ArcaMax

Q: I grew up without a dad. Now I'm married and my wife is expecting our first child. I'm feeling anxious and unprepared. What does it take to be a good father?

Jim: I can relate. That was me. That IS me. Being a dad is tough enough regardless. But the job seems especially daunting for guys like us whose fathers were physically or emotionally ...Read more

Q: I'm worried about my 10-month-old granddaughter's health. I love my son and daughter-in-law. But when I visited last week, the house was filled with trash, moldy food was stuck to the carpet and dirty diapers were spilling from the trash. My granddaughter is old enough to start crawling, but she's constrained to an infant seat to keep her ...Read more

Q: Our preteen son is extremely overweight. I want to help him trim down and learn better habits while he's young. Do you have any advice?

Jim: Statistics regularly show that childhood obesity is a serious problem. Children who are clinically obese are at risk for diabetes, heart disease, stroke, vascular disease, arthritis and even early death...Read more

Q: This spring I've started to realize that, sadly, our family has allowed Memorial Day to become nothing more than a day to celebrate the onset of summer (and eat too much). Even though our kids are fairly young, I want to help them understand what this holiday is truly about. How can we recapture its significance?

Jim: I appreciate your ...Read more

Q: After years of being a single parent, I recently married a wonderful man. He's kind but firm with my three children and plans to adopt them. But my preschool-age son has had a hard time warming up to his new stepfather. Help!

Jim: Having struggled as a young stepson myself, it's easy for me to see this situation through your preschooler's ...Read more