Just for Moms

Q: My husband loves to wrestle with our twins, but he treats them so differently when they play rough. He’s very gentle with our daughter and much more physical with our son. I guess I’m wondering about two things: Is there any reason to be more gentle with girls than boys, and is there any [Readmore]

Q:I’m a stay-at-home mom and ever since our baby was born, it seems like my husband and I are growing apart from each other. We hardly even talk anymore. We used to be great at communication, talking to each other about our days, discussing our child and what she is learning. We used to do [Readmore]

Q: My husband and I have a 4-year old son and a 22-month-old daughter. I am a stay-at-home mom, but my husband is a very involved father. The problem is that both kids have been in a long stretch of “Mommy do it.” It’s terrible to see how my husband’s face falls as night after [Readmore]

Q: I’m a new mom—and the step-mother of a 6-year old from my husband’s previous marriage. I try to pay as much attention to my step-daughter as I can, but the minute I turn to my newborn son, she runs off in a fit.  I don’t want to hurt my step-daughter’s feelings, but I want [Readmore]

Q:I am 32 and have the worst case of “I-want-a-baby-syndrome.” The problem is that my husband is nowhere near ready. I cry sometimes when I visit my friends with children and I have to leave. Please help so I don’t drive my husband looney, pestering him and trying to convince him to have a child [Readmore]

Q:I’m three months pregnant and my husband is having a terrible time adjusting. He says that I’ve ruined his life and that he’s scared of the future. I’m afraid we’ll end up getting a divorce and I’ll be a single mom. I need some advice! A: I wish there were an easy answer for this. [Readmore]

Q:My husband is depressed about being a stay-at-home dad. He started off doing a great job, and the transition to staying home seemed to go really smoothly. But he recently told me that he resents the situation he’s in. He no longer seems interested in doing anything with our 8-month-old, he doesn’t shower very often, [Readmore]

Q: I’m breastfeeding our baby and I know my husband is 100 percent supportive. But sometimes I can tell that he’s feeling a little left out. Is there anything I can do to help him? How can he be involved in raising our child when so much of it depends on me and breastfeeding? A: [Readmore]

Q:Even though I’m married, I sometimes feel like a single mom. How can I get my husband to do more around the house and with our child? A: About 90 percent of couples experience an increase in stress after their children are born. And the number one stressor, by far, is the division of labor [Readmore]

Q: I’m the divorced father of two kids. I’ve been going out with a wonderful woman for a few months now and we’re heading in the direction of getting married. The problem is that she’s not quite sure how to behave around my kids. What can I do to help her—and my kids—feel more like [Readmore]

Dear Mr. Dad: I’m seeing news stories all the time about how stay-at-home dads are becoming more common, and how fathers of all kinds are taking on a greater share of the parenting workload. While that sounds like it should be a good thing, I’m worried about how the kids will do. I have nothing [Readmore]

Dear Mr. Dad: A few months ago, my husband got back from his 3rd Army deployment—two in Iraq, one in Afghanistan. He’s been diagnosed with PTSD and is getting treatment. But I’m worried that his condition is somehow rubbing off on the rest of the family. Our children are having problems in school, I’m finding [Readmore]

Dear Mr. Dad: I’m a sixth grade teacher and one of my students became very attached to me during the school year. Her parents divorced eight years ago and I began emailing with her dad a couple months ago. We started seeing each other but didn’t let many people know because we wanted to wait until school [Readmore]

Dear Mr. Dad: I’m dating a single father who says that his relationship with me means the world to him. But is it normal for him to leave in the middle of a number of dates to cater to the whims of his almost 18 yr. old daughter? He’s left to drive her to the [Readmore]

Dear Mr. Dad: I have postpartum depression pretty bad, and I feel like my husband thinks I’m faking it. How can I help him understand that I seriously need his help? A: Brava to you—most women who have post partum depression don’t get the help they need, often because they’re embarrassed to ask for it. [Readmore]

Dear Mr. Dad: A few months ago you answered a question from a reader whose teenager was refusing to do chores. My situation is similar, except that it’s my husband who won’t lift a finger. We both work full time, but when I come home, I usually start making dinner and getting the kids going [Readmore]

