Q.  For several reasons my husband and I have decided not to send our almost three-year-old to preschool next year. It seems like most kids today get some kind of formal school before kindergarten and I am worried about him not being ready for school when he gets to kindergarten. Will he be behind the other kids?

Q. I am pregnant with our second child, due in the spring.  We are excitecd and scared at the same time.  Our first child will be just two years old and is used to being an only child - the center of the family.  How can I help him prepare to be a big brother and adjust to the idea of sharing us with another baby?

Q. Although my husband and I really want to keep the holidays simple, my parents and in-laws are already asking what we want for our son’s first Christmas! This is their first grandchild and many of our relatives are very excited to be able to celebrate with a young child -- bringing sugarplums, reindeer and all of the traditions around Santa back into the holiday.

We’re not sure this is what we want. How can we celebrate the holiday season with our family and keep it simple at the same time?

Ellen Barrett, a parent educator at Heights Parent Center for the last 12 years, fields questions from parents about the daily ups and downs of parenting. The same issues affect many parents! If you have questions you would like Ellen to respond to in this column, e-mail her at ebarrett@heightsparentcenter.org. 

Q. My 14 month old is so busy these days! With his new walking skills and curious temperament he’s a little tornado and I’m having trouble keeping up with him and his mess. It can get very frustrating to have to keep running after him and picking things up over and over again and it seems he is most interested in all of the things in the house that he can’t have, such as electrical cords and outlets. Help!

Q. Our daughter is usually so pleasant but we have had a very hard time getting her to share. It is almost impossible in our own home and often just as much of a challenge at friend’s house. We feel sure that she knows better and often looks right at us as she snatches a toy or pushes her way into a space! How can we teach her to share and be a more compatible friend?

Q. I have a six-month-old baby and am planning on attending a family reunion this summer. My son is starting to go through a phase where he only wants me to hold him. How can I protect him from my well-intentioned relatives wanting to pass him around? How can I get a break to enjoy the vacation too?

A. Depending on your accommodations, one thing you’ll want to try to establish is a “relative-free zone.” This should be an actual physical space (a bedroom, a chair in the corner of a room or maybe just the back seat of the car!) This is where you can retreat whenever your son is feeling stressed. Hopefully, it will be comfortable enough for you to feed him, let him play and be a place where you two can take a break. It would be great if you could tell a few close family members your situation and have them run interference for you. That way you won’t always have to be the one to deny everyone access to your beautiful baby.

Ellen Barrett, a parent educator at Heights Parent Center for the last 12 years, fields questions from parents about the daily ups and downs of parenting. The same issues impact many parents. If you have questions you would like Ellen to respond to in this column, please e-mail her at ebarrett@heightsparentcenter.org.

Q. My wife and I have always looked forward to meal time but now find that we dread it! We have such a hard time getting our two year old to eat the food that we have prepared for him that we now expect a battle at every meal. It makes us tense and cranky and is very unpleasant. What can we do to get him to eat and enjoy dinner so we can enjoy our family?

James Smith manages the second shift at a restaurant, meaning that he misses most evenings at home with his kids. Mary Curtis finds that between errands and housework and phone calls, she is busy all the time. Many families with school-age children are faced with a similar challenge: When is there any time to play or read with my children?

It was April of 1998 when I discovered Heights Parent Center (HPC). My daughter, Erin, was eight months old and we attended the Baby & Me group. By November of that year, I was asked to join HPC’s Toy Lending Library (TLL) as a volunteer.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. TLL is a program run only by volunteers; dedicated parents who count, clean and care for hundreds of toys. Instead of finding chaos, I found a well oiled machine. Each toy being checked in or out gets counted, every toy gets washed upon return, and volunteers keep tedious track of the broken and missing pieces. Amazing!

Whether you have a dentist appointment in the middle of the day, a meeting at your kid’s school in the evening or are trying to plan “date night” with your spouse, the task of finding a sitter can be a challenge. Where to begin, what to ask and what to expect are just a few of the dilemmas you might face. Here are a few tips to guide you through this journey.

Longer daylight hours and no homework signal the perfect time for families to enjoy some leisure time together. Whether your child is already in early elementary school, entering Kindergarten this fall or is still in preschool, summer is the perfect time to brush up on school readiness skills.

Tucked away in Taylor School is a great resource for families with young children ages 0 - 5! Heights Parent Center is an education, resource and support center for parents, caregivers and young children. In our comfortable and welcoming playroom children and parents can play and talk together, share experiences and resources, and find new friends.