Ask Dr. Bill

Got a question you'd like to ask Dr. Bill? Send it to us at weekend@family.org.

My Adult Son Smokes Pot

How can we convince our son to stop using marijuana?

My Husband's Questionable Friends

I'm concerned about the activities my husband and his guy friends engage in. What should I do?

My Son Watches "Ultimate Fighting" on TV

My husband and son watch it together, and I'm concerned about my son's exposure to the violence.

My Dad Doesn't Like My Boyfriend

My boyfriend and I are considering marriage, but my dad doesn't approve of him. What should I do?

Adult Child Dealing with Father's Constant Criticism

I'm 34, but my dad makes me feel like a 12-year-old with his criticism. What do I do?

Moving On After an Affair

My husband won't forgive me for having an affair. How do I move on?

Rebuilding Broken Trust with a Teen

How can we rebuild trust with our teen daughter?

Adult Children of Alcoholic Parents

I grew up with an alcoholic parent. Can you suggest resources for recovery?

Correcting a Child's Disrespectful Attitude

I allowed my son to develop a disrespectful attitude. How do I correct my mistake?

Home Schooling Mistake

I made a mistake trying to home school my teen daughter. How do I correct it?

Behavioral Changes as Child Enters Teens

My daughter recently entered the teen years, and I'm concerned about the change in her behavior.

Adulterous Husband Wants to Reconcile

My husband has been having an affair but claims he wants to reconcile. What should I do?

Pastor Offers Additional Suggestion for Youth Ministry

A pastor responds to recent advice given by Dr. Bill Maier.

How Do I Talk to My Child About Sex?

How should I teach my 10-year-old daughter about sex?

Teen Daughter Threatening Suicide

My 13-year-old is going through a rough time and is talking about suicide. What should I do?

How Do I Discipline My Stepchildren?

My teen stepchildren are out of control, and I don't know what to do.

Teen Daughter is Sexually Active

Our teen daughter is having sex with her boyfriend, and we don't know what to do.

Young Children and Social Networking Web Sites

What boundaries should I draw with my son who wants to join Facebook?

Couple Living Together Seeks Financial Advice

My live-in boyfriend and I argue a lot about money. Can you help us resolve our conflict?

Teen Daughter Involved with Young Adult Guy

Our 16-year-old daughter is friends with a 25-year-old man. Should I be concerned?

Teen Seeking Dating Advice

A 17-year-old wants to know how he can find the right person to date.

My Parents Object to My Boyfriend

I want to marry him, but my parents object to him because of his past mistakes. What should I do?

My Son-in-Law is Viewing Child Pornography

How can I help my daughter and protect my granddaughter?

Food Battles with a Four-Year-Old

Our daughter stubbornly refuses to eat her meals. What should we do?

My Boyfriend and I Are Fighting Over My Daughter

I feel like I'm caught in the middle. What do I do?

Teen's Sports Team is Cliquish

My daughter feels left out because her volleyball teammates are cliquish. What should I do?

Angry at Spouse for Premarital Sex

I've just discovered my husband had sex before we were married. How do I respond?

Teen Disagrees with Dr. Maier About Day Care

I am 15-years-old and disagree with what you have said about day care.

Marital Separation at Christmas

My husband and I are separated. It's Christmas, and I'm concerned about our kids.

Conflict in Church Over Santa

I don't think Christians should spread the Christmas myth about Santa Claus.

My Husband Is Addicted to Video Games

How can I help him break his addiction?

Our Young Child Hits Us After We Spank Her

After we spank our daughter, she hits us back. What do we do?

Teaching Young Children About Thanksgiving

How do you do it?

My Daughter is Pregnant Out of Wedlock

Our unmarried daughter is pregnant. How should we respond?

Explaining a Relative's Suicide to Kids

How do we explain my father-in-law's suicide to our children?

A Teen Seeking Dating Advice

A mature 17-year-old seeks sound dating advice from Dr. Bill Maier.

Should I Officiate a Wedding for a Cohabitating Couple?

A couple has asked me to perform their wedding, and I'm not sure if I should.

Teen Addiction to Text Messaging

I'm concerned about my teen daugther's obsession with text messaging.

Young Son Entering Puberty

My 10-year-old boy shows signs of puberty, especially through a negative attitude. What do I do?

Should My Boyfriend and I Live Together?

We're thinking of sharing an apartment until we get married.

My Grandson Is Rude to Me

How do I properly respond to my young grandson's rude behavior?

Young Couple Struggling With Sexual Purity

How can I maintain sexual purity with my boyfriend?

Toddler Discipline

How do I discipline my 11-month-old son?

Dispute Over Day Care

My husband and I disagree about putting our child in day care.

My Young Son is Overly Attached to His Mother

My 5-year-old son is overly attached to his mom. What can I do?

Preparing an 8-Year-Old Girl for Adolescence

Is it too early to talk to my 8-year-old daughter about puberty?

Dividing Time Between Children

Each of my daughters is jealous of the time I spend with the other. What do I do?

Teaching a Young Child How to Pray

How do I help my 7-year-old daughter learn how to pray properly?

My Young Child Has ADHD

What can I do to help my six-year-old son?

