Serious mistakes made months ago at work have been uncovered. Facing possible discipline (even termination), I'm wondering how (or if) I should disclose mental health issues that likely contributed. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Nov 16, 2009 - 18 answers

Step-parenting filter: Looking for general advice on being a new step mom. [more inside]
posted by cheemee on Nov 2, 2009 - 14 answers

Desperate friend has turned to me for book suggestions on her three year old. Ideally available in Australia, but Amazon is always possible. What are your killer books for nailing the second really difficult time in a parent's life.... the 2-3year old? [more inside]
posted by taff on Sep 6, 2009 - 9 answers

Help me handle/reduce assignment stress while doing uni by correspondence. [more inside]
posted by Chrysalis on Aug 13, 2009 - 9 answers

How do I discipline a student that doesn't care about detention? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jun 4, 2009 - 38 answers

Curbing impulses: what are some simple, in-the-moment tricks for interrupting reflexive behavior patterns and restoring self-control? [more inside]
posted by Bardolph on Apr 27, 2009 - 9 answers

What's the best library database for finding journal articles on Internet and other digital research? [more inside]
posted by gusandrews on Nov 11, 2008 - 14 answers

I need to discipline an employee for extreme tardiness, but I don't know how. [more inside]
posted by foxinthesnow on Oct 30, 2008 - 33 answers

Help me re-develop personal discipline without tearing myself to pieces. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 26, 2008 - 12 answers

I've plenty in touch with my inner child. How can I get in touch with my inner adult? I just want to be more disciplined and do the things a grownup needs to get done. [more inside]
posted by Deathalicious on Sep 23, 2008 - 16 answers

What's some successful self talk to help me reach my weight loss goals? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Sep 14, 2008 - 22 answers

Are there alternatives to the lotus position for classic meditation that don't leave the back unsupported? I've found that sitting in an unsupported position, or in a chair that doesn't have a seat back, ends up making my back ache rather strongly. I've thought about investigating meditation (and looking into the more classical, early practices), but have wondered if there's a "kosher" (accepted in the discipline) way of doing the more classical meditations while having your back completely supported (by lying on the ground, or doing it in a chair, or what have you).
posted by WCityMike on Apr 24, 2008 - 17 answers

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

I just found out that I'm being written up by my HR manager. What's the best way to handle it so it's goes smoothly? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Dec 22, 2007 - 14 answers

Can an 13 year old be expelled from a charter school in Chicago because she is pregnant? [more inside]
posted by kimdog on Nov 27, 2007 - 9 answers

How do we stop the cat from jumping on top of the new plasma TV? [more inside]
posted by ranglin on Oct 11, 2007 - 20 answers

Crowd control techniques for hundreds of unruly people (teenagers in this case)? More inside... [more inside]
posted by Alabaster on Sep 21, 2007 - 16 answers

How do we discipline an adult aspergers son? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Aug 28, 2007 - 18 answers

Is there anything besides 'willpower' to grab hold of if you wanted to stop being ruinously indisciplined? Do you know people who've managed major personal change on that front? It's difficult because it feels like it's literally ALL IN YOUR HEAD so how do you change your own mind? [more inside]
posted by raisons de coeur on Jul 21, 2007 - 26 answers

So, I promised myself that this year I would write a feature-length screenplay and enter it for the Nicholl Fellowships. The deadline is May 1. I haven't started yet. Still doable? [more inside]
posted by different on Apr 11, 2007 - 22 answers

I own a small company and I'm at my wits end. We have some people who are good but not great, and they keep making mistakes or not following rules, which drive other people nuts because they have to catch these people's mistakes and otherwise clean up after them. Problems vary but are almost always caused by carelessness (putting in a wrong zip code, mistyping pricing, forgetting to get something signed off, etc) These aren't necessarily enough for the managers here to want to fire anyone, but there's only so many times you can say "don't do it again." It's also causing some of the better (more careful) employees to lose morale. I'm hearing things along the lines of "nobody cares if mistakes are made, so who cares." Please help me come up with ideas on how to discipline people. It seems like there's only so little you can do besides the usual, which seem severe (firing, less/no bonus). Where's the middle ground? How do we motivate these people to do better?
posted by edjusted on Jan 31, 2007 - 41 answers

How can I learn to work without medication? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jan 1, 2007 - 28 answers

How do I find joy in housework? [more inside]
posted by treepour on Oct 23, 2006 - 41 answers

I'm trying to find a bank that might have a certain kind of bank account to aid me in the discipline of saving a certain amount of money; barring that, I'd appreciate any creative ideas on how to accomplish the same goal. More inside. [more inside]
posted by WCityMike on Oct 4, 2006 - 29 answers

How to stop a cat from biting so much when playing? [more inside]
posted by heatherann on Mar 12, 2005 - 26 answers

When I was little, my parents used to tell me that "in the olden days," many parents would spank their kids once a week, even though their kids hadn't been naughty. The spanking was supposedly preventative ("you'll get worse than THIS if you misbehave") or predictive ("I don't know WHAT you've done, but I'm sure you've done SOMETHING -- or you WILL do something...")

My question is: is this true? I mean, I know there are (and have been) all sorts of whack-o parents, but was there ever a general philosophy of parenting that advocated weekly spankings? My parents usually brought this up in the context of "you think YOU have it bad, well..." Were they yanking my chain? Is this an urban legend?
posted by grumblebee on Aug 23, 2004 - 18 answers

Anyone know any good books on developing self discipline? All the books I'm running across while searching are for child rearing.
posted by pissfactory on Jul 12, 2004 - 10 answers