“My mom and dad divorced when I was two. My dad physically abused my mom, so she took me and left. They tried again a few months later and the abuse escalated. He broke her glasses, pulled her hair, slapped her and pushed her down. They separated for about 13 years. Then later when I was […]
Much has been written about bridezillas and the “its-all-about-me” attitude that some women have when it comes to planning a wedding. Let’s be honest, though, most of us like being special, feeling the focus of those around us. For some reason, guys don’t have the wedding fantasy. They’ve grown up with fantasies of throwing the perfect touchdown in […]
Only you can decide when you’re ready to leave a relationship. Lots of people will have opinions and they’ll share these with you without any encouragement. Some will tell you should stay(to give it another chance/for the kids/because it’s best financially) and some will tell you to leave(you’ve given it enough chances/the kids shouldn’t be […]
Hello Dr. Doss, I have a question/problem. I’m not sure anymore what I should be doing or not. I have a 22 year old son that lives at home and the past couple of years he has gotten in trouble and had to be in jail for 1 year, now he has been home for 3 months on […]
For many, this has been a week of transitions. Summer is over(at least according to the calendar), and our children are moving ahead–sometimes it feels like they’re moving away from us. Whether we’re dropping a confused kindergartner off or taking an eighteen year-old freshman to college, we’re watching them move ahead. This is a reality for parents. Children […]
Dear Dr. Doss, I hope you are able to see this email because I really am in need of help. I cannot understand my father. I’ve always tried to. Whenever I want to tell him something, I hesitate because he’s so narrow-minded that he doesn’t respect my opinion on things. He does not let me […]
When you have trouble in the relationship, it often shows up in sexual dysfunction or a major dimishment in sex, overall. Few of us like conflict with the ones we love, but this is unavoidable. You share your most intimate moments–and your money–with your mate. Throw in the challenges of parenting or step-parenting and family-of-origin […]
Last week, a boy in his twenties that my daughter went to school with shot himself dead. He’d been depressed for some time. Because I know his parents, I’m fairly certain that they got help for him. They still blame themselves for his actions. As parents, we have a lot of impact on our kids. When […]
We parents have a tendency to judge whether or not we’ve done a good job by how our kids are doing. But that perspective ignores the very real fact that our children have minds of their own. They make choices and, particularly when they’re adults, those choices determine what they do with their lives. But […]
When a marriage ends, people typically have lots of emotions. Sometimes the relief they feel is mixed with sorrow; the anger and loss can be mixed with excitement. Life will definitely be different. Sadly, some individuals turn these feelings into rage, particularly if they didn’t want the marriage to end. Then, we can end up […]