Questions tagged [emotional-well-being]

Emotional quality that a person experiences. Enhanced emotional well-being is associated with feeling good, judging life positively, and being low on [anxiety], [depression], [fears], [anger], etc.

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122 votes
12 answers
27k views

What to do with my pre-teen daughter who has been out of control since a severe accident?

Last December we were victims of a vehicle accident that killed my husband and left my son severely brain damaged. My daughter who is 12 and will be 13 in couple months was the only one in our vehicle ...
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66 votes
7 answers
16k views

Can "The Giving Tree" be explained in a way that isn't an unhealthy lesson?

My son loves "The Giving Tree," by Shel Silverstein. And I also remember it being a favorite of mine as a kid. I vaguely remember it from childhood as having some mildly sad themes, and most people ...
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56 votes
18 answers
27k views

How do you raise an intelligent and happy daughter in a sexist world?

I don't have enough space to explain my reasoning. I just don't want my daughter to be influenced by the media or the general opinions of "society". My daughter is a baby in my womb. I've decided no ...
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40 votes
13 answers
4k views

How do you decide if a movie is suitable for young children?

Movies have ratings, which vary a little around the world, but the ratings just don't convey a full understanding of some scenes which may be scary for young children. For example: Monsters, Inc. is ...
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38 votes
9 answers
12k views

How to help my 2.5-year-old daughter take her medicine when she refuses to?

My 2.5-year-old daughter has an ear infection. She has been really healthy her entire life, and this is the first time she's gotten sick enough she needs to take any medicine in a strict schedule. ...
36 votes
8 answers
15k views

I don't like my mom and she is coming to stay with me, how to prevent it or handle in the best way?

My mother used to taunt me for not being a good student and my stutter, maybe that was her way of taking our her frustration, in my senior secondary school she took it so far that I had to think about ...
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34 votes
9 answers
18k views

Should I tell my 10-year old son, how screwed-up Cinderella is?

My 10-year old boy recently told me that he likes the Cinderella fairy tale. Some fairy tales including this one, have several layers of meaning and sometimes they guide people's life decisions. Let'...
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28 votes
3 answers
3k views

Expat child refuses to learn local language

We are a Spanish family who has recently relocated to England with our children. Our 6 year old boy can't speak nor understand English; he knows some words, basic phrases and a few numbers, but that ...
26 votes
10 answers
8k views

8-year-old daughter is obsessed with books - escaping from something?

My daughter is 8 years old and is reading constantly. She wakes up and reads and I need to call her to breakfast 10 times (even though she herself devised a schedule for our morning routine) she ...
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26 votes
5 answers
2k views

5-year old goes to pieces when talking about her/seeing pictures from when she was younger

My 5 year old daughter (our oldest child, we also have a 2 year old son) is normally a very happy child, although can be very sensitive. She is getting better controlling her emotions but one trigger ...
20 votes
4 answers
7k views

How to ask a child what's wrong, without suggesting things to worry about?

So tonight at bedtime, my child was wanting someone to stay with them (until they fell asleep). We have had a busy few days so maybe they were just wanting some quality time. However I am a little ...
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18 votes
6 answers
19k views

How can we help our son deal with his girlfriend's emotional issues?

So our son is only 15, but he has fallen pretty heavily for a girl who apparently comes with a lot of "baggage". She comes from a broken home and is constantly having issues. Our son spend a lot of ...
16 votes
6 answers
8k views

My 15-year-old son is gay. How do I express my feelings about this?

Recently, my 15-year-old son has been acting very strange around the house, which isn't like him at all. Whenever we try to talk to him all we get back is "yes I'm fine" or "Go away", which really ...
16 votes
7 answers
2k views

What can help a seven year old boy cope with night terrors and being constantly afraid?

My son used to be very independent little boy without any fears. In the last two years his night terrors and fears have gotten out of control. He dreams about robots, house fires, tornadoes. The ...
14 votes
4 answers
1k views

How to minimize the negative impact on our child when we parents argue?

My wife and I have an 8-month-old baby boy. Having a fight, for example debating, is something that we don't want to do. But sometimes, we can't avoid having a fight in front of our son. When the ...
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14 votes
2 answers
598 views

How to respond to a 6-year-old tremendously prone to feeling shame?

I have 4 kids, 11, 8, 6, 3 (boy girl boy girl). My 6-year old is tremendously prone to shame. At the drop of a hat he will turn away, cover his eyes, hide in the corner and just generally grind to a ...
13 votes
5 answers
13k views

How to handle the situation with a 1-year-old preferring dad over mom with her suffering emotionally?

