Rev. Christopher Smith
Expert in Parenting & Family Therapy · 4 more topics
Answered questions(4)
Repairing Relationships With An Adolescent Child
My 15 year old daughter says she hates me and she acts like she does too. I have tried everything I can think of to repair the damage in our relationship. She refuses to go to counseling with me. She refuses to go on fun outings with me. She refuses to have a normal conversation with me. I don’t know how to start. I also have no idea why she is so angry at me. She acts like I did something really terrible to her but whatever that was I have no idea. Her attitude toward me started changing when she was 13 and now it is really the worst. Thankfully she is not in trouble with drinking or drugs or boys or anything like that. She is causing me a lot of pain. I am a single mom and I try to stay strong but I cry at night when I think about the horrible things she says to me. I think she is in pain too but if she won’t talk to me how can I help her?
Read answer →Children and Marital Problems
My wife and I are considering separating but we are still trying to salvage our marriage. We still love each other but living together is becoming impossible. Everyday it feels like walking into a minefield and you never know when the explosion was coming. We have three daughters under 13 and it’s been really hard for them. We are actually talking about separating now because our eldest daughter started acting out in class and getting into trouble like smoking. We think her sudden behavior problems are occurring because of all the problems and tension at home. She pretty much admitted as much. She says she can’t take it anymore. So we are thinking about trying to restore some peace at home while we tried to resolve our differences. Does this make sense? Do you think this will make it easier on the children? I don’t know what is worse; no dad at home or mom and dad fighting everyday. We have decided to get marriage counseling. We should have done this sooner. Since our kids are affected how involved should they be our marriage counseling?
Read answer →Child Goth - Problem With Death and Dying?
My 15 year old son is a punk/goth and he is obsessed with death and dying. No one he knows has died since he was a small boy and he lost his last grandparent so I do not know what has sparked this obsession. He even has saved pictures of dead people on his phone. He talks about death all the time. I thought is was just for shock value but it getting really unsettling. When I have broached the subject with him he says it is I who has the problem and that I am scared of death and it’s a normal part of life that we shouldn’t be so afraid of. This has been going on for 6 months or so. I basically think it’s just a phase that he will go through on his own but the pictures of death scare me and I am not sure if I am supposed to do something. Should I make him talk to someone about this?
Read answer →Wanting a Teenager to Change
We are trying to get our son into a wilderness program. He is currently skipping school, smoking pot and with the wrong crowd. He has been diagnosed with ADD and depression. The friends he is with are no good and the so called girlfriend isn't either. How do I know he won't go back to these kids after he is in the program. They all go to the same school. I want him to make the right decisions and go back to his old friends and habits.
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