ASK MOM

ASK MOM

Award-winning column encouraging parents to tackle the hard stuff.
by Mary Follin and Erika Guerrero

Fredericksburg Parent & Family Magazine

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Ask moms

ASK MOM: MOM LOVES ONE CHILD MORE THAN THE OTHER

ASK MOM: MOM LOVES ONE CHILD MORE THAN THE OTHER

Mom Loves One Child More Than the Other by Mary Follin and Kristi CrossonRead on Fredericksburg Parent & Family magazine THE PROBLEM: My daughter, who is now eight, was so easy I couldn’t wait to have another. As a baby, she had a smile for everyone. She’s the...

ASK MOM: AM I RAISING A LIAR?

ASK MOM: AM I RAISING A LIAR?

by Mary Follin and Kristi CrossonRead more ASK MOM advice. THE PROBLEM: My daughter (she’s in sixth grade) lies about everything. I can’t tell if she’s living in a dream world, or if she’s doing it on purpose. I sometimes wonder if she is just exaggerating to try and...

WRITING FOR KIDS IS ALL ABOUT YOU

WRITING FOR KIDS IS ALL ABOUT YOU

Unless you remember what it’s like to be a child, you might have a hard time writing for one. Here’s what kids want hear about: The way you almost died when you found out your skirt was tucked up in your waistband in Mrs. Kramer’s fourth grade class How you felt when...

CHILDREN’S BOOK AUTHOR LAURA INGALLS WILDER: A PILGRIMAGE

CHILDREN’S BOOK AUTHOR LAURA INGALLS WILDER: A PILGRIMAGE

Some children's book authors are so good they become a part of you—forever. Each generation has its beloved writer(s), but for me and my sisters, Laura Ingalls Wilder was who we wanted to be. And if we couldn't be her, at least we wanted to know her. But since she...

BOYS WHO HATE TO READ AND THE PARENTS WHO WORRY ABOUT THEM

BOYS WHO HATE TO READ AND THE PARENTS WHO WORRY ABOUT THEM

Not all boys hate to read. But a lot do, and those are the ones we're talking about here. If a middle-grade boy is a reluctant reader, he's setting himself up for a lifetime of challenges he'd be better off without. [Granted, some girls hate to read, too. But far...

ASK MOM: SON HAS HEAD IN THE CLOUDS, STEPS INTO STREET

ASK MOM: SON HAS HEAD IN THE CLOUDS, STEPS INTO STREET

Son has head in the clouds, steps into streetby Mary Follin and Erika GuerreroRead More ASK MOM advice in Fredericksburg Parent & Family Magazine​ ​ ​ ​ THE PROBLEM: My son can’t get his head out of the clouds. (He’s 9.) He has a wonderful imagination and is...

ASK MOM: SON GETS LEFT OUT AT RECESS, BREAKS MOM’S HEART

ASK MOM: SON GETS LEFT OUT AT RECESS, BREAKS MOM’S HEART

Son gets left out at recess, breaks mom's heart.by Mary Follin and Erika GuerreroRead in Fredericksburg Parent & Family Magazine ​ THE PROBLEM: My fifth-grade son is having a hard time making friends this year. He had two good friends in his class in third grade,...

ASK MOM: OTHER MOMS MAKE ME FEEL BAD ABOUT MYSELF

ASK MOM: OTHER MOMS MAKE ME FEEL BAD ABOUT MYSELF

Other Moms Make Me Feel Bad About Myselfby Mary Follin and Kristi CrossonRead More ASK MOM advice in Fredericksburg Parent & Family Magazine​ THE PROBLEM: Everybody else seems to be better at “momming” than me. They all volunteer at the school, their kids always...

ASK MOM: SON TURNING INTO HYPOCHONDRIAC

ASK MOM: SON TURNING INTO HYPOCHONDRIAC

Son Turning into Hypochondriacby Mary Follin and Kristi CrossonRead on Fredericksburg Parent & Family magazine ​THE PROBLEM: Ever since the pandemic started, my 11-year old son ‘catches’ everything he reads about. He gets stomachaches, headaches, sore throats—any...

