Family Matters

My spouse verbally and emotionally abuses our children

My husband has never physically harmed me or the kids, but he constantly subjects our children to mean-spirited put-downs. For example, he tells them that they're stupid and lazy. He demeans my son's athletic abilities. He tells my daughter that she's ugly and needs to lose weight. The children try…

16 Jun 2020 6PM 4 min

How to prevent teens from sexting

What are some things I can do to discourage my teen from engaging in "sexting"? I've become increasingly worried as I've read about the rise in this kind of activity among kids. I'm also aware that the consequences can be extremely serious. At the same time, I'm not sure that…

15 Jun 2020 6PM 4 min

Grown woman's mother is jealous and possessive

Do you have any advice on how to deal with a relationally jealous and possessive mother? Though I'm a grown woman with young children of my own, my mom is still trying to control my life. I'd love to have a close, healthy relationship with her, but she demands more…

14 Jun 2020 6PM 4 min

Restoring trust in marriage

What can a couple do to renew a sense of confidence in one another after many years of marriage that have included numerous painful circumstances requiring forgiveness on the part of both spouses? How can we restore trust to our relationship?

11 Jun 2020 6PM 4 min

Wife critical of husband's children in blended family

My current wife is biased against my children from my first marriage. We have four kids altogether - two from my first marriage and two from this one - but she clearly favors her own. At first she seemed to accept the older kids, but lately her attitude towards them…

11 Jun 2020 6PM 3 min

Parenting when friends and relatives have different values

How can we raise our kids effectively when so many of our friends and family members hold perspectives and values that conflict with our beliefs? We're a strong Christian family and we require our children to live by Christian standards of behavior. But not everyone shares our faith, and it's…

9 Jun 2020 6PM 3 min

Disciplining a child who runs away

How do we deal with a small child who takes off and has to be chased down every time he misbehaves and suspects that he's about to be punished? He tends to run away whenever any kind of problem surfaces, and we have to run after him just to talk…

8 Jun 2020 6PM 4 min

Bedwetting

How can we stop our child from wetting the bed? What do we need to know about the causes of this behavior? Our son is well past the age of potty-training, yet I still have to change his bedding several times a week. I've lost my patience with him more…

7 Jun 2020 6PM 4 min

Teaching children to be respectful in a coarsened culture

How can I teach my children good manners? It seems etiquette has become a thing of the past, both for children and adults. This is something I'm determined to instill in my kids, but I can see that it won't be easy. How do I teach them to treat people…

4 Jun 2020 6PM 4 min

My husband is physically abusive

My husband has had a tendency to resort to violent behavior throughout our marriage. I feel trapped. At times I have even feared for my safety, but I don't know what to do. Can you help me?

3 Jun 2020 6PM 4 min

Confronting a disrespectful and controlling mother-in-law

How should I respond to my spouse's mother when she expresses disapproval of my parenting style and speaks to me disrespectfully in front of my husband and our children? I've put up with this kind of treatment for years, but I think I've reached my limit. What can I do?

2 Jun 2020 6PM 4 min

Child has a problem with truthfulness

How can I get my daughter to stop lying? I catch her inventing "tall tales" all the time at home, and now she's complaining that the kids at school don't believe anything she says. Does she simply have a great imagination, or is this a serious problem?

1 Jun 2020 6PM 4 min

Is depression a sin

Is Depression a Sin is posed by more people than perhaps any other when trying to understand what is going on emotionally with themselves or with someone close to them.

31 May 2020 6PM 4 min

Biblical look at gambling

Does the Bible really say that gambling is wrong? I realize that it's one of those activities – like dancing and playing cards – that religious conservatives have traditionally been "against." But I'm not convinced that there's any solid biblical basis for their opposition to what I regard as innocuous…

28 May 2020 6PM 5 min

-DELETED- Love Story

This is a 60-second daily feature looking at most critical issues facing the family today. In these features, focus on the Family offers practical advice on variety of subjects of interest for the whole family. Subjects include: marital, medical, emotional, parental and many more.

27 May 2020 6PM 1 min

The Bible on pre-marital sex

Where does the Bible actually say that pre-marital sex is wrong? My parents have always taught me that the Bible commands us not to have sex before marriage. Now that I'm old enough to think for myself, I'm having serious doubts about this. I haven't run across anything in Scripture…

27 May 2020 6PM 4 min

-DELETED- True Romance

This is a 60-second daily feature looking at most critical issues facing the family today. In these features, focus on the Family offers practical advice on variety of subjects of interest for the whole family. Subjects include: marital, medical, emotional, parental and many more.

26 May 2020 6PM 1 min

Spouse may be involved with pornography

What should I do if I believe that my spouse may be viewing obscene and sexually explicit material? I'm not 100 percent sure, but I've seen evidence to support my fears. He gets angry and defensive whenever I raise the subject and tells me I'm imagining things. Any advice?

26 May 2020 6PM 4 min

-DELETED- Teaching Compassion

This is a 60-second daily feature looking at most critical issues facing the family today. In these features, focus on the Family offers practical advice on variety of subjects of interest for the whole family. Subjects include: marital, medical, emotional, parental and many more.

25 May 2020 6PM 1 min

Spouse Is Receiving Flirty Messages

How should I respond if my spouse receives inappropriate and flirtatious messages via social media? I ran across something like this on her page the other day and it's been bothering me ever since. What can I do about it?

25 May 2020 6PM 4 min