Ask the Doc: How do I tell my know-it-all dad to just SHUT UP?

Q: My father is a know-it-all. I am tired of going anywhere with him. He is a poor planner but complains about other people's poor management skills at church and school. How can we get him to stop whining and just shut up?

A: If your mother is not able to share the concerns about his behaviour with him, you may want to ask a close friend or family member to encourage him to be more proactive and less reactive.

Don't want to move

Q: My mother got a job in a small island, but she does not want to move us now as we are in fourth and fifth form. Our father is not in the picture. Is it okay to tell her that we will board and do our best until she returns?

A: Please let your mother know how you feel about her plans. This will help her to make her final decision.

- Orlean Brown-Earle, PhD, is a child psychologist and family therapist. Dr Brown-Earle works with children with learning and behavioural problems throughout the island and in the Caribbean. Email questions to editor@gleanerjm.com or send to Ask the Doc, c/o The Gleaner Company, 7 North Street, Kingston. Responses to concerns are to be considered as general as cases shared with psychologists privately would be queried more deeply. Pray always!