Parenting

Spying on your kids is a great idea. This gets some parents riled up and if it does, you're silly and I'll tell you why. Minor children living in your home have no rights. Our primary job...

Parenting

Jewell is frustrated that his wife isn't being a better stepmother to his son.   💡Dr. Laura: "Every marriage is a dance, and yours need to find a different tune."

Parenting

Matt says he hears his mother's voice chastising him when he makes decisions for his family that remind him of his own childhood.   💡Dr. Laura: "Trust yourself."

Parenting

I’ve been married for 31 years. My husband was a widower with 4 children, and I consider them my own. We went on to have 2 children together, and I stayed home to raise all of them. It...

Parenting

Rachel's daughter is refusing to give her parents access to her online college accounts even though she expects them to pay her tuition and housing.   💡Dr. Laura: "Let her make the choice...

Parenting

Lizbell knows that she has to stop helping her adult son financially, but it breaks her heart to think of him suffering.   💡Dr. Laura: "Good parenting can be painful."

Parenting

I recently heard you give some great advice to a mom of two toddlers who were “pecking” at her. You suggested that when that happened, turn on a fun song and just start dancing.   I have a...

Parenting

Miriam is struggling as the mom of a 5-year-old and attributes her parenting challenges to her ADHD.   💡Dr. Laura: "You'll be a better mother when you stop viewing yourself as broken."

Parenting

Laurie and her son are estranged since she told him she doesn't like how his fiancé and her mother to boss him around.   💡Dr. Laura: "You trained your son to rely on others to tell him...

Parenting

I've been working on learning very sophisticated techniques for making resin jewelry. This morning, I finished a piece for the first time that feels 95 percent perfect! It may be early,...

Parenting

My wise older brother once told me that if I didn’t like the same music as the person I was dating, then I should break up with them. While that seemed superficial at the time, many years...

Parenting

I called you and asked you whether I should let my daughter quit riding horses competitively. I told you several times how “talented” she was. You shocked me when you said that just...

Parenting

Teresa discovered drug paraphernalia in her daughter's room, and she'd like Dr. Laura's help with how to confront her before she leaves for college.   💡Dr. Laura: "Regular drug testing is...

Parenting

After years of helping her daughter deal with her significant health issues, Debbie is depressed that her daughter has moved out of her home and no longer wants her mom's help.   💡Dr....

Parenting

When my son was 6 years old, every weekend he played with several other kids in the neighborhood, and they were all either at our house, their houses or outside riding bikes or throwing...

Parenting

One of the things that caught my attention from listening to you is your focus on how to raise a boy into a man. Although I’m the mom, I try not to be a hindrance to my boys’ development...

Parenting

Michelle's 24-year-old daughter wants to move out of her shack-up situation and is asking her parents for the money to do it.   💡Dr. Laura: "Don't rob her of learning how to stand on her...

Parenting

Tom is worried that his teenage son is trying to rescue the teen daughter of a friend who recently committed suicide.   💡Dr. Laura: "Talk to your son about what he's feeling and educate...

Parenting

Kristin's husband recently died, and her children are rebelling over the decisions she's been making about their household rules.   💡Dr. Laura: "Discuss discipline options together for the...

Parenting

Leslie punished her 16-year-old for covering up his poor school work even though he's distracted and suffering because of his father's cancer diagnosis.   💡Dr. Laura: "The two of you need...

Parenting

Lisa and her husband want their 15-year-old son to get a part-time job for the summer and are dismayed that he is refusing.   💡Dr. Laura: "It's time to turn the parenting ship around so he...

Parenting

Motherhood makes Renee feel uptight and anxiety-ridden, and she thinks she's failing her two little girls.   💡Dr. Laura: "Allow yourself to be engaged and silly with your kids, and you'll...

Parenting

I have three young adult children who are all responsible, respectable, contributing citizens. While far from being the ideal parents, my husband and I did our best. We take pride in our...

Parenting

Michelle is wondering if public school would be more beneficial than home schooling for her 7-year-old who loves to be the center of attention.   💡Dr. Laura: "Homeschooling parents have to...

Parenting

In part two of this call, Kelsey and her mother talk about how quickly the dynamics between Kelsey and her child changed for the better once grandma stopped getting involved in the...

