Q: I’ve heard and seen lots of reports about kid accidents on e-scooters and e-bikes. Yet they’re all around our city and fairly convenient. Should my kids ride them? At what age? What are the ultimate risks and how do…
Q: A few weeks ago, my 2-and-a-half-year-old daughter broke two plates in the kitchen (thank God she didn't hurt herself). I remember keeping the plates in the middle of the table, so I asked her how they broke. She said…
Q: How do I as a parent deal with other kids coming over for a play date with cellphones? We are pretty strict with no iPads, video games, or phones for our kids (ages 8 and 10), but this is…
Q: Hi, Molly! The other day, someone asked me, “How many kids do you have”? Simple question, but not an easy one to answer if you’ve lost a child. Do I say four, but one is in heaven? Or do…
Q: My 9-year-old daughter begged me for a bunny for her birthday in February, and I got her one with the agreement that she would be in charge of feeding it and cleaning its cage. It’s been a few months…
Q: I am planning a few trips with my toddler over the next few months and am nervous about how it’s going to go. I have been reading articles and watching videos, but would love to hear real advice from…
Q: Hi, Molly! My 7th grader has a girl really interested in him and he really likes her, too. Any podcasts for teens and healthy relationships, age-appropriate steps, basically respecting one another and taking it SLOW. I’m certain it’ll fizzle…
Q: Hi Molly! My kids are 4 and 6 and I want to talk to them about stranger-danger without giving them too much anxiety. I’ve heard about families having a code word that only safe and authorized people know so…
Q: Should you get your child evaluated for a disorder if you suspect they are a high functioning version of it, or do you just treat your child with extra care and love without giving them a label? A: Knowledge…
Q: I am 5 months pregnant with our third, and my oldest (5-year-old girl) is asking how the baby is going to come out of my tummy. What’s an age-appropriate way to approach this? I also have a 3-year-old boy.…
Q: Hi Molly! I loved following along on your recent trip to NYC because we’re planning to go later this month. My kids are closer in age to your youngest (4 and 6), so I wondered if you have any…
Q: Hi Molly! My daughter (11) has always been a solid girl. Our pediatrician was concerned about her weight at her last two check-ups and recommended cutting back on sweets, fast food, etc., which we have. We even let her…
Q: My kids are having the constant “it’s not fair!” battle and it’s exhausting. Responding with “life’s not fair” isn’t working. What’s an effective way to shut this down? A: The F-word is not allowed in our household. No one…
Q: Do you know of a resource in town that could help me child-proof my kids' iPad? They are ages 6 and 8, but they are getting to the point where they know more about using iPad than I do.…
Q: Hi Molly! My 8-year-old daughter keeps asking how much money my husband and I make. She wants to know the specific dollar amount on our paychecks. I just tell her we make enough to afford our house, food, and…
Q: I’ve had this gut feeling that my 18-month-old son has autism since his first birthday. He wasn’t a super smile-y baby, rarely makes eye contact, and often fixates on ceiling fans or windshield wipers. My pediatrician says it’s impossible…
Q: Hi, Molly! This probably sounds familiar: My 3-year-old took a black Sharpie to my white wainscotting AND upholstered couch. He drew X’s down the staircase and into the living room “to protect his sister from the ninjas.” (I swear…
Q: My 3rd grader and his friends are so competitive when they play sports. It seems someone always gets upset, is a bad sport, complains about fairness, the person losing storms off, etc. We’re talking a dozen different boys who…
Q: "My 11-year-old has become a “Sephora kid,” and I swear some of her skincare products are more expensive than mine! This seems excessive for a tween. Are there any cheaper, drugstore alternatives to tide her over until she ACTUALLY…
Q: My 10-year-old cannot handle it when we go away for the weekend or even an overnight trip. The separation anxiety and homesickness for us makes it almost not worth going. It doesn’t matter who she stays with—grandparents, best friend—there’s…
Q: My daughters (6 and 9) are big time Swifties and want to dress up with friends for the Super Bowl. What are some easy, inexpensive outfits or accessories I can get them? A: Have I ever been more excited…
Q: What do your kids DO in evenings and weekends when screen time is used up, especially now that it's winter? Mine are 11 and 13, and I'm the "worst mom EVER" for cutting them off after an hour. —Libby…
Q: Should I let my teen drink alcohol as long as it's under my roof? A: I knew this question would come at some point. This month marks my 40th column—more than three years of answering your questions!—and here it’s…
Q: Hi Molly! This year, I decided to stop packing my 3rd and 4th graders' backpacks every morning before school. My husband and I agreed it was time to give them this responsibility. Problem is, they keep forgetting their lunches,…
Q: Hi Molly! I need some advice on how to discuss gender identity and pronouns with my kids. My fourth grader was over my shoulder when I was filling out the new Student Information Form from CMS and didn’t understand…
