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 […]
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 […]
“Dear Dr. Doss, I am 19 years old and currently living alone right now. I live in Texas, but I’m originally from California (where I’d rather be). For several years since I moved to Texas- around my freshman year of high school- I’ve felt like my family has… drifted apart. I’ve heard that that’s normal… […]
Lately, foster parents have been getting really bad press, what with cases like Jerry Sandusky molesting the foster kid he adopted. The foster system isn’t always pretty. There certainly are bad people in the system and some are just trying to get money, housing foster kids for the cash, but I feel the need to point out that […]
We all know that parenting is a very difficult job, but its not very commonly addressed that moms have a bigger role than dads. In previous eras, some moms stayed home and focused on keeping house and parenting the children in the families. Dads made the money and meted out discipline, as in “Just wait […]
Hi Dr, I am from India, am going through a real tough time now with my family and spouse. I could not make any decision and am totally confused. Can you please help me providng some suggestion. * Dear India, Since you didn’t mention what issues you’re dealing with, I can only address your struggle […]
The parents of adult children often come to see me in great distress over the choices their children are making. They usually want me to convince their kids of the error of their ways and I get this. These parents have lived longer and often have seen that some choices lead only to heartbreak. The harsh […]
“I am a 59 year-old mother of 2 adult children–a son who is 31 and a daughter, 28. I have 2 adult step-children and 6 grandchildren. I have a good relationship with all my kids, except for one. My son who I desperately want a relationship with. When my son was 6, his father and […]
Lying is typically a way for the less-powerful to respond to the more-powerful, so most kids will lie. They’re smaller and less powerful than you and they need you to survive. They also love you and don’t want you mad at them, so yes, they lie. As a parent, this is a challenging situation. You […]