Ask Mom & Dad

I’m walking into the men’s room at the Hilton Doubletree in downtown Asheville, North Carolina. I’m on a work trip, and my kids are hundreds of miles away back in Fredericksburg. But even without…

Son gets frustrated and cusses at mom
by Mary Follin and Erika Guerrero
THE PROBLEM: My son gets frustrated soooo easily. He’s eleven, but he’s always been like this. He gets impatient if he…

How many miles have I driven going nowhere? Fifty? A hundred? It’s more than I want to admit. And why do I do it? Why do I drive to nowhere? To get a tiny human to fall asleep. It’s 12:30 p.m. The…

Impulsive daughter can't stop hurting other children's feelings
by Mary Follin and Erika Guerrero
THE PROBLEM: My seven-year-old daughter has a bad habit of blurting out inappropriate things….

Last weekend, my wife Juliann took a girls’ weekend in Williamsburg with a couple of friends. I’m really glad she did it—she works hard both at work and at home and deserves some time off. I was…

Son gets left out at recess, breaks mom's heart.
by Mary Follin and Erika Guerrero
THE PROBLEM: My fifth-grade son is having a hard time making friends this year. He had two good friends in his…

We’ve been taking our 4-year-old son Benny to art classes at Art Time 4 Kids for over a year now, and we love it! Art Time 4 Kids is a kids art studio in downtown Fredericksburg. It’s owned and…

Spoiled daughter turns nose up at gifts, makes mom feel bad in front of family
by Mary Follin and Erika Guerrero
THE PROBLEM: After this gift-giving season, I can see I need to do something about…

Daughter assumes the worst, turning into negative person
by Mary Follin and Erika Guerrero
THE PROBLEM: I am worried about my daughter (15 yo), who always expects the worst. She has a long list…

Making new friends is hard. Raising kids is hard. But trying to make new friends while most of your time is spent chasing kids is nearly impossible. And trying to do it during an international…