Ask Amy: Parents struggle to cope with child’s antics
– Uncertain in Sacramento
Dear Uncertain: You and your wife are seasoned parents, very much in the thick of family life, but surely you know from raising your own children that each child has their own temperament.
If “Steven” is extremely sensitive, the noise and pandemonium of a large gathering of adults and multiple children may be too much for him to handle.
Just as your family has struggled through the pandemic, he has not had access to the familiar routines, services and support he might receive in school. He has missed a year of social growth, during a very important developmental phase of his life. And while your children might roll with the punches, he hasn’t mastered these skills.
You might ask these parents if there are ways you can help when Steven has a meltdown, or if there are things you and your family could do differently in order to avoid one.
I hope you will approach this challenging situation with patience and compassion toward everyone.
Dear Amy: I am absolutely distraught because my adult son refuses to get the COVID-19 vaccine. He thinks it’s a hoax and there is no convincing him otherwise.
He lives in another state. I haven’t seen him in a little over two years.
I am fully vaccinated. My daughter who lives far away is also vaccinated.
Her 3-year-old daughter is not yet eligible for the vaccine.
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