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Ask a Couples Counseling Expert Michael Barmak, LCSW is a psychotherapist with a specialty in couples counseling for new parents. As a workshop presenter, Michael speaks on topics including "Finding the Gold in Your Relationship," "Having a Baby Changes Everything," "Sustaining Connection with Your Partner While Parenting" and "Healing Your Aloneness." read more
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  Thread Posted by Replies Views Date
  4 year old NOT adapting well to preschool/daycare more less Question My son just turned 4 in February and has just began a daycare/preschool for the first time ever in his life I am working just part time so he's been going just 1 or 2 days per week for about 4 weeks now He has never been a very social child it usually takes him a very long time to warm up to other children and he does best in smaller groups but he does love to learn and is very bright for his age But he is VERY emotional and crying anxiously when we talk about going to his school When he knows he has to go the next day he cries in bed the night before and the morning of and the whole way there in the car And you can see that he's trying NOT to cry but he can't help it My 2 year old daughter is going there as well and she is adapting just fine but also is much more of a social creature So my question is how long do we let this go on for until we say OK let's try something else How would you interpret his amount of crying about it Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer It's eating me up inside
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Mama SC 1 44 4/1/08
3:42 pm
  baby care more less Question Hi I am a single mom and  I need to go back to work full time I can't afford babysitter like Merry Popins and in my area there are cheap option like mom with baby taking care of my baby in her home for about 200 /week Or there are few daycare centers for about the same amount Which do you think would be better My concern is thet in day care she (my baby) wouldn't get so much attention becaouse of all the kids and she loves people She practicly stays on my arm all day and when I am putting her down she cries and I don't want her to feel let down But on the other hand they are profesional and mam with kid  well is verry experience but that is like hireing teenager as babysitter for older kids But with mom there will be just 2 3 kids counting my SO I am verry confused PLEASE HELP I don't want to leave my baby in first place but economy is forcing me to and since I have to do that I want her to have good care And will she won't forget me Will she still smiles everytime she sees me
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Tweety 1 40 4/2/08
10:27 am
  What should I do? more less Question I have a complicated situation I am 31 weeks pregnant; however when I was 10 weeks pregnant the father of the baby and I decided to break up   Since then I have moved on with life and married my true soul mate Nevertheless when it is time to give birth I would want my husband to be in the delivery room with me and not the baby's father  Is this wrong  I also want the baby to have my married last name  Legally can I give the baby my married last name instead of her father's last name   Thanks
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ndblessed 1 41 4/5/08
7:11 pm
  need help please more less Question Well me and my fiance just had a baby boy and while pregnet I found out hes having another baby in July by somone else He said she dosent mean anything to him he just made a misstake and he said that infront of both of us and he said he loves me and wants to move on but I dont know how to move on from this Its been hard to trust him to even go to walmart I wonder if hes ether going over to the other girls house or calling her My self exsteem took a big nose dive I have people tell me im pretty or smart but I dont feel it and after this it really afected me I dont want to brake up and I want to move on but how do I know he wont do this again I really dont think I can do this again gkayla 0 51 3/15/08
4:09 am
  ???? more less Question Okay My husband and i just got married in october last year and we are only 17 yrs old but he is going to join the military so we can support our baby We have a problem seing eye to eye on a lot of things I am very bosy and I stress out on everything I've always been an easily irritable  person which makes a lot of problems He is stuborn and dosn't think we need any counseling but I do Do you have any advice for me If anyone does please let me know Thank You
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NewMommy17 1 61 2/28/08
10:25 pm
  finances after birth more less Question i am in the state of nevada and have found that many state rules are different here do you know where i would be able to find information pertaining disability or unemployment
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2nd time around 1 54 2/26/08
1:57 pm
  I want to be beautiful again & be happy for myself & the sake of my family more less Question I will try to make this as quick as possible as I have a nearly 2 month old & a soon to be 3 year old running around The bottom line is that the one thing important to my self worth is my appearance & that's a problem because I hate it I used to have gorgeous teeth after years of braces (which was tough because I paid for them as a tween & teen with saving bonds & money I got for birthdays as a kid because my mom would not ) I was also very uncomfortable image wise in them Anyhow a year or less after having them removed my teeth began to separate The dentist wanted more money to fix them Hence rendering the braces & time spent with them  hating them  a waste However for that little time of almost a year I loved to smile all the time & it made me feel GREAT & most importantly beautiful & confident Now with two children I am a stay at home mom I only own sweats & sweatshirts I am (a little) over weight & cannot stand to look in the mirror My husband does NOT understand & I am becoming extremely withdrawn & depressed The strange thing is that if I had my smile back I wouldn't care about the weight & sweats It's the fact that I HAD the beauty I always wanted & waited so long for I got a taste for it & it was taken away Getting my teeth fixed is WAY too expensive & my husband will not pay for it It hurts me because he knows that this could change my whole world The way I live it the way I look at it & the way I live it day to day Is it petty & selfish to feel that way I want my smile back because with it comes my confidence I'm only 29 & I can't live this way I don't go out I cry alone (&  as I am while writing this ) I feel that everyone else will think this is stupid but I want to be beautiful again & I know how I can but I can't I don't have the means It is right in front of me & I still can't have it Does this make sense at all I'm a little emotional My image consumes me every time I need to go out( when I have no other option but to) or pass a mirror I used to LOVE to look in the mirror & go out I loved my image Now I fight back tears every time I get ready to go out when I have no other choice I stay inside if I can I'm so sorry for rambling but I need to know how I can overcome this so I can live my life & find some happiness about my image (what's left of it) so that I can enjoy my children & the many years I have left How do I get past this & be happy with myself again (It's like once you've gotten the taste of "being rich" & it's taken away how can you ever be happy again ) My marriage is falling apart because of my withdrawal & depression & my relationship with my children is becoming impacted Thank you SO much in advance I apologize for the frenzy of the question SINCERELY Mrs Cormz