Dear Mr. Dad: My husband and I have only been married for about eight months. He’s 45 and I’m 36. Before we got married, we talked about starting a family—and we’re both aware of the small window of opportunity to get pregnant. But since the marriage he constantly tells me we aren’t ready, that we [Readmore]

Dear Mr. Dad: As a woman who grew up in the 1970s, I’ve always supported feminism, which did a great job of getting people to pay attention to women’s issues. But now, as the mother of three boys, I think we might have gone too far. Girl power is everywhere these days, and it has [Readmore]

Dear Mr. Dad: I have two grandchildren, ages 4 and 6. I love them dearly but really don’t enjoy babysitting. They run around, climb on the furniture, break things, and generally wreak havoc in my house. It takes me a good hour to child-proof the house before my daughter drops them off and then another [Readmore]

Dear Mr. Dad: You’ve written a lot of about how deployed dads can maintain strong relationships with their children while they’re away—and I’ve learned a lot of great stuff. But what about my wife? How do I keep my relationship with her strong too? A: Excellent question! With all the attention that gets paid to [Readmore]

Dear Mr. Dad: I recently married a man who has a 13-year-old daughter from a previous marriage. He and I met long after his divorced, so it’s not like I caused the breakup. Still, the girl has never liked me and, whenever she visits, she is arrogant and rude. I’m trying hard to be pleasant [Readmore]

Dear Mr. Dad: I’ve always resented my mother and thought she was a lousy parent. I saw only her negative side and was extremely critical and judgmental. But now that I’m a new mom myself, I see her in a different light and realize that her intentions were good. How do I make up for [Readmore]

Dear Mr. Dad: I am the mother of a 12 year old girl. We used to be very close, but she’s recently made it very clear that she only wants to be with her father. She’s never happy to see me, but she’s always happy to see my husband. No matter how much I try [Readmore]

Dear Mr. Dad: I just found out I’m pregnant and my husband is not looking forward to being a dad. The pregnancy was unplanned and he doesn’t see any positive sides to the situation. How do I get him to be more involved in the pregnancy and beyond? A: For some odd reason, people assume [Readmore]

Dear Mr. Dad: I am newly pregnant, and even though our baby isn’t due for a few more months, my husband and I are already having a major disagreement. I want to breastfeed for at least 4 or 5 months and my husband is scared of breast milk. I have tried to tell him it [Readmore]

Dear Mr. Dad: Ever since the birth of our first baby nine months ago my husband and I don’t spend any time together anymore. How do we manage to get some quality alone time while still being good parents to our son? A: Author Nora Ephron once said, “When you have a baby, you set [Readmore]

Guest 1: Kay Hymowitz, author of Manning Up Topic: How the rise of women has turned men into boys. Issues: The increasingly female-friendly economy (women are the majority of college grads and taking over new sectors of the economy); with no clear script in life, men no longer know what’s expected of them; understanding the [Readmore]

Guest 1: Michal Chesal, Creator of Baby K’tan baby carriers Topic: Baby carriers. Issues: Latest safety concerns; differences between various kinds of carriers (slings, wraps, etc). Guest 2: LeAnn Morrissey, Chief Shower Officer, Operation Shower Topic: Baby showers for expectant military mothers. Issues: Supporting military moms while their husband is deployed; gifts and other resources [Readmore]

Guest: Jena Pincott, author of Do Chocolate Lovers Have Sweeter Babies?Topic: The surprising science of pregnancy. Issues: Does stress sharpen your baby’s mind—or dull it? Can you predict your baby’s temperament? Why are babies born in the darker months of the year more likely to be risk-takers? Are bossy, dominant women more likely to have [Readmore]

Guest 1: Jessica Denay, author of The Hot Mom’s Club Handbook. Topic:How to laugh and feel great from playdate to date night. Issues: Waking up your inner Sleeping Beauty; why you can’t be the best mom unless you become the best you; navigating a life full of strollers, lack of sleep, and children without losing [Readmore]

