My four year old alleges our new nanny called him, “stupid” and hit him. He is generally a reliable narrator, but he is only four. How do I find out for sure? Apologies in advance for the copious details inside. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Dec 3, 2009 - 57 answers

How often do people change their minds about starting a family? [more inside]
posted by lilyflower on Nov 24, 2009 - 24 answers

I want to give money to relative's children so that they can use it when they're older. How best to do this? [more inside]
posted by rmd1023 on Oct 1, 2009 - 10 answers

A child I know and love appears to have behaviors consistent with OCD. I'd love to hear your personal experiences with treating or adapting to this condition/way of being. [more inside]
posted by serazin on Aug 8, 2009 - 13 answers

How do you extricate yourself from a family-oriented friendship? Very long and pathetic story to follow. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Aug 4, 2009 - 28 answers

Someone reassure me that I will indeed get joint custody.... [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jul 21, 2009 - 8 answers

What made-up names does your very young child call favorite movies, books, games, or television shows? [more inside]
posted by Mo Nickels on Jun 6, 2009 - 33 answers

What should I be doing to help my baby's development? Baby Ava is now 6 months old and she is starting to really become a little person. Mommy and daddy talk to her, read to her, sing to her, play various style of music for her. She plays with blocks, rattles, and spends a little time in an exersaucer. What else can we do to help her mind grow and her body develop?
posted by jasondigitized on Apr 6, 2009 - 30 answers

Can anyone recommend baby videos for nine-month olds (and up)? [more inside]
posted by zarq on Nov 17, 2008 - 26 answers

How do you tell a three year old that they won't be having a baby brother after all? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Nov 16, 2008 - 8 answers

To what degree should I moderate my children's use of language at home? I am raising six children aged 10 and below outside the US with my wife who is an non-native English speaker. [more inside]
posted by BinGregory on Nov 11, 2008 - 19 answers

Concrete ideas of things to do with a nine-year-old boy in the Baltimore, MD area. I am going to be the Big Sister of a boy in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program, and as much as I love doing things this kid likes and things kids like in general, I'm having a heck of a time trying to come up with specific activities--for example, I can't exactly schedule an activity day for sword-fighting or reading. [more inside]
posted by schroedinger on Nov 4, 2008 - 11 answers

How can I help stop child abuse, other than writing a check? [more inside]
posted by middleclasstool on Aug 28, 2008 - 19 answers

What happy memories do you have of being a young child that make you think either "those were good times" or "that was good parenting"? [more inside]
posted by onlyconnect on Aug 12, 2008 - 64 answers

So, we just had a baby and grandmothers keep coming up to us and handing us checks for $50 and saying "This is so you can buy a savings bond for the baby." However, I would like to hear about alternative saving/investing ideas for my daughter. [more inside]
posted by ND¢ on Jul 28, 2008 - 18 answers

How did having a baby change your life? I'm intentionally leaving the question as broad as it is and would love to hear your answers, mothers and fathers; but especially in regard to how it may have changed you, as a person. My wife is expecting in 5 weeks, I feel both tremendous excitement, but also a slight anxiety as I know my life will never be the same.
posted by razzman on Jul 22, 2008 - 33 answers

Flip this question: What is great about parenting a boy? [more inside]
posted by k8t on Jun 23, 2008 - 41 answers

What is an appropriate way to discipline strangers' kids? [more inside]
posted by crazy finger on Mar 29, 2008 - 34 answers

I'm at University and far removed from home geographically. My parents are planning on getting divorced soon and anyone semi-observant would've seen this coming years and years ago. Both wonderful people, both wholly incompatible. So what can I/they do for my adorably clueless, naive, 8-year old sister who still has no idea? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Nov 4, 2007 - 14 answers

How do I kid-proof a front door? [more inside]
posted by acoutu on Oct 12, 2007 - 21 answers

What does the rulebook say about posting pictures of a minor whose parents are divorced? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jun 11, 2007 - 37 answers

In Melbourne this weekend with my almost 12 year old daughter, staying in Carlton. What things are fun and don't require a car?
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen on Mar 7, 2007 - 14 answers