Q: If we have any dessert type item in our house, my 9-year-old daughter goes straight for it first thing in the morning when no one is looking. She always shamefully fesses up to it because we’ve said that sweets…
Q: My 8-year-old HATES sunscreen. He squirms, complains, and yells to the point my husband and I have to strong arm him to get it applied. Problem is, he’s super fair and needs it reapplied constantly or else he gets…
Q: Where are the best (read: cleanest) places in Charlotte to get my daughter's ears pierced? A: I took your question to Tiny Gods Jewelry where Mary Margaret Beaver, who founded the fine jewelry shop in south Charlotte in November…
Q: Hi Molly. Need you to settle this once and for all. Should my husband spend Mother’s Day with me and our children instead of his own mother? He makes the same argument every year, that I’m not his mother, so he…
Q: Why are moms mean? A: Oooooo… this question clearly has context not being relayed. I’m going to tackle it anyway. Mom shaming is alive and (un)well. The truth on how to handle shaming is easy to say, hard to…
Q: My 9-year-old wants to wear ratty gym clothes every day. I don’t need him in a suit and tie, but I think it’s important to look presentable. This discussion usually ends in tears. Where can I get decent looking,…
Q: What are some creative ways to make Valentines for the kids' classmates that don’t include candy?—Shannon A: I swear I’m not being a smart aleck, so, please don’t laugh… but your child handmaking a card, with no candy or…
Q: Hi, Molly. My 10-year-old son has started asking if he can ride his bike along the greenway by our house without a parent. When I was his age, my parents wouldn’t have blinked. But I just feel like the…
Q: Hi, Molly. I have four kids under age 10, and I feel like I have nothing fun to offer them. All I do is yell at them to pick up their toys or hurry up and get ready for…
Q: My son's teacher is always sending home a report that he can't sit still and stay focused. I talk to him about being respectful of his teacher and classroom, and have tried to offer him some breathing strategies when…
Q: I have a weird problem. My 4 yr old was at a play date at her friend’s house who has a pet hamster. She got really excited to hold the hamster and squeezed too hard…and now they don’t have…
Q: My kid’s stepmom’s birthday is coming up. We’re not BFFs, but we get along really well and she’s been a great SAHM to my kids while I’m at work. We haven’t had much interaction outside of the kids, so…
Q: My daughter and her boyfriend are going out a lot, but they never tell me where! And they come back so late! I don't know what to do... A: Ask her. You’re her mother, not her friend. You control…
Q: What do you say and do when the 2-year-old throws food at the dinner table? A: Ask them to pick it up? Not to be basic, but that’s what I do. My son, Hobie, turns 2 this month. Meals…
Q: The school shooting in Uvalde has left my whole family shaken. I know a lot of our friends and neighbors keep guns in the house, which we never have. Is it appropriate to ask another parent if they own…
Q: My 8-year-old granddaughter lives with us full time, and she seems to be developing early. She has a 19-year-old sister to talk to, but I feel like I should be the one to take to her about puberty. How…
Q: I have a 15-year-old son. I love him but don’t know how to handle him. He’s moody, and bigger than me. He has never been physical or threatening, but sometimes I feel overwhelmed by him. My husband has talked…
Q: How do I talk with my kids about what’s happening in Ukraine? –Veronica A: When COVID deaths were rampant, parents asked how to explain the sadness to their kids. When 2020 Presidential debates highlighted name-calling, parents asked how…
Q: Dear Molly, I just got my third grader’s report card and am afraid he’s falling behind in reading and writing this year. Any good learning centers in town where I can supplement what he’s doing in school?—Katie A:…
Q: OK, Molly. I found out from another mom that our sons were repeating some swear words they learned from some 4th graders on the school bus. Our boys, of course, think they’re hilarious because they know they’re saying something…
Q: How do you get a stubborn child to wear a jacket in Winter?—Name Withheld A: I have no idea. My 7-year-old surfer son, Hutch, pretends it’s summer NoMatterWhat. Even in the dead of December, or rainy days standing in…
Q: My 9-year-old son smells after soccer practice. Not sweaty kid smell—like, full-blown body odor. We make him shower every night, but is it too soon for deodorant? I don’t want to embarrass him.—Liz A: No. Not too soon.…
Q: Molly, My 1st grader asked my husband where babies come from. He told her to ask me, which I’m fine with because I’d rather be the one to tell her. What’s the best way to explain this to…
Q: I pay a summer sitter to come four days a week, and my neighbor’s kids are in and out of my house constantly. My sitter says she doesn’t mind, but I don’t think my neighbors should get free childcare…
Q: I’m 42 and just found out I’m pregnant. Big surprise. I have two kids in middle school and thought I was done having babies. I feel guilty because my husband and I aren’t excited about it and I don’t…
