How can I motivate my 17 year old daughter to get a job? She makes half-hearted attempts to find something, and then plenty of excuses why she can't find one. I need help getting her off the couch and into the workforce.

My daughter is 11. She misbehaves at school, is fluncking, loses her house keys, is lying about staying after school for homework studies, doesn't care about much anymore. Hates me and wants to move with her grandmother. Has been taking things that are not hers. She is very intelligent, tall for her age, has no good friends. I am worried about her. The school thinks she is ADHD. and they want me to medicate her. I feel she is gifted and bored. She is defiant to me and her teachers. I need to figure something out before I lose her or she ends up into trouble.

I have a 18yr old that is very lazy doesn't want to help around the house. and i am handcapped. He just wants to sleep until noon.and play games on his exbox. I don't have a man to help I am a single parent. Please tell me what to do.

Hello, I saw the Today show segment. I have an 11-year-old girl who is already showing teenage behavior. She challenges everything that we say and wants to be treated like an adult. This attitude causes a lot of discontent in our house. She is the oldest of three daughters. She is also an aggressive girl. She always talks about beating up and hitting other kids and she's rude to us and her sisters. Her friends are the same way to their families. It is like they have something to prove, so they have to show a mean, bad attitude personality all the time. Their way of showing that they can handle adult things is to not let anyone push them around and tell them what to do. The first thing you said on the segment is to read all the books about raising teenagers. Is there any books that you can recommend?

All this talk about communicating and staying involved ... what if I genuinely don't like my teenager? I can't stand being around her. She is no negative, so nasty, so blaming and hating, so much attitude, my natural inclination is to get away from her, not try to spend more time with her!! She can't stand me right now (because I make the rules), but truthfully, I can't stand her right now either, and spending any more time with her than I have to is like being punished myself.

Rachel,

I can completely sympathize with you. There are days where I genuinely don't like my teen. I'm sure the feeling is mutual on her part. I can only hope that she and I will grow out of that stage and into a more mature relationship. You're not alone in those feelings Rachel.

i had an issue today at school with my 6 year old daughter who is in first grade. she wet her pants and did not tell anyone. a few of the kids noticed and told the teacher she smelled. when the teacher took her outside of the classroom to ask her what happened she told the teacher that the day before she had an accident and i never changed her or gave her a bath and sent her to school in the same clothes (a complete fabrication). i had to meet with the principal over this and have been as sick as a dog-----why would my daughter make up such a story and how can i deal with this. help!!!!!!

Teenagers suck. Remember you were one yourself once. Then go call your mom (if still alive) and beg her to forgive you for treating her so shamefully.

Hi,

My niece is almost eighteen months old and for the past couple of months she has been hitting herself on the head or banging her head on a wall whenever she gets mad. We stop her of course and tell her to "be nice to Kenzie" but it is not stopping her. Is this just a normal developement phase or something we should be worried about.

Thanks
Sondra

Hello,

My question is about when to tell your child they are adopted. My wife had a previous relationship which left her with a son. I have been with my son since he was 3 months old, I adopted him when he was 3 1/2 months old. He is now 11 yrs. old, and we also have two daughters who are nine and eight yrs. old who are my paternal daughters but also do not know their brother has been adopted by me. He still doesn't know that I adopted him. To him I am his father and knows no different. Have I waited to long to tell him? I think he knows what adoption means but he is a child that has difficulties in school for understanding, he has a slight problem in understanding basic school studies. Don't get me wrong, he is not a special education child but needs attention in certain subjects. Do I need to let him know now? Please help me on this matter, every day I want him to know but do not know exactly how to tell him.

Thank you,

Tony Clark