Q
Our 11-year-old son has suddenly taken to telling fanciful, exaggerated stories about himself, usually highlighting his athletic prowess. The stories seem to come out of nowhere, and he tells them only to me — never to his father. Could this be a sign that he’s looking for more attention from Mom?
Q
My 9-year-old son has trouble comprehending the material he’s being taught at school. His teachers say he’s not focused and loses concentration easily. We’ve tested his vision and hearing, and also did an auditory-processing test; everything has come back fine. I feel helpless. Do you have any advice?
Q
My 2½-year-old recently heard a new song that he insisted we dance to over and over again. A few days later, I tried to show my parents how much he loves it, but when I turned it on, he burst into tears and insisted I turn the song off. What happened?
Q
We’re accustomed to our seven-year-old daughter’s difficulty accepting praise, but her recent reaction was the worst yet. When we told her how proud we were when she was chosen to read the morning announcements at school, she got very angry, yelled at us to stop talking about it and began to cry. My husband says these “moments” are normal. Is he right?
Q
My husband shows no interest or initiative in helping with our newborn, and it’s making me really sad and upset. I’ve even had suicidal thoughts because of this.
Q
My six-year-old son recently “broke up” with his best friend. He’s taking the separation quite hard. How can I help him through this?
Q
Our 18-week-old foster child has been with us since she was five weeks old. Since her mother got out of rehab two weeks ago, she has begun seeing her mother once a week for an hour. Now the baby has started something odd — and this happens only with me. When settling down for sleep, she puts her head on my shoulder, then turns to snuggle up under my jaw. Then she’ll work her way up my face and open her mouth in an O shape, suctioning herself to the side of my face. This usually happens two or three times before she goes to sleep. Is this odd?
Q
Because our eight-year-old son has a serious peanut allergy, we’ve been teaching all of our children the importance of food safety. At the same time, we don’t want to frighten them, especially the youngest, who freaks out when she sees nutty candy bars at the supermarket checkout. What’s the best way to handle this?
Q
I babysit my two-year-old niece, whom I take to toddler activities with my daughter, who is just two months older. I stay with them for the gymnastics class, but leave while they take a supervised crafts class. My niece cries hysterically when we go to both classes, and continues to cry even when I stay with her. What can I do to help her feel more comfortable?