Parenting & Relationships

From This Day: Jeff Read and Jessica Brown

Jeff Read held a sheet of paper far from his face and squinted his eyes like he was staring into the sun. A fellow teacher at Oak Grove Middle School in Clearwater asked him what the heck he was doing.

"I broke my glasses," he told her.

Bullying niece, nephew creating problem relatives must face

Q: I'm having trouble dealing with my violent niece and nephew, 5 and 7. I have two children of my own a little older. We are a tight family that (mostly, despite this big issue) enjoys hanging out together quite often. It's common for the 5-year-old to hold my 7-year-old down and just swing punches.

Matchmaker should keep mum unless guy is abuser or liar

Adapted from a recent online discussion.

Hey, Mom: Daughter must learn her own life lessons

Q: My lovely, 23-year-old daughter is a romantic and wants to marry the young man she is dating. They have "officially" dated two years, but were friends for years before that. They did not attend college together, so are just recently back in the same town. My daughter lives alone, pays her bills, and is …

Advice on how to handle tragedy in estranged friend's family

Adapted from a recent online discussion.

Improve bond with mom by focusing on feelings, not cats

Q: My mother is a crazy cat lady. She has been doing better in recent years, down to 15 cats instead of 40 or 50, motivated by the arrival of her first grandchild, my son. We live on opposite sides of the country and it was too hard to travel when she had so many cats. I come home about twice a year and I …

Rely on principles to deal with behavior of husband's friends

Adapted from a recent online discussion.

To make relationship work, don't allow the truth to hurt

Adapted from a recent online discussion.