ASK MOM wins parenting media association award!

ASK MOM: DAUGHTER’S RUDENESS GIVES MOM LOW SELF-ESTEEM

ASK MOM: DAUGHTER’S RUDENESS GIVES MOM LOW SELF-ESTEEM

Daughter's rudeness gives mom low self-esteem   by Mary Follin and Erika GuerreroRead More ASK MOM advice in Fredericksburg Parent & Family Magazine​ ​ ​ ​ THE PROBLEM: Whenever I say anything to my 11-year-old daughter, she either ignores me or rolls her eyes. I...

ASK MOM: SON UPSET WHEN ROUTINE IS DISRUPTED

ASK MOM: SON UPSET WHEN ROUTINE IS DISRUPTED

Son Upset When Routine is Disruptedby Mary Follin and Kristi CrossonRead More ASK MOM advice in Fredericksburg Parent & Family Magazine​ ​​ THE PROBLEM: When my son was a baby, we kept him on a tight schedule—naps, feedings, visits etc.—and he seemed to do very...

ASK MOM: MOM LOVES ONE CHILD MORE THAN THE OTHER

ASK MOM: MOM LOVES ONE CHILD MORE THAN THE OTHER

Mom Loves One Child More Than the Other by Mary Follin and Kristi CrossonRead on Fredericksburg Parent & Family magazine THE PROBLEM: My daughter, who is now eight, was so easy I couldn’t wait to have another. As a baby, she had a smile for everyone. She’s the...

ASK MOM: AM I RAISING A LIAR?

ASK MOM: AM I RAISING A LIAR?

by Mary Follin and Kristi CrossonRead more ASK MOM advice. THE PROBLEM: My daughter (she’s in sixth grade) lies about everything. I can’t tell if she’s living in a dream world, or if she’s doing it on purpose. I sometimes wonder if she is just exaggerating to try and...

WRITING FOR KIDS IS ALL ABOUT YOU

WRITING FOR KIDS IS ALL ABOUT YOU

Unless you remember what it’s like to be a child, you might have a hard time writing for one. Here’s what kids want hear about: The way you almost died when you found out your skirt was tucked up in your waistband in Mrs. Kramer’s fourth grade class How you felt when...

CHILDREN’S BOOK AUTHOR LAURA INGALLS WILDER: A PILGRIMAGE

CHILDREN’S BOOK AUTHOR LAURA INGALLS WILDER: A PILGRIMAGE

Some children's book authors are so good they become a part of you—forever. Each generation has its beloved writer(s), but for me and my sisters, Laura Ingalls Wilder was who we wanted to be. And if we couldn't be her, at least we wanted to know her. But since she...

BOYS WHO HATE TO READ AND THE PARENTS WHO WORRY ABOUT THEM

BOYS WHO HATE TO READ AND THE PARENTS WHO WORRY ABOUT THEM

Not all boys hate to read. But a lot do, and those are the ones we're talking about here. If a middle-grade boy is a reluctant reader, he's setting himself up for a lifetime of challenges he'd be better off without. [Granted, some girls hate to read, too. But far...

About Mary Follin

Mary is the author of TEACH YOUR CHILD TO READ and ETHYR, winner of the Moonbeam Children's Book Award and the Gertrude Warner Book Award. She is mom to two grown sons and enjoys sharing her more seasoned perspective  with parents of younger children. 

ABOUT ERIKA GUERRERO

Erika Guerrero is a freelance hair and makeup artist, Erika K. Beauty, single-mama to one amazing boy, and author of She’s Not Shaken, a blog offering hope and encouragement to women in all walks of life.

ABOUT SUZANNE JOHNSON

Suzanne Johnson, mother of five children and grandmother of eight, is an illustrator, book cover designer, and author of the Realms of Edenocht series.

ETHYR

M.P. Follin
​Gertrude Warner Book Award
Moonbeam Children's Book Award

An adventure for kids ages 8-12— especially if they like video games!