421 votes

My wife wants a homosexual child

I would strongly suggest some couple therapy before you bring a child into this situation. I worked in a therapy clinic and saw the outcome of overbearing/unreasonable mothering (and fathering). ...
MSJ99x's user avatar
  • 2,061
284 votes

My wife wants a homosexual child

Perhaps I have some expertise on this, as someone who has raised one straight and two queer children... You don't get to decide that. She doesn't either. Yes, you can indeed try not to overly gender ...
T.E.D.'s user avatar
  • 2,970
166 votes

How to respond to 17 year old daughter going out with a 25 year old man?

I was 19 and ran off with a 27 year old woman from America. (I'm British and she is American). My mother disowned me and we didn't speak for a year. My relationship with my wife lasted 16 years and ...
user2694864's user avatar
  • 1,371
130 votes

My girlfriend has mentioned disowning her 14 y/o transgender daughter

You are clearly very loving and supportive of your step-child. This is a great gift you are giving to her. However, it doesn't sound like you have that kind of a relationship with your girlfriend. ...
anongoodnurse's user avatar
113 votes

My 21-year-old adult son hates me

This is a situation in which you cannot change your son's behavior; you need to either adjust your expectations (i.e. change yourself, the only person you really have control over), or let him suffer ...
anongoodnurse's user avatar
112 votes
Accepted

Is it bad being a "bad influence" for my younger cousin?

I lived in a family which was fairly restrictive. They were quite religious, we always ate healthy, never any junk food, all our activities were vetted and scrutinized. It was also emotionally ...
Francine DeGrood Taylor's user avatar
98 votes
Accepted

Four year old started calling me by my first name. Is this problematic?

There's a difference between why a child does/should/should not address their parent(s) by their first name, and how to explain it to a child. The why is important when discussing the "why not" to the ...
anongoodnurse's user avatar
96 votes

How to tell my parents I want to marry my girlfriend

First up; your parents can protest and disallow it all they want, you're an adult and there is nothing they can really do to stop you from marrying whomever you want and living wherever you want. So ...
Erik's user avatar
  • 8,355
72 votes

My wife wants a homosexual child

Is my wife overreacting or am I wrong here? I don't think you're wrong. It seems reasonable - even admirable - to raise a child encouraging any beneficial interests they have regardless of gender-...
anongoodnurse's user avatar
72 votes

My partner's pregnant with her second child (my first) and shows no emotions. How can I help bring that excitement out of her?

Pregnancy and how it affects the mother is an intense stew of physical and hormonal changes. Each child may come with a different "stew" recipe. Sounds like the father of her original child didn't ...
PoloHoleSet's user avatar
  • 2,159
69 votes

How to respond to 17 year old daughter going out with a 25 year old man?

I don't know what to do, do I let them get on with it or should I try to explain my above concerns at the risk of pushing them together? Why not do both? It's natural to be concerned. You might also ...
Peter's user avatar
  • 2,899
65 votes
Accepted

My girlfriend has mentioned disowning her 14 y/o transgender daughter

How do I best protect Emily ... from the bullying she's experiencing from [her mother]? You are in a tricky situation. It's very likely that you will lose your girlfriend and Emily over this issue ...
Adam Davis's user avatar
  • 6,563
61 votes

Helping teenage son to get over his crush

Be supportive. Be there for him. And be willing to just listen. He doesn't need you to fix it for him (not like you could anyway). He just needs someone to talk to and be supportive. Listen first....
Becuzz's user avatar
  • 13.3k
57 votes

Get around peer's mind games gracefully

I think the first thing is to take a step back and consider that they are both acting normally for their age. It's normal at age 2 and 3 to have limited social skills, limited empathy for others, and ...
Meg's user avatar
  • 7,614
55 votes

How to tell my parents I want to marry my girlfriend

I really like everything about Erik's answer. The only things I would add is that you have time. If the relationship is right, time will not harm it. Take your time, finish your education and let ...
WRX's user avatar
  • 17.5k
54 votes

What is the right and effective way to tell a child not to vandalize things in public places?

Of all your suggestions, only one really says “it’s not ok to kick the dinosaurs”. The other are sending a different message, which can be summed up as Don’t do it when [some else with more power] ...
Stephie's user avatar
  • 18.2k
51 votes

My 21-year-old adult son hates me

I have never posted on this exchange before - but I read this and couldn't help myself. Let me first say I have no background in parenting other than raising my 2 children. I have read no parenting ...
Radmation's user avatar
  • 651
48 votes

How to respond to 17 year old daughter going out with a 25 year old man?

Several answers already, but I want to address a couple of your concerns. You are worried about your daughter missing opportunities (travelling, studies). I started dating my wife when she was ...
Martin Argerami's user avatar
47 votes

My parents are taking over my life, I think I'm going insane

This is actually a pretty common problem. Basically, it boils down to you starting to stand on your own but your parents not liking some of the decisions you've made. They feel that you still need ...
aleppke's user avatar
  • 571
43 votes

My girlfriend has mentioned disowning her 14 y/o transgender daughter

This is a fantastic question. You are wonderful for your level of consideration given a perplexing situation here. The Problem: I used to be Emily. It's over 25 years later, and this thing just ...
Alice D.'s user avatar
  • 447
43 votes

How to tell my parents I want to marry my girlfriend

You're twenty and you're trying to cement rocky relations between your parents and your long-distance girlfriend. Admittedly it's not an easy task, even at my stage of life. First of all, there are ...
Phoenixwmn7613's user avatar
43 votes

My wife wants a homosexual child

Oh dear, this is going to end up in tears. First you need understanding, then you can argue. I would suggest to discuss with your wife the mass of documentation (articles, social media posts, ...
KlaymenDK's user avatar
  • 2,570
42 votes

My 21-year-old adult son hates me

he says not to piss him off because if I do, be prepared for his rage; he will stop at nothing to bury me. That is a threat, and you should call the police to report it. For your son to respect you,...
aparente001's user avatar
  • 5,047
42 votes

My wife wants a homosexual child

I'm going to take a slightly stronger position than most of the other people here. I'm keeping in mind the policy to be nice and simply objectively describing the seriousness of the situation. There ...
William Grobman's user avatar
40 votes

My partner's pregnant with her second child (my first) and shows no emotions. How can I help bring that excitement out of her?

If there's one thing I'd communicate to a new parent-to-be, it's to completely clear out your expectations. Having expectations sets you up for disappointment, because nothing in parenting is like ...
Joe's user avatar
  • 61.8k
35 votes

My parents are taking over my life, I think I'm going insane

Going from your answers and with my gut-feeling: Try to get your counsellor to REALLY push for some family-sessions. These are NOT for "you did this, so I did that" blaming, but hopefully for ...
Layna's user avatar
  • 3,109
35 votes

How to respond to 17 year old daughter going out with a 25 year old man?

The general rule of thumb for age appropriateness is half plus 7. The obligatory XKCD cartoon: 25 and 17 is slightly over. However, generally speaking women mature earlier than men. Assuming your ...
Pete's user avatar
  • 393
34 votes

I just learned my 15 year old daughter has come out to her friends - should I say anything to her...OR to my wife?

I think Warren Dew offers a good answer there, but if I were in your position I'd want to let my kid immediately that I know about it, that I accept it and that it will never change my love for them (...
DadOfTwo's user avatar
  • 900
34 votes

Helping teenage son to get over his crush

I'm not sure about advice that says to be supportive and just listen to teenage boys. Obviously, not all teenage boys are the same, but emotional communication ability is not a noted trait of most ...
kingledion's user avatar
  • 1,339

Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible