Parents Ask
Jul 01 Teens and Virginity
Parents Ask — July 2011 Q: “My 17-year-old daughter has been going with her boyfriend for 6 months and thinks she is ready to have sex for the first time. I’ve talked to her about safe sex and said that I wish she would wait. Is there anything I can tell her about how this will make her feel afterwards?” -Liz, The Woodlands A: How you feel about losing your | read more…
Jun 01 Putting the "Time" Back in "Quality Time"
Parents Ask — June 2011 Q: “My wife and I are going through a divorce. How do I make sure I am still spending enough quality time with my two kids?” -Paul from Houston A: My generation came up with a term to assuage the guilt of breaking up a family. We divorced our partners and then told our children we would be spending quality time with them. We did | read more…
Apr 29 Teen Depression, Cyber-Bullying, and Social Media
Q: “I recently read about how Facebook can cause depression in teenagers and wanted to get your opinion. My daughter already has self-confidence issues, and I want to know what signs I should look for in her behavior to determine whether or not Facebook is causing depression in her.” -Rebecca from Bellaire A: There have been a number of studies conducted in recent years concerning whether teen Facebook users are | read more…
Apr 01 Monitoring Your Child's Online Activity
Q: “Dear Mary Jo, Besides Facebook, Twitter and email, is there anything else I need to be monitoring online?” A: Add YouTube to your list. I read a disturbing article about it in the Houston Chronicle, and I am hearing about it from other psychotherapists, psychologists, and pediatricians. Our girls are acting out, filming it, and putting it up on YouTube. Oh yes, and it is getting a lot of | read more…
Mar 01 Help for Overweight Child
Parents Ask — March 2011 “Mary Jo, I love your column! I have an overweight child and I wanted to know if you had any suggestions an things I should or shouldn’t be doing to help him?” – Kim, Houston If a child is overweight or underweight, the first person a health care professional turns to is Mom. Mom is usually responsible for what is served at the dinner table | read more…
Feb 11 Worried That My Child Doesn't Have Any Friends
Parents Ask — February 2011 “My son is in middle school and doesn’t seem to have any close friends. He never asks to have friends over and that doesn’t seem normal to me. Should I be worried?” Answer: It wasn’t long after Jared Loughner shot Congresswoman Gabrielle Gibson that the FBI and police were looking for anyone who knew or was friends with Jared. It became clear very quickly that | read more…
Dec 03 Tell Kids About Significant Other?
Question: I have been divorced from my children’s father for almost 2 years. I have met someone and I am wondering if I should tell me kids? Karen from Houston. Answer: For the first time in my counseling career I have more single parents than married. Being a single parent is one of the most difficult jobs to have. The first year of being a single parent is a year | read more…
Nov 01 Making the Holidays Less Stressful for Teens
Question: My teenager dreads the holidays because he has to give up his room for out of town relatives. How can I make this time less stressful for him? Mary Jo’s Answer: The holidays can be a stressful time for teens. They are stressed about buying their friends gifts, being away from their friends, lack of structure and seeing family that they haven’t seen for a while. Having extended family | read more…
Oct 01 Teaching Nudity and Modesty to Your Children
Question: “My child loves to run around with no clothes! At what age is that considered inappropriate?” Answer: However cute it may be when your little 4 year old runs naked around the house after bath time shouting “you can’t catch me I’m the gingerbread man”, many parents wonder when and how to set limits with nudity. I think the most difficult aspect of parenting is learning how to say | read more…
Sep 01 15 Things to Say to Your Teenager Before They Close Their Eyes to Sleep
Question: Someone once said to me “bigger kids, bigger problems” and I have never forgotten. Now that my kids are coming into their teenage years I am terrified! What do I do? What do I say to them? – Beth in The Woodlands Answer: Having a teenager is one of the most challenging times in a parent’s marriage as well as their life. It is scary, frustrating, and chaotic. It | read more…
