In this section Sara will answer questions that you, and many others like you, may have.

You can listen online by choosing an entry below, or subscribe on iTunes and have new questions downloaded automatically.

    • Mar 3rd 2010 - Running out of potty training patience
    • Sara, I have no idea where to turn anymore when it comes to potty training. I think we have done it all and our patience with our 3-year-old son has run out. I am expecting my second child any day now and my plan was to have my oldest son trained before the arrival of this baby. My sitter is wonderful and has had great success in the potty department with my son. I believe he has been going for her since he was around two. To make life easier for her I started buying Pull-Ups and he never seems to wet them when he is at her house. So to keep the pattern going I asked her what it is she does at her home. She simply calls him and says "Owen go potty". He drops whatever he is doing and goes all by himself. At home we have tried to do the same but it has failed. We have tried bribes (smarties, stickers, etc...), we have taken him shopping to pick out "big boy underwear" recently but he wore them and dirtied them. It seems that if we let him run around without anything on he will go potty by himself but as soon as he has anything on, pull-up, diaper or underwear, he will do his potty in that. Is there anything else that we can do? I have sat with him and explained that when wearing his Thomas underwear he cannot pee or pooh on Thomas. I don't know if he actually understands. I am almost ready to give up on potty training altogether sometimes. Any advice you can give would be helpful. We have also noticed that when his friends visit and they go potty with their parents he will go too. Having other kids around seems to make it easier for him.
      Kellie
    • Feb 26th 2010 - New mom worried about infant's language development
    • I am a new mum and gave birth to a beautiful baby boy last month but I am already worried about how to bring him up and knowing if he is developing normally, especially with his speech. My question is how do I know that my childs language is normal?
    • Feb 10th 2010 - Adopting a Stepson
    • Hi Sara, my name is Jennifer, I might be in a hard situation and was wondering if you can give me some advice. I have a 2 and a half year old son whose biological father left me when I was 2 months pregnant. He has never called to find out how his son is, has never seen him. I have been with my fiance for over 2 years now and we have an 8 month old together. My older son has been calling my fiance his daddy, and thinks he is his dad; my fiance and I would like him to adopt him. My son doesn't know anything about his biological father and I'm scared to tell him about him. My dad ran into my sons biological uncle recently and was told that my sons dad, after almost 3 years apart, wants to see him. I am very upset about the whole thing and am terrified for some stranger to just walk into my sons life like that. Would you know anything about what we need to do in order for my fiance to adopt my son?
      Please and thank you,
      Jen
    • Feb 8th 2010 - How should a father deal with being cut off from his kids?
    • Sara, I love my kids so much more than any regular father. My wife and I were the primary care givers and took good care of the kids since day one but my wife laid false criminal charges against me and has blocked all types of communication between me and my kids. I am going crazy here. We have been separated since September 3rd 2009 and I've only been able to see them twice since then. We have not been able to get a court date earlier than March 10th 2010 and the judge does not like to bring an emergency motion for access before a case conference. Please tell me what to do. I wake up in the middle of the night crying for my kids. My kids are my life and can not live without them. They need me more than anyone else. Please advise me.
    • Jan 26th 2010 - An introduction from Sara
    • If you're looking for advice or direction, you've come to the right place. With 20 years of experience in helping families and individuals through difficult times, I'd like to give you the opportunity to ask me questions, get some advice, and benefit from my responses to others too. So send me your question by writing to me through helpmesara.com or have your voice heard by leaving a message on Skype. My account name is helpmesara. Try to keep your questions concise because you'll be cut off after two minutes. I'll be answering new questions every week so keep checking back.

To send Sara a question, use the form below, or have your voice heard by leaving a message on Skype - just dial username helpmesara