Parenting

Kelsey feels like she's constantly battling her toddler, and it doesn't help that her own mother is often in the middle of her attempts to parent her child.   💡Dr. Laura: "Your...

Parenting

When my daughter was finishing her junior year of high school, it looked like she wasn’t going to graduate, and I was done crying, yelling and begging her to do what she needed to do. I...

Parenting

There once was a boy from Forest Hills, NY who went on many fun adventures. He started his own business which he ran for 56 years, and he and his wife had a daughter – their one and only,...

Parenting

Years ago, I went through a divorce. I thought I would find another bride and move on with my life. I had three young children and, at the time, didn’t realize I shouldn’t do that.

Parenting

Several years ago, I called you because my teenage son had to be dragged kicking and screaming into adulthood. He wasn’t moving forward, getting a job or going to college, and I was beyond...

Parenting

When I finally became a mom, I went from no kids to two kids overnight. My twin boys woke up every one or two hours through the night until they were seven months old. I was so exhausted,...

Parenting

How can Laura avoid making her children feel like her love is contingent upon them living up to her expectations?   Dr. Laura: "Love is continuous; approval is earned."

Parenting

My wife and I have a happy and healthy baby boy as our first child. My wife stopped working and is a stay-at-home mom and loves every minute of it. We got an email from our pediatrician’s...

Parenting

Kathy's daughter is headed to high school, and Kathy is worried that she's too naive about boys and sexuality.   Dr. Laura: "How to handle herself under pressure and desire is what's...

Parenting

How should Rachel react to her 7-year-old who says he's not a good son?   Dr. Laura: "Kids need us to help them solve problems, not put Band-Aids on them."

Parenting

My parents reared me from the school of hard knocks, and I hated it back then, but have come to love it now. I thought their making an 11-year-old buy her first 10-speed Schwinn bike with...

Parenting

I’ve always thought that the phrase “I’m going to have a baby” should be banned. In its place, if we all said “I’m going to raise a child,” I believe men and women would be forced to view...

Parenting

For fifteen years, I had a large family childcare in my home (14 children plus my own). I honestly thought I was doing the right thing. I was helping families to keep their children...

Parenting

Amy and Jason ask Dr. Laura how best to guide their young daughter away from making some of the mistakes that her female relatives have made.   Dr. Laura: "Teach your daughter acceptable...

Parenting

Coliese questions her choice to keep tracking her adult children’s locations to calm her worries.   Dr. Laura: "You don’t need surveillance for your adult children to know you love them."

Parenting

Recently, my ten-year-old son and I were talking about our family. I asked him, “Do you think I love Dad?” He said “Yes.” So, I asked, “What makes you think that?” He replied “Because you...

Parenting

Should Jim and Bonnie pay for part of their son's wedding even though he is disappointing them by living with his fiancé and planning to change his last name to initials after marriage?   ...

Parenting

A listener sent me this brilliant story and I thought I'd share it with the rest of you.

Parenting

Jerome is an older dad with a 9-year-old son who worries about death and living without his father.   Dr. Laura: "Remind your son that you're teaching him how to handle life on his own and...

Parenting

Cara and her husband would like to start a family, and she calls Dr. Laura for tips on how to help ensure they're ready.   Dr. Laura: "Approach parenthood as a team with a plan for the...

Parenting

Should Susan give her opinion or keep her mouth shut about her son who wants to live with his girlfriend for a year before he proposes?   Dr. Laura: "Shacking up is self-centered....

Parenting

Ramon is upset that, instead of giving unconditional love, his 22-year-old son will only have a relationship with him if he agrees to go to therapy and AA.   Dr. Laura: "The quality of your...

Parenting

Heather is a single mom who says her son needs to course-correct, and she wonders if military school is the best option.   Dr. Laura: "Boys need the influence of strong males."

Parenting

Michael's daughter calls and texts him several times a day to vent about her marriage trouble, but he knows it's not helping her.   Dr. Laura: "Encouraging her to seek professional help is...

Parenting

Cynthia and her husband do not agree on the proper way to parent their kids, and it's damaging their relationship.   Dr. Laura: "It's hard to be a good parent when mom and dad are at odds"

Parenting

I had a mom who chose to climb the corporate ladder rather than raise her children. Growing up, I hardly ever saw her. We were left with babysitters or relatives while my parents were...