"It sounds as though you have not had a conversation with your daughter about the boundaries of having a boyfriend visit her at home - taking a paradoxical approach might help..."

Her only-child status may be more ‘correlation over causation’ when it comes to her struggles. Many solo-children can turn-take and share, and many sibling-children will struggle just as you describe.

As best you can, set limits and hold boundaries with him in a collaborative, rather than combative, way

Knowing when to step back and let our teens be more independent is not always an easy call to make

You all need to be in the right place to welcome a new family member and it is OK if you don’t feel that you have the capacity to take on any more right now

December 25 can be an intense day, and families often feel under pressure. Manage expectations

The fact that your girls have recently started arguing may not be related to their differences in skill sets and abilities — it is more likely due to a developmental clash based on their ages and stages of development.

She now has a meltdown nearly every time I attempt to leave her behind with her dad or babysitter

You could talk to the coach about your concerns in a calm way, without venting. The coach could clarify the club’s structure, focus, and goals for the team, enabling you to make an informed decision about whether your son should stay.

Reading is nurtured and developed in school from ages five to eight years (and beyond, of course), which means your son is still very much in the 'learning to read' (and specifically learning to read with fluency) phase of his education.

"So much is written and said about the critical early years of our children’s lives, and again when they reach those tricky teenage years, but very little attention is given to the middle stage of childhood, the years between eight and 12."

"Nightmares can happen at any age but seem to be especially common between ages eight and ten. They tend to occur in the second half of the night, and if woken, some children will struggle to get back to sleep."

"This is one of those situations where if nothing changes, then nothing changes. And something needs to change."

Our two sons have never really got on. There's a five-year age gap, which probably doesn't help...

"The summer after second year can see some students return to school acting like typical 14-years-olds, while others behave as though they were 24."

"They are neurologically wired for risk-taking, impulsive, and reward-seeking behaviours. Most want to experiment with new tastes in music, fashion, and friends, which impacts attitude and behaviour."

"Our children act out what they see in us. They will respect us when they see us respect ourselves, them, and the other parent."

We’re going abroad for holidays in two weeks, and I’m dreading the tantrums — what can I do?

"Making conscious changes to your routine with your children in mind is not moving away from structure; it is changing it temporarily."

"She believes she has left the age of command (do as you’re told) and has entered the age of consent (compliance is negotiable and up to her)."