Family Matters

Impact of gender in marriage

How do gender distinctions – psychological and emotional as well as physical and sexual – impact male-female relationships and the business of everyday life within the context of marriage? What do husbands and wives need to know about this subject, and how will that knowledge help them build a stronger…

5 Aug 2020 6PM 4 min

Parents frustrated by aggressive toddler

How should I handle a three-year-old toddler who is mean and aggressive with other children? He's fine at home where there aren't any other children around. But when he's at church or with another family that has children his age, his behavior becomes ugly. On occasion his aggression takes a…

4 Aug 2020 6PM 4 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?

3 Aug 2020 6PM 4 min

Mom husband to be doesn't understand toddler

Now that I've found the man I want to marry, how can I help him connect with my three-year-old daughter? He loves her and is genuinely excited about becoming a dad to her (she's never had a relationship with her biological father). The problem is that he doesn't understand what…

2 Aug 2020 6PM 4 min

My wife is physically abusive

How should I respond to a wife who has a tendency to resort to violence? Once or twice a year my spouse and I have a disagreement that escalates out of control. At such times she says the meanest, most irrational things about me, including "I hate you." I have…

30 Jul 2020 6PM 4 min

Abortion and health of the Mother

Is it possible to be consistently pro-life while still making an exception for abortion in cases when the life of the mother is at risk? What's your perspective on this difficult ethical question?

29 Jul 2020 6PM 4 min

Adopting an abused child

What do we need to know before adopting a child who has been abused? We're considering adopting a child under the age of 2 who was removed from his birth home due to abuse when only a few months old. He has been in the foster-care system for the past…

28 Jul 2020 6PM 4 min

Husband refuses to work

Is there anything I can do about a husband who simply refuses to get a job and work? We've been married for twelve years, and for the last ten he's stayed home and done nothing all day while I've gone off to work. He contributes nothing to our home and…

27 Jul 2020 6PM 4 min

Financial perspective for newly weds

Can you help me and my new spouse set some reasonable financial goals for our life together? We haven't been married very long, and my husband is already talking about buying a house and setting up retirement funds. Meanwhile, I'm concerned about paying rent and buying groceries. Is he being…

26 Jul 2020 6PM 4 min

Encouraging family conversation

How important is it for family members to talk to one another on a regular basis? Communication has been an "issue" in our marriage for a long time, but recently I've noticed that the problem is spreading to the kids as well: it seems that none of us spend any…

23 Jul 2020 6PM 4 min

Wife has sexually misunderstanding with husband

How can I make my husband understand that I don't want to have intercourse as often as he does? When I respond that I'm not in the mood, he gets angry and tells me that there are all kinds of things that he does for me when he's "not in…

22 Jul 2020 6PM 4 min

Child repeat negative Comments Made by Ex

How should I respond when my child tells me that my ex-spouse has been making some very critical and unkind statements about me? What's the wisest way to handle this situation?

21 Jul 2020 6PM 4 min

Parents fear child may be Victim of Cyber-Bullying

What can I do about kids texting intimidating messages to my cell phone and posting mean rumors about me on Facebook? At first I tried to ignore them, but the situation has gotten so bad that I don't want to show my face at school anymore. These people are destroying…

20 Jul 2020 6PM 4 min

Mutual attraction between married friends

How should I deal with the romantic feelings I've developed for my best friend's wife? This woman and I recently acknowledged to one another that the attraction is mutual and that we needed to put some safeguards in place to protect our marriages, but we're not sure how to go…

19 Jul 2020 6PM 4 min

Developing effective communications patterns with kids

How can we teach our children good listening skills? They seem to have trouble paying attention to instructions and following directions. In my daughter's case, I think she's just defiant most of the time. As for my son, he's very intense and tends to get so locked into television, a…

16 Jul 2020 6PM 4 min

Husband can't forgive the wife

How can I get beyond my spouse's critical attitude and forget about the many cruel things she's said to me in the past? After several years of marriage, I've come to point where I just can't take it anymore. I don't believe in divorce, so we're sleeping in separate rooms…

15 Jul 2020 6PM 4 min

Mom and Dad Disagree About Child Discipline

How can my wife and I come to an agreement about child discipline? I've tried to teach my son a strong sense of discipline, but my wife often disagrees with my approach and methods. She says I'm "too hard on the boy." As you can imagine, this can sometimes become…

14 Jul 2020 6PM 4 min

Moving forward after the death of loved one

What can I do to overcome the sadness that has overtaken me since the death of my husband? How do I step forward into the next phase of my life? He battled a number of challenging health problems during the last two years of his life. As a result, my…

13 Jul 2020 6PM 4 min

Spouse Maintains Unhealthy Attachment to Parents

How can I help my husband see that he is placing the needs and feelings of his parents ahead of mine? After several years of marriage, his attachment to his mom and dad is still so strong that it's causing serious damage to our relationship. I've confronted him about this,…

12 Jul 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…

9 Jul 2020 6PM 5 min