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Mrs.Cormz 1 91 1/22/08
3:07 pm
  Too clingy? more less Question Hi I've been with my boyfriend for almost 2 years Before we got together I was a busy girl partying and dancing and I had so many hobbies   Now that we've been living together fora while and I'm 39 and 1/2 weeks pregnant I feel like I have no life in a way He loves music and sometimes he wants to watch TV in the living room or be on the computer with his headphones and I feel kinda left out I can see how I'm being ridiculous because he loves me so much & he takes really good care of me But I also feel like I have no hobbies or interests of my own and that makes me a little worried I'm not into what I used to be into so how can I find some new interests & how can I find a way to let him do his own thing without taking it personally He works a lot so I don't want to smother him and I also don't want us to get tired of each other We love eachother very much and look forward to spending our lives together and starting our family I would appreciate some advice I can't afford counseling or anything so some insight/ideas would be helpful Thanks
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cynthia889 1 127 11/14/07
1:33 am
  ?His last name or mine? more less Question I'm not exactly sure if this is the right place to post this question   but I'm very confused   I'm 23 weeks pregnant and almost 21 yrs old   I'm not sure if I should give my baby boy my boyfriends last name or mine when he is born Jan 21 2008   My boyfriend and I have been together for just about 2 yrs and this will be his third boy   His first boy was a one night thing who he didn't even know about till the boy was 6mths the boy doesn't have his last name but has been living with him for a couple of years   The second son has the exact name as him but him and the ex gf broke up when the baby was a couple of months old   I'm very confused by this cause I don't want to hurt him or his families feelings but I also don't want to go through problems if the eventually occur   Thanks
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cutiecady 2 168 9/27/07
1:45 am
  mood swings more less Question Hello well I am almost 8 months pregnant and have a 2 and a 1 year old at home I am very emotional and get very angry sometimes   My boyfriend and I have been togethor off and on but we just moved in togethor again he is constantly complaining about stuff I dont like the people he hangs out with and I work full time and then come home to a house of people that I dont like there is this girl and she used to date him   I dont act very nice to him when his friends are around I guess I treat him with disrespect   Right before we moved in we were talking about moving in and possible getting married but then he cheated on me with a stripper and he got a infection and gave it to me   He hurt me really bad and I am having a really hard time trusting him   He likes to be controlling and talk down on me   He is constantly calling me names and comparing me to this stripper   He doesnt work only collects unemployment so when he gets paid I tell him that he needs to help with the expenses but he is contantly blowing his check on stuff that I dont ever see that leaves me to pay all my bills How do I go about telling him that he needs to chip in and start paying part on bills without making him angry   When he isnt around I feel more like I am missing him and wanting him to be around but yet when he is around I dont want him to be there its very confusing   any advise of this subject would help me thanks Tammy tamann 0 142 9/20/07
7:08 pm
  i need to breathe more less Question I find myself pushing my hubby away when i want some "me" time   He doesn't understand   He has a hard time with "feeling abandoned"   Something his mom and dad did to him as a child Help me break it to him gently He's beginning to smother me accept when he is at his job and i at mine and now he is calling me or texting me on my cell at work help I DO WANT TO MISS HIM SOMETIME LOL OR is it me    I MENTIONED I WAS WANTING SOME TIME TO MYSELF AND HE STATED OK THEN WE CAN PLAN A VACATION (OH BOY ) I FEEL LIKE I NEED A DAY VACATION FROM HIM  IS THAT WRONG HORMONES OUT OF CONTROL BUT STILL IN LOVE  
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hardworkingwoman 1 210 9/17/07
6:37 am
  Disagreeing over finances more less Question I am a mother to a three year old and pregnant with my second child   Since my first born was 1 year old I left my highly paying job to stay at home   My husband has his own business and likes being the provider and having more authority as to what we do with our money   Over the weekend his grandfather passed away   His grandmother lives on a small fixed income but does have a sufficient amount of money put aside for a funeral and was ready to write the check   Without my consent and without speaking to me he offered to pay for the entire funeral of 7 200   We have a profitable business but have 17 000 in credit card debt and a huge tax bill to pay in three weeks   We don't have that liquid cash right now so he paid over half today and told his grandma he would repay her for the rest in the next two months She accepted   I am very upset but am lost for words since this is a ridiculous fight to have when someone has just died   However it is reality   I did tell him that because he made such a rash decision that I am considering turning in our luxury car early on its lease to get something much more affordable and reasonable   I am fed up with people gettting the wrong impression of what we have   What is your advice on how to handle this dilemma kim 0 155 9/17/07
8:37 pm
  Re: about being pregnant more less Question i was wondering that if i took a pregnancy test 5 days before my menstral cycle is suppose to start it said i was pregnant and the day before i was supose to start my menstrual cycle it came can i still be pregnant even if i am going thru my menstral cycle   please give me some advise this would be my first time getting pregnant
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taz 1 182 9/10/07
9:33 pm

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