Parenting

Sabrina's 13-year-old is encountering some nasty teen drama, and Sabrina wants to shield her from any pain.   Dr. Laura: "Learning to deal with negative situations is part of life."

Parenting

Matthew says his daughter is constantly putting herself down, and he's looking for ways to help improve her self-esteem.   Dr. Laura: "Kids like attention even when it's for negative...

Parenting

I recently came across a poem I had cross-stitched into a wall hanging that was in a prominent location in my house when my kids were little, and I thought you would appreciate it. The...

Parenting

How can Leroy help his daughter overcome her anxiety when she performs less than perfectly in school and sports?   Dr. Laura: "Illustrate to your children that people don't have to be...

Parenting

Ben never married the mother of his first son and would like advice on how to make him more “comfortable” when he visits Ben's new wife and 5-month-old.   Dr. Laura: "Help your son...

Parenting

Michelle feels anxious about the safety of her two college-aged daughters and doesn't know how to handle her fears about something bad happening to them.   Dr. Laura: "Bring more joy...

Parenting

Children can be very literal in the way they interpret what you tell them. I wanted to share a few of my children’s comments.

Parenting

After hearing Dr. Laura's message about the negative effects of daycare, Todd changed his hours to spend more time with his son and says he sees huge improvements.   Dr. Laura: "It makes...

Parenting

Jane knows that she can no longer be in control when it comes to her adult daughter, but she tries to tell her what to do anyway.   Dr. Laura: "Give advice only when you're asked."

Parenting

After 10 years, Sue's son is toying with the idea of switching sports, and she wants to make sure advises him correctly.   Dr. Laura: "Some old comforts may be relinquished when you...

Parenting

When I heard you tell a caller to “listen to your kids,” it struck a nerve with me. Children and spouses both love attention.   At the park today, a toddler was playing on the...

Parenting

My sister-in-law and I both come from families that have a lot of money. We married brothers who also have a lot of money. I grew up with a couple of nannies, and I didn’t care for...

Parenting

When my son was four-and-a-half, he loved going to his grandparents’ home (my parents), and every time I’d pick him up to go back to our house, he would have a crying, begging episode –...

Parenting

When I was growing up, I always heard “you can do anything you want to if you try hard enough.” My eight-year-old son, who is a pretty good baseball player, asked me “Dad, do you think...

Parenting

Three years ago, my wife and I were stressed out and both working full time. I was listening to you as I was driving from my well-paying job to pick up my kids from daycare. You were...

Parenting

My wife and I have four children, 3 years old and under. One day, she and I decided to risk “sleeping in” a little bit. At about 7:30 am, when we decided to wake up, we couldn’t find...

Parenting

Brandon is wondering if he should reward his smart, kind, well-behaved 16-year-old with a car.   Dr. Laura: "Don't deprive your son of the pride that comes with working hard for his...

Parenting

My husband and I are new listeners. We’ve been married for 34 years and have no children of our own, but he has three adult daughters. They grew up 2,000 miles away from him, and we had...

Parenting

Sara asked one of her sons to turn in his brother's forgotten homework assignment and she's upset with him that he failed to do so.   Dr. Laura: "Set the right example for your boys by...

Parenting

After raising four children with my wife, I have learned the following critical roles of a dad:

Parenting

When I took my daughter to elementary school, I always walked her into her class. I carried her backpack, opened her car door and picked her up as soon as school was over. We went on...

Parenting

After taking a marijuana-laced gummi bear, Sarah’s son came to her with the truth of what he’d done.   Dr. Laura: "Be happy...you have a GOOD RELATIONSHIP with your child." 

Parenting

My daughter is 29 and preparing to be married next June. I want it to be a successful marriage, so I ordered copies of your books “The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands” and “The...

Parenting

Lee doesn't like when her son's girlfriend visits their home because she wears skimpy clothes and sets a terrible example in front of Lee's daughter.   Dr. Laura: "Politely request that...

Parenting

My three children are adults now, but when they were younger, the end of summer/early fall seemed to be when fights among them would erupt the most. One day, I had enough of the petty...