I am the proud father of a 1-year-old boy. My wife and I love him to pieces! A few months after his birth I suffered through a terrible bout of anxiety attacks. Turns out it was just my way of ...
13 votes
5 answers
3k views

Assertiveness for 6-year-olds

So our 6-year-old daughter is quite a sensitive person and she finds it difficult when the other kids at school argue with her (or even with each other). We're normally quite a quiet family. We ...
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12 votes
3 answers
1k views

How can I help my children who just found out my wife left us?

My wife and I have been married for coming up close to 14 years now. We have 3 children, aged 12, 9 and 5. Recently, she started seeing another man and called it quits on me and the kids. She moved ...
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12 votes
3 answers
1k views

Adoption/Foster Care: How should I deal with abandonment issues?

I plan on becoming a foster parent after being adopted myself. However, I went through a lot of abandonment issues that my parents didn't see as I had changed hands a few times before I was adopted. ...
11 votes
1 answer
4k views

Why does 2 hours in front of the TV make my kids grumpy?

I've got two kids, boy 3YO and a girl 5YO. We find that on a weekend, when they play around the house for two hours (with parental involvement) they end up reasonably good natured (although somewhat ...
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11 votes
2 answers
1k views

How should we support 16 year old step sister who ran away from home

We're in Canada, if that's relevant. My partner and I live by ourselves (late 20's), and my partner's 16 year old step-sister has recently fled an emotionally abusive home life (no physical abuse so ...
11 votes
2 answers
2k views

As a step parent, what should be my role in dealing with a volatile five year old?

About a year and a half ago I met a woman who was going to school full-time and raising a 5 year old little girl. I really just fell in love with both of them and we all bonded relatively quickly. We ...
10 votes
8 answers
13k views

How to convince an adult son that pot and LSD, even used sparingly is not acceptable

We have a child who has gone off to college and did not perform well his first year. We also found out during this time that he smoked pot in high school a little, and during his freshman year at ...
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10 votes
5 answers
839 views

Should I intentionally lose a game to make my daughter happy?

My daughter is very clever at playing chess. At 5 years of age, she could win against her mother and grandparents, but still couldn't beat me. She kept playing with me and tried to win, but always ...
10 votes
3 answers
2k views

Take a 3 year old to funeral?

Would you take a 3 and a half year old girl to the funeral of her great-granddad? She knows about death and heaven... Death belongs to life, right? On the other hand, I don't want to overstrain ...
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10 votes
1 answer
481 views

Should children of incarcerated parents be told the truth?

On Saturday mornings, I visit a nearby county jail. Most of the men I talk to are fathers. Some are serving short sentences and others are awaiting trials that will likely result in lengthy ...
  • 2,280
10 votes
1 answer
376 views

Should I be concerned about this poem?

My daughter (11) chose this poem to take to school and present to her class: Sometimes when I'm alone I cry because I'm on my own The tears are bitter and warm They flow with life, but take no ...
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10 votes
1 answer
753 views

How do I help my husband see that his feelings of being a terrible parent to his son are unfounded?

My 15-year-old stepson, who has recently moved in with his mother 4 hours away, has left my husband with feelings that he is a terrible parent. My stepson was abusive - physically, mentally and ...
  • 111
10 votes
1 answer
475 views

How to share an embarrassing story with another adult while your child is around?

My daughter is 4. When she has a tantrum, she sometimes scratches or hits herself. One morning she scratched too hard and left a mark on her forehead. I can tell clearly that she was embarrassed by ...
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9 votes
5 answers
926 views

Why am I hurt by my toddler saying she wanted to throw all her toys in the garbage?

My 2-year-old was throwing a fit tonight. I got home from work and my father said my daughter would not put her toys away. My daughter told me she wanted to throw all her toys in the garbage. I don't ...
9 votes
4 answers
7k views

What to do when my 3.5-year-old says “I don’t love you, I love mommy.”?

Recently, my 3.5-year-old daughter started saying, “I don’t love you, I love mommy.” Also the same phrase with "like" instead of "love". It’s killing me to hear her say that. But, I know she’s little,...
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9 votes
3 answers
2k views

How to deal with an unsupportive parent

TL;DR My mother isn't supportive and she doesn't seem to understand me. My family life is miserable and I don't know what to do about my situation. I know I should probably see a counselor but my ...
  • 101
9 votes
3 answers
259 views

How to help a 5-year-old deal with negative emotions?

