Your 13-year-old daughter, with your permission, saved up money to buy her own cellphone. Lately she's been "texting" her friends almost non-stop in her spare time. She always gets her homework done and meets all her responsibilities, but her intense absorption into a tiny cellphone screen strikes you as addictive and unhealthy. What do you do?...
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Last year your pre-diabetic, overweight daughter collected, no joke, almost a garbage-bag full of candy in your generous neighborhood, so once again you're dreading the Halloween onslaught. You don't want to deprive your daughter of trick-or-treating, but how do you deal with the surplus candy afterwards? ...
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Your 12yo son feels increasingly cramped in his small bedroom, only a thin wall separating him from his noisy younger sisters' room. He suddenly has the "great" idea of moving his bedroom into your somewhat dank, unfinished basement. Says he will fix it up himself and doesn't mind the spiders. Would you let him?...
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Your whole family is solidly Democrat. Or solidly Republican -- take your pick. Your 13yo son, however, has formed an unshakable belief in the opposite party. And, for the upcoming state gubernatorial election, he recently put lawn and window signs up on your property for a candidate you despise. While you admire his political passion, the signs irritate and embarrass you to no end. What would you do?...
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"I HATE YOU MOM!" bellows your furious 11yo-going-on-18yo daughter after you remind her that she can't go out with her friends unless she cleans her room and scoops out the cat litter. How would you respond?...
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Your 16yo daughter chronically forgets to brush her teeth and her breath is often atrocious. She could care less but it embarrasses you to no end when you're together in public. What would you do?...
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It's the first time that Sam, your son's new friend in 1st grade, has come over for a playdate. Despite your asking him twice not to, however, Sam can't seem to leave your elderly, frail cat alone. You just heard yet another painful Meeyowl from the living room, and caught Sam pulling the cat's tail. What should you do?...
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Your 15-year-old daughter came home from a party and declared that she’s bisexual. She said she wanted to tell you first before she “goes public” about it at school. What would you do?...
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Your 4yo daughter was starving 20 minutes ago, but now that you have lunch served she chirps, "I'm not hungry!" You ask her if she ate some of the chocolate her father keeps in his desk drawer. "No!" she grins. But, you tell her, you can see chocolate smeared on her lip. "No," she smiles, "that's from before. I didn't, Mommy." She looks you right in the eye, the picture of earnestness. But you know she's telling a whopper. What would you do?...
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Your 5th-grade son and his pals were looking forward to the much-hyped "rock concert" coming to his school for a special assembly. But he came home from school disappointed: "It was stupid Mom. It was SO BORING! We had to clap and repeat the words 'Repeat, Reuse, Recycle' over and over again while these guys played guitar. They just sang about taking care of the earth and stuff. It wasn't a real rock concert." You find yourself agreeing with your son -- rock music shouldn't just be a conveyor for a tired moral about recycling, and maybe the concert was falsely advertised to the kids. But if you openly agree with him, are you undermining the authority of the school? What would you do? ...
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You love your grumpy grandfather but this time he's really ticked you off. It's a big weekend family reunion, and several of you are breastfeeding. You've noticed Grandpa huffing and frowning around all of the boobs and babies, so it wasn't a complete surprise when he announced that, for the big family dinner Saturday night, there would be NO BREASTFEEDING allowed at the table. As he's paying for most of the festivities, you don't want to anger him unnecessarily. What would you do?...
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You're in traffic, running late, and suddenly remember something essential you left at home. "F$@#!" you swear, and then realize your wide-eyed 3yo is all ears in the back seat. "F$@#," she repeats, imitating you. "Mommy, what did you say?" You quickly envision her cheerily repeating this word at preschool. Yikes. What would you tell her?...
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This year, your dramatic 8yo son wants to be a Devil for Halloween. As you live in a fairly conservative, predominantly Christian community, however, the image of your son dressed in red with horns and a tail (and you know he'll ham it up too) amidst all of the cats, dragons, fairies, and harmless pumpkins gives you pause, to say the least. You don't think there's any harm in it, but you worry about how some people will react to your son (and your family). What would you do?...
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Grandma likes to shop at the dollar store, and today gave your 4-year-old daughter several strings of those shiny plastic bead necklaces that you've heard can contain lead. Your girly-girl daughter absolutely loves them and spent the whole day whirling around in beaded splendor. Now that she's asleep, however, you want to get rid of them to be on the safe side. What would you do?...
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You live in a relatively safe, middle-class urban neighborhood. The elementary school is five blocks from your apartment, and your independent 8-year-old is well-versed in how to cross streets and wait for the light, etc. She is very eager to walk on her own. Most of your neighbors, afraid of predators or traffic accidents, either drive or accompany their kids to school, so there might be some raised eyebrows if your daughter walks by herself. What would you do?...
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Maybe you've just been lucky, but up until now your 8yo daughter has helped out with simple household chores like setting the table or feeding the dog whenever you ask her. But today, when you asked her to empty the recycling bucket, she paused and said, "No, I don't want to." What would you do?...
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Your 5yo son is a beautiful boy, and many people have told you he should be a model. You never really seriously considered it, however, until one day in the supermarket a professional photographer handed you his business card and invited you and your son to come to an open call for prospective child models. He said your son could earn $150/hour or more if he was picked. You could use the money, but you worry about whether modeling would be good for your son. What would you do?...
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Your teen daughter is dressing quite provocatively, including tight t-shirts and low hanging jeans, but it's the same sort of outfit most of her friends wear. You notice that your husband's friends have discretely cast a few examining glances her way. What would you do?...
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Your divorced husband's life is a mess and he totally spaced your 7yo son's birthday party (you called him on the phone but he was an hour away and couldn't make it in time). You can tell your son is hurt, and when he asks you where Dad is, you are tempted to fudge the truth and say that his Dad got sick or was waylaid by an emergency at work. It just seems too cruel to say that he simply "forgot". What would you do?...
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For two years in a row, in second and now third grade, your child has gotten the weakest homeroom teacher available. You know the school is strict about not allowing parents' preferences to influence who-gets-what-teacher, but having put in countless volunteer hours for the PTO, you feel very angry about it. What would you do?...
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