How do I, as a man, show my son a caring and feminine side to life? I've raised my son in classic, tough-guys-don't-cry fashion. I worry that I haven't given him the tools to form the best relationships with the opposite sex or to be more caring and compassionate and I want to redress the very male influences in his upbringing. Are there any other single fathers out there who have the same concerns? How have you dealt with them? Are there any good resources you would recommend? Any women who have experience of young men mainly raised by their fathers? What are your thoughts? Am I worrying unnecessarily? [more inside]
posted on May 13, 2008 - 31 answers

What are some good resources for raising a gifted child? Google will pull up all kinds of things, but I'd love a recommendation for stuff more weighted toward parents who want their kids to be able to enjoy childhood and away from the more competitive stuff. I don't want to judge anyone else's parenting choices, but we want to feed our son's interests without trying to turn him into the next Einstein. We just got through some assessments, and are trying to figure out what to do next. I'm sure I'll have more specific questions later, but any online communities or background reading you can point me to would be awesome!
posted on May 9, 2008 - 37 answers

What do you do once you have a kid and family problem stakes seem higher, i.e. you're concerned about exposing your child things that go against what you believe? [more inside]
posted on May 6, 2008 - 27 answers

Looking for a stellar marriage counselor in Durham/Chapel Hill, NC [more inside]
posted on Apr 1, 2008 - 5 answers

Educational Opportunity or Con Job? [more inside]
posted on Mar 30, 2008 - 16 answers

When my lease expires at the end of May, my boyfriend and I will be moving together. This is all very exciting, but I'm going to go from living alone to being a (basically) stepmom to a 10 year old boy. How can we make this easier on everyone? Are there any books that will be helpful? [more inside]
posted on Feb 28, 2008 - 16 answers

My 18 month old baby loves to pound on the computer keyboard in imitation of her mom and dad. Does anyone have any experience with programs that would both prevent her from deleting all of our files while providing an entertaining experience? [more inside]
posted on Feb 26, 2008 - 26 answers

I am looking for great parenting websites (got a newborn) with an active, intelligent discussion forum, kind of like metafilter/ask mefi for parents. Thanks
posted on Feb 7, 2008 - 10 answers

[Ladies filter] My niece just got her first period -- how to celebrate? Or is that a weird thing to do? [more inside]
posted on Feb 1, 2008 - 118 answers

My niece's mom is an alcohol/drug addict. My niece has consistent contact with her mom over the phone. Did I do the right thing in letting her know about her mom's problem? If not, can I mitigate the damage I've done? [more inside]
posted on Jan 25, 2008 - 31 answers

Having kids or not when you have chronic health issues: how did you decide and come to terms with it? [more inside]
posted on Jan 21, 2008 - 12 answers

My 11-year old niece is a TV addict - help us help her break the addiction! [more inside]
posted on Jan 10, 2008 - 42 answers

Looking for positive experiences where single parent and young child(en) were separated by great distances. Specifically, I am curious to know how it was made to work. [more inside]
posted on Jan 3, 2008 - 9 answers

MeFi Parenting filter: What are appropriate consequences for an 8-year-old who has a history of carelessness with belongings, and has lost his $250 glasses? [more inside]
posted on Dec 21, 2007 - 60 answers

How much do parents tell each other about the stories/secrets their children thell them? [more inside]
posted on Dec 20, 2007 - 32 answers

My going to be 4 years old daughter is asking for "the spider game" for Christmas. All we've been able to get out of her in the way of a description is that it involves a spider web possibly above a track of some sorts. Anyone have even a glimmer of a clue what it might be she is after? [more inside]
posted on Dec 7, 2007 - 19 answers

How do I make sure I'm the absolute best son I can be? [more inside]
posted on Nov 9, 2007 - 19 answers

What do you wish you'd known about having twins? [more inside]
posted on Nov 6, 2007 - 21 answers

Help me be an awesome mom! [more inside]
posted on Oct 19, 2007 - 36 answers

How old is too old for a boy-girl sleep over? [more inside]
posted on Oct 4, 2007 - 65 answers

ToddlerFilter: Why did my 14 month old son go from absolutely loving to fearing and loathing bathtime? What can I do to get him to like taking baths again? [more inside]
posted on Sep 30, 2007 - 19 answers

Our 6 week old seams to only like sleeping in his swing. Is this ok? Are there any ill effects to swinging that much vs sleeping in his crib? Also, assuming this is no big issue, is this normal, and do they eventually get over it and have no issues in the crib?
posted on Sep 27, 2007 - 14 answers

My wife and I are planning on having a second child, but we are pretty sure we want to adopt. [more inside]
posted on Sep 24, 2007 - 32 answers

Where can I find 1950s and 1960s guides on how to talk to your kids about sex? I know they're out there, but library searches and amazon searches are only turning up newer books.
posted on Sep 18, 2007 - 11 answers