Fiancé Has a Porn Problem

My fiancé is addicted to pornography. What should I do?

No Longer Close With Teen Daughter

I miss the closeness I once enjoyed with my (now) teen daughter.

Dealing With a Parent's Infidelity

My mom's marrying the man she's had an affair with and wants me to welcome him with open arms.

Child With an Anxiety Disorder

A concerned mom writes about trichotillomania, an anxiety disorder that causes people to pull their hair out.

When to Let Kids Learn the Hard Way

When my son is having problems, when do I step in to help, and when do I let him learn on his own?

Teen Dance Party

Should we allow our daughter and her friends to dance at a party?

Bad Communication Leading to Divorce

My wife is divorcing me because of my inability to communicate well. How do I save my marriage?

Harsh Discipline

My husband disciplines our young son too harshly. What should I do?

My Non-Christian Husband Is Addicted to Porn

My husband refuses to view his pornography habit as a problem. What do I do?

Listener Finds Parenting Info Helpful

A "Weekend Magazine" listener appreciates Dr. Bill Maier's parenting advice.

A Young Child Struggling with Faith in God

My six-year-old son has doubts about God. How do I respond?

Teaching Young Children About Modesty

How can I teach my young kids about modesty?

Finding Support in Raising an Autistic Child

Our family needs help and support in raising our autistic son.

When Grandparents Spoil Their Grandchildren

How do my spouse and I prevent our kids from being spoiled by other family members?

When Toddlers Are Picky Eaters

How do you get picky children to eat what you set before them?

Young Son Exposed to Internet Porn

My 10-year-old son is upset after seeing pornography on his friend's computer.

Stressed-Out Stepfather

My husband has experienced a lot of change recently. How can I support him?

Preteen Daughter Interested in Boys

My 12-year-old daughter is already interested in boys. My husband and I disagree on how to handle this.

My Teen Son Won't Do His Chores

My 14-year-old son rebels against doing chores. What should I do?

Adopting an Abused Child

We're considering adopting a young child from the foster care system who has been abused.

My Husband Falsely Accused Me of Infidelity

My husband thinks I had an affair with a coworker. How can we get past this?

When a Young Child Is Being Bullied at School

It's been a battle getting our 9-year-old to go to school.

Should I Let My Teen Use Facebook?

Even though he's set up an account behind my back?

When a Child Says, "I Wish I Was Dead"

How should a parent react?

Should I Let My Teen Daughter Date?

My 16-year-old daughter wants to have a boyfriend, but I'm not sure if I should let her.

Developing a Teen Boy's Self-Confidence

My 15-year-old son is still very shy and nervous around girls his age.

Is My Young Son Experiencing Gender Confusion?

Should I be concerned about my five-year-old son?

Teaching Kids About Budgeting

Can you explain the "10-10-10-70" budget plan?

Teen Son Failing at School

We've tried everything and can't get our son motivated to do his schoolwork.

Explaining Death to Young Children

My grandmother is dying of cancer. How do I explain this to my young kids?

My Husband's Porn Addiction is Destroying Us

He refuses to address this situation. What do I do?

When Older Kids Suck Their Thumb

My six-year-old still sucks his thumb and carries around his blanket.

My Son's Father is in Prison

What do I tell my son about his father?

Is My Son Becoming a Bully?

I'm concerned that my 7-year-old son may be a bully-in-the-making.

My Teen Son is Having Premarital Sex

Our 17-year-old son is having sex with his girlfriend. How do we handle this situation?

Letting Kids Attend Sleepovers

Should we let our young daughters attend a sleepover at their friend's house?

Teaching Young Kids the True Meaning of Thanksgiving

How do we teach our young kids about the history of Thanksgiving?

Should Our Daughter Get an HPV Immunization Shot?

I'm unsure as to whether my 12-year-old daughter should be immunized against HPV.

Back to Basics

How can my family resist cultural pressures and focus on what's most important?

The Boy Next Door is Bullying My Son

How do I deal with a neighbor whose son is mean to my child?

Forgiving Infidelity

Should I reconcile with my husband after he had an affair?

Children with Imaginary Friends

Should I be concerned that my young grandson has an imaginary friend?

My Husband Wants to Bring Porn Into Our Marriage

My husband wants to "spice up" our sex life with pornography. What do I do?

My Daughter's "Cute Baby" Phase

How can I help my 4-year-old grow out of her "cute baby" phase?

Should My Ex and I Remarry?

My ex-husband and I are considering getting remarried. Any advice?

Could My Grandson Have Autism?

I'm concerned about my grandson. Is he showing signs of autism?

How Will Divorce Impact My Child?

If my husband and I divorce, should I live near him for our child's sake?

Getting Your Kids to Clean Up After Themselves

How can I motivate my grade school kids to clean up after themselves?

My 4-Year-Old is Afraid to Sleep in the Dark

We've tried all kinds of things to solve the problem and don't know what else to do.

My Teen Daughter is a Tomboy

I'm concerned that my 14-year-old daughter is not very feminine.

Marriage Impacted by Premarital Sex

My husband and I had premarital sex, and it's affecting our marriage. What do we do?