Mother-in-Law as the Nanny: The Real Costs of “Free” Childcare
My mother-in-law will be caring for my baby daily when my maternity leave ends. How do I set-up appropriate boundaries and manage that tricky relationship?
My mother-in-law will be caring for my baby daily when my maternity leave ends. How do I set-up appropriate boundaries and manage that tricky relationship?
My daughter is a thumb sucker and I’m inclined to let her stop it in her own time. Is that the correct strategy or am I setting her up for long-term dental problems?
A mom-to-be has abandoned a toxic support group but continues her friendship with another former support group member. But, that friend continues to gossip about our former group and I just can’t take it anymore. What should I do?
A young neighborhood kid doesn’t seem to understand and respect boundaries and his parents don’t seem to care. How should I handle this sticky situation?
My estranged parents want to build a relationship with me and my infant twins. But they still don’t want to accept my partner as a mother to our sons. I find this unacceptable. I need your advice.
A work-out-of-the-home-mom’s long commute is making her rethink her excellent caregiving option. She is contemplating a radical move, but is she missing other options available to her?
My mother-in-law (who now lives in the South) wants to throw me a baby shower. But the guests are her friends and only my acquaintances. I feel uncomfortable about this. What should I do?
My husband and I are ready to start planning for our second child relatively soon. When we share our plans with others, we are met with confusion. Are we missing something?
My parents are secretly planning to move near my immediate family. They are functional alcoholics and the stress of them pressuring to consistently babysit my young son is leading me to actually consider moving out-of-state.
I need to sleep train my infant son but am concerned about waking my toddler daughter who is a super-light sleeper.
My young son is disturbed by the gun videos the older boys on the school bus are showing him. What should I do? Am I overreacting by wanting to contact the school?
A mother wants to explain Asperger’s in positive way to her children now that they have a new friend who is on the spectrum.
A young bride-to-be is distressed because she wants to have four children and her fiance wants two, maybe three. Should disagreeing on family size be a dealbreaker?
A mom asks how to overcome her toddler potty training regression, caused by the birth of a new sibling.
An expecting mom needs help deciding whether she should tell her own needy mother that she’s pregnant. It’s a complicated and emotionally fraught relationship that she has with her mom.
After a miscarriage, our reader is looking for support on how to overcome the fear of becoming pregnant only to suffer another loss.
A mom would like to partially wean her toddler but she throws temper tantrums and the mom ultimately gives in because it’s nursing related. She needs help following through.
A mom is expecting her third child and while excited is also overwhelmed at the thought of being outnumbered.
An mom needs advice on how to help her pee-potty-trained son poop on the toilet before he starts preschool in the Fall, especially since the timing coincides with the birth of a new sibling.
An expectant mom needs advice navigating interacting with her cousin, who has been having difficulty conceiving, at an upcoming family reunion.