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Q: My kids never help around the house unless I berate them into doing so. I know this is my fault as much as theirs, and it’s not a particularly effective parenting technique, but I want to turn it around. How can I get my kids to carry their weight without me having to hound them into doing their chores? A: Parents have been complaining that their kids don't pull their … [Read more...] about How to Get Your Kids to Do the Chores

Q: Our baby isn’t crawling yet, but he will be pretty soon. Basically he goes for anything within his reach. I’m assuming he'll be the same way when he starts crawling. What should we do to childproof our house? A: Once your baby realizes that he's able to move around by himself, his mission in life will be to locate--and race you to--the most dangerous, life-threatening … [Read more...] about Childproofing Your House

A daughter needs a father to protect her from thunder and lightening. When I wrote that statement for my first book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, I quite literally meant it. My daughter was only eight years old at the time and still came to my side or crawled into my bed whenever a severe storm loomed over our home. It was my job back then to provide comfort and give … [Read more...] about Why a Daughter Needs a Dad

Q: Some friends of ours share their king-sized bed with their two children. They say that families all over the world sleep in the same "family bed" that it’s good for everyone. “Co-Sleeping” as they call it, still seems weird to me. Doesn’t it interfere with mom and dad’s relationship to sleep with the kids in the bed? It also seems pretty unsafe to me. What do you think? … [Read more...] about Can Children Sleep in the Same Bed as Parents?

Q: We have a newborn and my wife and I are both exhausted. Who do you think should take care of the baby when he wakes up at 3 a.m.? Do both of us have to suffer? Does our infant really need both of us there in the middle of the night? A: If your baby wakes up in the middle of the night hungry, and your partner is breastfeeding, you might as well stay in bed and let her take … [Read more...] about Why Does My Baby Wake Me Up Every Night