Parenting

Marie is unsettled by the lack of emotion she saw when confronting her 17-year-old daughter about having sex.   Dr. Laura: "If kids don't respect their parents, they'll treat their...

Parenting

David is frustrated with his stepson who isn't respecting the house rules and with his wife who isn't willing to push her adult son out of the nest.   Dr. Laura: "Stepparents who try to...

Parenting

My adult son and I communicated regularly and he asked for advice quite often. When he got married, I knew our relationship would change, but I made a plan – an outward effort of an...

Parenting

There are many cliches about French women: that they are seductive, passionate, charming, elegant and smart. My wife is French and she is all of those things, and much more. She is also...

Parenting

I recently heard you talk about what to do when your kids are screaming or saying unkind things. This reminded me of a saying I use with my kids. I adopted it from my time as a waitress...

Parenting

19-year-old Abby is resisting her parents' rules and expectations now that she's a college student.   Dr. Laura: "The person with the responsibility has the power."

Parenting

When I was in law enforcement, your radio program was always on in the squad car and you were a great source of advice and entertainment for me. My kids were becoming teenagers at that...

Parenting

Even though my mom encouraged us to have careers, I always knew my foremost goal was to be a mom and I met my future husband early in college. I got a teaching degree figuring that I...

Parenting

These days, it seems like parents are worried about making their children upset rather than the other way around, and it’s even come to a point that parents appear to be actually afraid...

Parenting

Mark was raised by his grandparents and wonders how to explain to his children that their aunt is really Mark's birth mother.   Dr. Laura: "Teach your kids that human connectivity is...

Parenting

When my son graduated from high school, he and I were at odds. It had been going on since he was 11 and was struggling with being bullied at school. I was the target for his...

Parenting

I was one of those moms who thought I could work and my daughter would be fine. I told myself she was having fun playing with the other children when I picked her up 3 hours after...

Parenting

Josh is not sure what to say to his 19-year-old son who recently moved away with the military and now wants to marry a girl he met on a dating app.   Dr. Laura: "Parents should bluntly...

Parenting

My name is Autumn. Forgive me if this letter isn’t very sophisticated; I’m only three months old. My mom used to think there was nothing wrong with day care, but then she started to...

Parenting

I’ve always said “parenting is simple, but it’s not EASY.” I’ve learned that if you start these three things when they’re young, you’ll admire your kids as they mature:

Parenting

Stacey and her husband's disagreement over whether their son should repeat the 4th grade is causing a lot of stress in their marriage.   Dr. Laura: "Sometimes getting your way takes...

Parenting

My husband and I instilled what we call “healthy fear” in our boys – they knew if they misbehaved, didn’t listen or were rude that there would be consequences. I was always considered...

Parenting

My 28-year-old daughter called yesterday to share a conversation she had had with her co-workers about how they were raised, and how their parents did or did not help shape them into...

Parenting

I always love hearing your stories about mother birds and the chicks in their nest. That story came to life recently while my husband and I were chatting over coffee, when THUD, a small...

Parenting

We have two respectful, responsible young teenage sons. They have worked on school projects, played sports and volunteered for various community services. Our friends ask us numerous...

Parenting

Sonya's son's hamster escaped after she accidentally left its cage door open, and she hasn't admitted to her son that she is the reason for the loss.   Dr. Laura: "Show the character you...

Parenting

Shannon's teenage daughter has started using drugs and getting violent with her siblings and mother.   Dr. Laura: "Learn from your mistake with your first child, and don't repeat it with...

Parenting

Michelle's teenage daughter has started to disobey and talk back to her mother, and Michelle would like to know if she handled their recent fight correctly.   Dr. Laura: "Don't miss...

Parenting

When my mom was 20, she got pregnant. Her boyfriend stepped up and proposed to her, but my smart, spiritual, wise mom knew that a young partying college student wasn’t ready to take...

Parenting

Even though her daughter rejects her, Annie keeps trying to help her bratty, snowflake daughter become a happy, successful adult.   Dr. Laura: "Once your child grows up, it's her life to...

Parenting

At the time I had my first son, I was still a teacher and was also an active member of my church. As he became a toddler showing his independence, I stopped teaching (because I didn’t...