My 5-year-old gets angry and frustrated in situations like: losing at a board game being told he is wrong about something being told not to yell 'You are so fat!' at a teacher with the explanation it ...
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9 votes
1 answer
1k views

How to handle day care provider that tells baby to stop crying?

I went to pick up my 5-month-old son at day care today. He attends a small day care center with a separate infant room. When I arrived, I heard one of the babies crying; she was lying on the floor. ...
8 votes
3 answers
565 views

How to help my 10-year-old daughter who is upset because her dad is not in her life?

The last time my 10-year-old daughter saw her dad she was 6. He would come and see her whenever he had time or when he wanted to show off to his friends that he is a dad. When I got married, he ...
8 votes
5 answers
2k views

How to be a step-mom to a troubled (or hurt) 5-year-old?

A Bit About Myself I am in my late 20's, and I am a fairly-new-mom. I have been married to my daughter's father for about a year now, but I have been around kids my entire life. I have always had ...
8 votes
3 answers
404 views

How to best prepare a pre-school child for surgery and associated procedures?

My child of four years (and eight months) is soon having surgical treatment. I want to prepare them in the best way possible for the trip to the hospital and best manage any distress around the ...
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8 votes
1 answer
317 views

What to do about an 8-year-old who will suffer silently until a breaking point?

We have an 8-year-old son. He has no intellectual or developmental disabilities. However, we are concerned about the following. He will not speak up in protest for himself. For example: He tripped ...
7 votes
2 answers
1k views

Is it okay to call children naughty?

Inspired by this question: Should our 3 year old boy be made to look at me while I am talking (during discipline)? In this question, the word "naughty" is repeatedly used to describe a child. I ...
user avatar
6 votes
4 answers
5k views

Adopt before giving birth, or give birth before adopting?

I'm not a parent but I have considered children for the future. I was having a conversation with my partner about adoption / birth. Let's say we were to (choosing my words carefully not wishing to ...
6 votes
1 answer
520 views

How can I help my child be grateful for her life

I would like my daughter to be grateful for her life - being healthy and raised in a rich country by a caring and loving family, she should be. How can I make her see her life as good enough, without ...
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6 votes
2 answers
202 views

Basic guidelines for supporting psychological health of a sick 3-year-old?

My 3-year-old son has become ill over the last few days - his white blood cell count is low and the diagnosis is immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). The prognosis is good - he should get better ...
  • 209
6 votes
3 answers
1k views

My 14 year old daughter is overly resistant when I advise something

When I'm trying to explain something to my 14 year old daughter, she becomes very resistant to what I say or advise. I do understand that she has a hard time due to her age, both physically and ...
  • 379
6 votes
2 answers
737 views

Possibly long-lasting trauma as a newborn?

Do you know of any studies on effects of traumatic events on newborns? Can they be long-lasting? If yes, when would it make sense to think of some help (e.g., therapy)? Situation: Three days after ...
  • 1,752
6 votes
3 answers
770 views

Guilt as a natural consequence of bad/wrong behaviour

We all know that natural consequences is the best tool when dealing with inappropriate behaviour. However, one of natural consequences of doing something bad to another person is feeling guilty for ...
  • 481
6 votes
2 answers
10k views

Why do my children ask "Are you happy with me?"

For the past few months, my children, 2 and 3, have been asking me "Are you happy with me?" Of course, I respond with "I am very happy with you! The most happy!" But they still ask on a daily basis! ...
  • 6,536
6 votes
1 answer
1k views

My 4-year old son - in preschool full time - only wants to stay home without kids in his free time. Should we be concerned?

My son is 4 1/2. He's been in daycare and preschool since he was 6 months old. As such, he has been surrounded by other kids every weekday for his whole life. As an introvert, I totally feel ...
  • 61
6 votes
2 answers
307 views

What are effective strategies against social phobia?

Our 5 years old (in a month) daughter has excessive apprehension about being immerged in new environments with people (especially children) she doesn't know. Basically, she will cry her heart out ...
5 votes
2 answers
500 views

Should I try to reconnect my 16-year-old daughter with her father?

My 16-year-old daughter has not been seeing her father since we divorced (in 2008 on the basis of infidelity (from him)). We live cities apart. She is against of having any relations with him. I was ...
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