Family Matters

How can we prevent our seven-year-old son from becoming a bully? I've noticed that he can be very pushy and often tries to dominate other kids. He always wants to be the "winner" — it's as if he has a need to prove himself. When provoked, he retaliates fiercely and has hurt other kids in the past. He's small for his age and is generally very popular at school, but I wonder how long that will last.

Can an atheist and a believer build a strong, lasting marriage? My girlfriend and I are terrific together. Her family loves me and everyone else says we're the perfect couple. There's just one catch: she's a strong Christian, but I don't believe in God at all. Do you think the religious differences between us pose a serious problem? Personally, I could care less what other people believe as long as their hearts are in the right place. What are our chances of building a relationship that will go the distance?

What should I do now that I've discovered that someone in the family has been coercing my child to participate in sexual acts? Where do I turn for help? As you can imagine, this shocking revelation has sent me reeling.

Does your emphasis on the importance of a father's presence in the home imply that the mother's role is less crucial in raising children? There are many single moms raising children by themselves, and I can't help wondering if you view these families as "inferior" or "second-class." Doesn't your high regard for the father's role diminish your assessment of the mother's? Isn't mom just as important as dad? How can women ever hope to better their lot in the world if we always expect them to stand in the shadow of their men? These questions are important to me as a woman who wants to make a positive contribution to the life of her community.

How do gender distinctions – psychological and emotional as well as physical and sexual – impact male-female relationships and the business of everyday life within the context of marriage? What do husbands and wives need to know about this subject, and how will that knowledge help them build a stronger marital bond?

How should I handle a three-year-old toddler who is mean and aggressive with other children? He's fine at home where there aren't any other children around. But when he's at church or with another family that has children his age, his behavior becomes ugly. On occasion his aggression takes a physical form – hitting, kicking, and biting. But most of the time he's just loud, won't play nicely, and is generally disruptive and uncooperative. What should I do?

What should I do if I believe that my spouse may be viewing obscene and sexually explicit material? I'm not 100 percent sure, but I've seen evidence to support my fears. He gets angry and defensive whenever I raise the subject and tells me I'm imagining things. Any advice?

Now that I've found the man I want to marry, how can I help him connect with my three-year-old daughter? He loves her and is genuinely excited about becoming a dad to her (she's never had a relationship with her biological father). The problem is that he doesn't understand what toddlers are like, never having had any children of his own. He seems to think that because my daughter can say a couple of sentences and answer simple questions that she should be more responsible than she is. If she cries or whines, he gets upset with her. Since he wasn't around to watch her grow from birth to age three, it's hard for me to explain this stage of her development and maturity in terms he can grasp. Any advice?

How should I respond to a wife who has a tendency to resort to violence? Once or twice a year my spouse and I have a disagreement that escalates out of control. At such times she says the meanest, most irrational things about me, including "I hate you." I have always remained calm and have never responded in kind, but this only enrages her to the point of violence. She throws things at me, even tries to hit and kick me or knee me in the crotch. So far I have not suffered serious injury, but I worry about what might happen if there were a knife or some other weapon handy. She's a pleasant and loving Christian woman most of the time, which makes it difficult for others to believe me or take my situation seriously. Am I overly concerned? What should I do?

Is it possible to be consistently pro-life while still making an exception for abortion in cases when the life of the mother is at risk? What's your perspective on this difficult ethical question?