"I recently caught my six-year-old son and a seven-year-old girl we know showing each other their private parts. How do I clearly explain the severity of their actions without blowing it out of proportion?"

Q. Our 6-year-old is completely boy crazy. She loves attention from boys of all ages and spends a great deal of time primping in front of the mirror before going anywhere. She often begs me to let her wear bright red dress-up lipstick to church (a big "no"). Is this normal for her age? Her father and I give her plenty of attention. I can't understand why she needs all of this attention, and I worry that it will only get worse as she gets older.

"We are raising our 3-year-old granddaughter and I'm concerned about something. Sometimes when I lay her down for her nap, she starts to masturbate. Sometimes she does it when she's experienced a stressful situation, but other times that's not the case. Is this normal?"

Your guide to the ages and stages of development

Next to being born, puberty may well be the most drastic change we experience in life.

Like it or not, if your child has reached middle school it won'’t be long before you'’ll be faced with the uncomfortable subject of masturbation.