when I pick my son up from school, I find myself on the defense as “Miss Brown” complains about my son’s…