Mommy Advice Column

Hi Lauren,I am a single mom to a beautiful and smart 7yr old girl. It's just me and her. I have my parents that help with child care while I work full time and go to school part time. Her father is not in the picture nor has he ever been. I often find myself getting angry, frustrated with her. Then I get angry at myself for yelling. Some things are justified others I feel like I get mad for no reason. Any advice on how to have some patience and work

Mom Limits Ex-In Laws' Visits With Kids After Divorce

Published on 2012-01-02 03:00:00

Dear Lauren,My brother separated from his wife a year ago and they are going through a divorce. She lives 14 hours away with my two very young nephews. My family and I have always been extremely supportive of her regardless of her and my brothers falling out. Since they have separated my family and I have seen a completely different side of her.Recently my family and I decided to take a trip to visit my nephews after the holidays since their mother changed her mind about letting them visit durin

Published on 2011-12-28 10:04:00

WISHING ALL OF MY READERS HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!! I will be taking a one week hiatus while I try to entertain my 3 children during holiday break! My column will resume on Monday, January 2nd. In the meantime, feel free to look through my past letters under my Archive (bottom right column), or search for a specific topic using my search bar (top left of blog). And be sure to keep those questions coming!~Lauren

Should I Use Pull-Ups For Potty Training?

Published on 2011-12-19 03:00:00

Dear Lauren,My son is 2.5 years old and for the last several weeks has woken up dry. I would like to start potty training him. I was wondering whether I should go straight to underwear, or use pull ups until he is fully potty trained?Thanks,Jessica in PADear Jessica,I have tried both methods with my kids: for the first two I used pull ups. It took months to potty train them. For the third child I went cold-turkey, straight to underwear. It took about two days to tra

My Husband Is Sexting Another Woman

Published on 2011-12-12 06:48:00

Dear Readers: Back by unbelievable demand, today I am re-running my column's most popular letter of all time:Dear Lauren,My husband and I have been married for a little over a year. I am eight months pregnant with our first child. As far as I know, my husband has never cheated on me, even when we were dating.I have been on bed rest for the last two months due to complications with my pregnancy. Before I got pregnant, our sex life was great. During my pregnancy however, it began to dwindle

Should I Let My 16 Year Old Wear A Provacatively Short Dress?

Published on 2011-12-05 03:00:00

Dear Lauren,My 16 year old daughter has been going to a lot of parties lately - sweet sixteens, holiday parties, etc. I have chaperoned some of these parties and see that almost all the girls are now wearing dresses so short that they barely cover their crotch! I have not yet allowed my daughter to wear this type of dress, and she swears that I am "ruining her life". She wants to wear what her friends are wearing, and I do not want her to be a social outcast, but I really am no

Second Baby Anxiety

Published on 2011-11-28 05:00:00

Dear Lauren,I have a two year old son, and I am pregnant with baby #2. This baby was planned and we want him/her with all of our hearts, but I am feeling anxious about how this new baby will change our perfect little family. Right now things are relatively easy, and our son gets all of our attention. I am so worried about how he will feel when we have a new baby getting a lot of mommy and daddy's attention. And I know this sounds awful, but I just can't imagine loving anyone el

Published on 2011-11-25 04:00:00

Published on 2011-11-24 05:00:00

~Mom Battles Inlaws For Her Chance To Host Holiday Dinner

Published on 2011-11-21 04:00:00

Dear Readers: The following letter is an oldy but goody that I published two years ago. In honor of the upcoming holiday and the barrage of letters I have received dealing with the same issue, I have decided to run it again . . . .Dear Lauren,I am a wife and mother of two girls, ages 6 and 4. I do not have any living relatives, but my husband has a very large family, with four sisters, 10 nieces and nephews, and his parents. When my husband and I married 8 years ago I agreed to move

Online Marketing