How can I make a highrise safe for my child? [more inside]
posted by acoutu on Sep 4, 2006 - 9 answers

I'm a dad now, and recently I've been wondering when I should give my son a computer, and how it should be set up. [more inside]
posted by sycophant on Jul 17, 2006 - 16 answers

Can anyone recommend good books to read to a two-year-old boy who's going to be taking his first airplane trip in ten days? [more inside]
posted by Songdog on May 20, 2006 - 17 answers

Toddler shoes -- what are the best brands? [more inside]
posted by acoutu on May 16, 2006 - 10 answers

What is the best way to tell someone that you want to have a child with him? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Dec 21, 2005 - 14 answers

Tourism with children in New York - where shall I take my 10 year old daughter? [more inside]
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen on Dec 1, 2005 - 28 answers

How do you best support a survivor of childhood abuse? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jul 24, 2005 - 17 answers

I have a four year old son who simply refuses to eat his meals in a timely fashion. This has been an ongoing problem since he was two years old and we've been trying various approaches, but have mainly been hoping that he grows out of it. But it's at the point that every single meal has become unpleasant because of his refusal to eat. [more inside]
posted by Lactoso on Apr 13, 2005 - 56 answers

I was looking at mathowie's weblog: a.wholelottanothing.org, and he talked about the "theme" of the baby shower they just had - "bring your absolute favorite book you owned as a child". What was yours? [more inside]
posted by slactoid on Feb 28, 2005 - 67 answers

I need some good, solid information about child vaccines. Everything I read either smacks of propaganda (the anti-vaccine side) or is cheerfully oversimplified (the pro-vaccine side). Is there a moderate, objective book or website that addresses the claims of both sides? [more inside]
posted by recurve on Jan 29, 2005 - 23 answers

Children's SF-Fantasy: For years, I have been trying to remember the name of a book I read as a child, in the mid-1980s. It is a novel, appropriate for 8-12 year olds, in a vaguely medieval/fantasy setting. The main character (I think) is a boy who goes into a forest (on a journey? a quest?) - he meets a girl there who is a firewitch, with really bright orange hair. Sorry for the vagueness, but I was about eight at the time, and haven't been able to find it since. [more inside]
posted by jb on Jan 10, 2005 - 7 answers

Where can you have sex (together, as a couple) in NYC when you can't do it at your place? In our case, it's hard to get wild when the babysitter is taking care of our baby daughter in the other room. We don't want to pay $150 for a hotel room when all we need is a couple of hours. What are our alternatives?
posted by anonymous on Dec 9, 2004 - 17 answers

What on earth is going on in children's heads?

I have no memory of being a child, and certainly none of what sort of things I thought about when I was a kid. As an adult, I see kids do inexplicable things and wonder just how the heck they thought to say/do such strange things; and I see kids witness/experience things that they have no framework whatsoever for understanding.

What goes on in a kid's brain? Is it noise, is it long ponderings, is it blank, is it confused, etc. Any idea what "it sounds like" inside there? [more inside]
posted by five fresh fish on Dec 1, 2004 - 61 answers

It has been recommended that my 6 y.o. see a psychiatrist for possible ADD. Has anyone else had experience with someone so young being administered drugs for this? I'm having fears that he'll turn into a zombie. Minus the flesh eating.
posted by adampsyche on Oct 26, 2004 - 29 answers

AskMacFilter: Ok, so now I’ve got a viable Imac and a 2.63 year old. What sites/software are going to suit her? [more inside]
posted by daver on Sep 18, 2004 - 6 answers

Cussing kids. My sweet little baby girl (8) cut loose with an unbelievable string of profanity when she got off the school bus today. I was actually embarrassed, and believe me, that takes a lot. I have no idea where it came from. We don't speak like that and her peer group consists of exactly one child (very small school). I didn't even know she knew these words. Besides grounding her forever (done) and I have no idea how to best to address this.
posted by cedar on May 19, 2004 - 47 answers

Raising a bilingual child. I'd be grateful to hear advice, experiences or recommended resources for raising a child in a dual-language home. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by Ljubljana on Feb 2, 2004 - 16 answers