I just had a baby, and I'm looking for ways to keep being the "strong one." [more inside]
posted on Aug 25, 2007 - 22 answers

I am a father of a soon to be 14y/o son and an 11 y/o girl. Both me and my wife lost our fathers when we were about 10y/o (hers died, mine split) so we are blazing new territory here. We are basically clueless as far as how we should not only discipline but simply how to act or know what to expect in terms of what is normal for both our kids and ourselves with our kids. Is there anything out there that can be used as a guide to help us understand how to parent our children without having to pay someone to attend a touchy-feely conference? [more inside]
posted on Aug 14, 2007 - 18 answers

Gift for father-to-be from the mother-to-be? I want to give my partner a gift- we are expecting in 2 weeks, my co-workers are throwing a shower for me, my partner has been working non-stop and I would like to do something special for him.... [more inside]
posted on Aug 9, 2007 - 16 answers

I think my son's about to tell me he's gay. I want to say the best thing possible. What is that? [more inside]
posted on Jul 11, 2007 - 53 answers

My kid is *such* a whiner. Help. [more inside]
posted on Jun 13, 2007 - 47 answers

Help me help my troubled son. [more inside]
posted on Jun 9, 2007 - 46 answers

Help us deal with our early-rising one-year old. [more inside]
posted on Jun 4, 2007 - 23 answers

Our 18 year old cat died this afternoon. Would it be beneficial to my 6 1/2 year old daughter to have a full "pet funeral", or should I just quietly bury him in the backyard before she gets home from school today? [more inside]
posted on May 24, 2007 - 42 answers

Should I commit to my significantly overweight girlfriend? [more inside]
posted on May 21, 2007 - 46 answers

What is the benefit of growing up in the big(ish) city? [more inside]
posted on Apr 27, 2007 - 46 answers

I'm a gay male. Although it's several years out still, I've been thinking a lot about parenthood. So much, much [more inside]
posted on Apr 25, 2007 - 11 answers

How do you deal with a five year old child who breaks your stuff when his parents think he never does anything wrong and how dare you think otherwise, and than smack the door in your face? [more inside]
posted on Apr 21, 2007 - 37 answers

I hate my mum. She has done nothing to deserve this. How do I start loving her again? [more inside]
posted on Apr 18, 2007 - 24 answers

How can I make my household more functional and less antagonistic this summer? Tons of details inside. [more inside]
posted on Apr 11, 2007 - 34 answers

My (widowed) father is divorcing his wife. Dad married her when my daughter was a toddler so she’s the only Grandma she’s had. Grandma has no interest in remaining friendly with our family. How do we tell our daughter that she won’t see her Grandma again without breaking her heart? [more inside]
posted on Apr 11, 2007 - 26 answers

[MorbidityFilter]: I have written a letter to my 20-month old son, so that were I to die tomorrow I would leave behind some small measure of such wisdom I have accumulated. Am I weird? [more inside]
posted on Mar 21, 2007 - 34 answers

Did your parents divorce when you were a small child? Do you wish they hadn't? Do you wish they had handled it differently? What did they do right? How do you feel about the custody arrangement they worked out? [more inside]
posted on Mar 9, 2007 - 41 answers

Parents, tell me: how do you cope with the sleep deprivation that comes with the territory of having a baby? [more inside]
posted on Feb 26, 2007 - 38 answers

My five-year old son has some benign but frequent sterotypies - flapping his hands, jumping in circles, grimacing. He's entering kindergarten this fall, and I'm worried about how this behavior might cause him trouble in the school environment. Any insights and experience from parents, teachers, or people with sterotypies themselves would be extremely helpful. [more inside]
posted on Feb 23, 2007 - 23 answers

At what age should you start giving a child an allowance? Personal experiences? Obvious follow-up: How much?
posted on Feb 6, 2007 - 35 answers

My wife and I are Buddhist. We have a four year old daughter who we would like to see get a great education. In our area/county, some of the better (academics, arts, and athletics) schools are Catholic schools. Would it be a good idea to send my daughter to a Catholic school? [more inside]
posted on Feb 3, 2007 - 68 answers

Parents want to move across the country, adolescent children want to stay. What to do? [more inside]
posted on Jan 29, 2007 - 38 answers

How can I get past the fear that I'm totally going to botch the very important job of parenthood, and just be a good mom? [more inside]
posted on Jan 24, 2007 - 27 answers

Those with two or more kids: if you had to do it all over again, would you do so, or not? Not counting outside factors like the state of the world and so forth. [more inside]
posted on Jan 17, 2007 - 46 answers

My 6 Year Old has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder. We are not going to drug him. How can I help him? [more inside]
posted on Jan 16, 2007 - 63 answers

Should I get speech therapy for my 4 year old son? [more inside]
posted on Jan 6, 2007 - 36 answers