Q My son is defiant about the new pants rule. He was not able to get new pants. I was only able to buy one new pants for him and the other two straight-foot ones, which he wore to school last term, are in good condition. Don't tell me that I have to throw away the straight-foot pants.

A.  Rules must be respected. He can wear the one pair of regular pants until he gets another. If we are to instil discipline in our children, parents and children must respect rules.

Lockers for children

Q. My daughter's school has experienced a lot of theft. At grade four, she has a big bag of books. Would it be too hard to ask the school to buy a filing cabinet and lock away the books for the children?

A.  A filing cabinet would come at a cost and the robbers might pry it open. You may want to buy a book bag with wheels so your daughter would have less stress taking her books home.

Mom's absence affecting son

Q. A psychologist recently told me that my eight-year-old son's mother's absence is affecting him emotionally. She has gone to a small island to work and cannot be back until the roof money is earned. What can I do?

A You need to explain to your son that mommy will be back home as soon as she has completed some business. He does not need a lot of details. In the meanwhile, let him keep in touch with her by phone. She may even be able to go to a computer store near her house and they can set up a Skype feature so your son can see his mother and know that she is OK.

Orlean Brown-Earle, PhD, is a child psychologist and family therapist. Dr Brown-Earle works with children with learning and behaviour problems throughout the island and in the Caribbean. Email questions to helpline@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!