Family Matters

Should I be concerned about my six-year-old sleeping too much? She does not want to wake up in the morning, even though she goes to bed early and sleeps through the night? Is this normal? Do you have any suggestions?

Should I go back to my dad's house after seeing some pictures of naked women in "dirty" magazines that he left lying around the living room? This experience was very upsetting to me. My parents are divorced, but I have a close relationship with my father and spend every other weekend at his house. After seeing what I saw, I don't think I want to go back there anymore. How should I handle this?

How can we tell if a babysitter has acted inappropriately with our kids? It's painful even to think about this, but we have reasons for suspecting that our babysitter may have abused our young child. What would you suggest we do in such a case? Are there "red flags" or tell-tale signs that we should look for?

What should I do if I fear my teenage son may be too withdrawn? When he was younger we thought it was just a phase and assumed he would gain more confidence as he matured and interacted more with his peers. So far those expectations haven't panned out. He doesn't seem to have any interest in developing relationships with friends his own age (or with anyone else in the family, for that matter). He spends most of his time alone with the television, his computer, or video games. What are we up against and how should we deal with it?

Now that I'm divorced, how can I stay involved with my kids? One of the most difficult outcomes of the settlement is that it limits my contact with them. Legally, I'm only allowed to have them a few days out of each month. I'd like to be more involved, but my ex-wife is very strict in her interpretation of the court order. How, under these circumstances, can I continue to have a godly influence in my children's lives?

How do we prepare for and manage the expenses that come with having a baby? My wife and I were ecstatic when we discovered we were pregnant, but now reality has set in. I’m feeling very anxious about the challenge of supporting and caring for a child. Can you help?

Should I accept a Facebook "friend" request from a former boyfriend? He has indicated an interest in connecting with me via social media. I'm very much in love with and committed to my husband, so I feel sure that this will not pose a threat to our marriage relationship. What do you think?

How can we teach our children good listening skills? They seem to have trouble paying attention to instructions and following directions. In my daughter's case, I think she's just defiant most of the time. As for my son, he's very intense and tends to get so locked into television, a book, a videogame, or whatever he's doing that it's almost impossible to pull him away. I find that I'm repeating myself over and over again. Do you have any advice?

How do I deal with the reality of having lost all physical attraction for my severely overweight husband? I've tried to be encouraging and understanding. I've made healthy meals for us, offered to exercise with him, and listened empathetically to his frustrations for years, but he hasn't shown interest in doing anything to change his situation. I don't think he's depressed, but all he wants to do is eat and sit around and and watch TV. It's gotten to where sexual intimacy is just a loving act of service on my part – there's no pleasure.

How should I respond to my dad's inappropriate behavior toward my wife and other young women? I've expressed my concerns to him, but he says this is just the way he is and that he has no intention of changing. I've decided it would be best if we don't spend time with him anymore, but this devastates my mom; she still wants to see us. My wife says she's willing to make the sacrifice by enduring my dad's treatment, but I don't want her to do that. How can I protect her dignity without depriving innocent parties of a desired relationship with one another?