Guests 1 and 2: Becky Beaupre Gillespie and Hollee Schwartz Temple, co-authors of Good Enough Is the New Perfect. Topic: Finding happiness and success in modern motherhood. Issues: Motherhood and technology; the new mommy wars; do you feel you’ve lost track of what makes you truly happy? Is it possible to “have it all”? The [Readmore]

Guest 1: Sara Rosenquist, author of After the Stork. Topic: A couple’s guide to preventing and overcoming postpartum depression. Issues: What is postpartum depression (PPD)—and what isn’t it? The true causes of PPD; warning signs; why just as many dads as moms develop PPD; when expectations meet reality; the social side of PPD. Podcast: Play [Readmore]

Guest 1: Robyn Silverman, author of Good Girls Don’t Get Fat. Topic: How weight obsession is messing up our girls and how we can help them thrive despite it. Issues: Tools to stop the ripple effects of attitudes and actions that damage our girls; finding positive female role models; how girls—whatever their size—can own their [Readmore]

Guest 1: Judith Simon Prager, coauthor of Verbal First Aid. Topic: Help your kids heal from fear and pain–and come out strong. Issues: The amazing science that process that the words we use can heal physical injuries; using the mind to heal; scripts for handling burns, asthma, cuts and bruises, nosebleeds, and more. Guest 2: [Readmore]

Guest 1: Leigh Oshirak, coauthor of Balance is a crock, Sleep is for the Weak. Topic: Surviving working motherhood Issues: Savoring every second of maternity leave; choosing almost-perfect childcare; how to hide morning sickness; mixing business and breastfeeding. Guest 2: Tracy Mayor, author of Mommy Prayers. Topic: The missing binkie, the late preschool pickup, the [Readmore]

Charles Sophy, author of Side by Side. Topic: Conflict-free mother-daughter communication. Issues: How mother-daughter communication is like a big, scary roller coaster; the four truths of mother-daughter communication; observing and identifying potential sources of conflict; money and values; sex and the perceived transfer of sexuality; Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Guest 1: Wednesday Martin, author of Stepmonster. Topic: A new look at why real stepmothers think, feel, and act the way they do Issues: The process of becoming a stepmother; the myths and realities of being married to a man with children; debunking the prevailing notion that stepmothers are responsible for the problems they encounter. [Readmore]

Guest 1: Rachel Lehmann-Haupt, author of In Her Own Sweet Time. Topic: Finding love, commitment, and motherhood as a single woman Issues: Testing your fertility and what the results show about your ability to conceive; what it’s really like to search for a sperm donor; how to date while still thinking about motherhood; the joys [Readmore]

Guest 1: Izzy Rose, author of The Package Deal Topic: One woman’s not-so-glamorous transition from single gal to instant mom Issues: Social supports (or the lack) for step mothers; keeping expectations reasonable; dealing with the pressure to love the kids right away; dealing with the children’s biological mother; how to introduce the kids (“my step-kids” [Readmore]

Guest 1: Carl Pickhardt, author of Keys to Successful Stepfathering. Topic: How men can be effective stepfathers and maintain a healthy marriage at the same time. Issues: Easing into the new role as stepparent; building relationships with the stepchildren; keeping expectations realistic; managing conflict and establishing authority. Guest 2: James Garbarino, author of See Jane [Readmore]

Guest 1: Lori Long, author of The Parent’s Guide to Family-Friendly Work. Topic: Finding the balance between employment and enjoyment. Issues: How to target family-friendly careers and jobs; evaluating the family-friendly claims of your current employer; negotiating alternate work arrangements; strategies for stay-at-home parents wanting to return to the workplace. Guest 2: Karen Steede Terry, [Readmore]

Guest 1: Amy Kovarick, coauthor of Baby on Board. Topic: Becoming a mother without losing yourself. Issues: Learning to focus on yourself while preparing for baby’s arrival; the importance of asking questions, like “who do I want to be as a mother?” discovering what will bring balance and fulfillment as the new mom juggles career, [Readmore]

Guest 1: Alyson Schafer, author of Breaking the Good Mom Myth. Topic: How moms can get past perfection, regain their sanity, and raise great kids. Issues: Coping with power struggles; the democratic family-what it is and how to create one; encouraging children at school without making them feel overwhelmed or inferior; the difference between praise [Readmore]