You don't fully define the members of your family outside of yourself and your daughter. Is her father involved? Does he have an opinion on the co-sleeping? My sense is that perhaps your nuclear family consists only of you and your daughter, and the situation has been going on for a very long time -- perhaps the entire eight years of your daughter's life.

While some children self-soothe through auditory, olfactory or taste sensations, many are comforted by tactile sensations. 

First, support your daughter. Help her understand why people stare and whisper. Explain to her that it's their problem, not hers -- and that she is beautiful and wonderful and strong. Emphasize that she is differently-abled.

It is critically important that schools and families work together. I suggest you talk to his teacher or the school administrator who handled the cheating -- assuming it was discovered.

There are actually two important questions rolled into your one: what to do about a bullying situation and how to talk to your teenager.

Every mom wants to do the best for her child. And most parents are also quick to assume responsibility and guilt for any challenge.

Working and parenting is a perpetual juggle for everyone, regardless of whether you work at home, in an office, part time or full time. It's a constant balancing act.

It's often helpful to look at the "why of behavior"-- what's motivating your child to act in a specific way. Four-years-old is a bit on the early end for this type of behavior. Most children at that age are just beginning to differentiate the possessions of others from their own, but most four-year-olds understand that Mommy's purse does not belong to them.

From your description it sounds like you are alone with your son for a significant portion of the day -- which must be a very difficult mix for an active toddler and a bed-resting mom!

You are probably both right! Piercing is both a sign of individuality and a way to fit in. One recent study revealed that one in three college students had some type of piercing.

Depending on where you live, you might be able to visit a children's museum with a mock plane so your child can see what the process is like. At a minimum, you might try a trial run to the airport so she can see the hustle and bustle of the security process, the crowds, the lines etc.

Exposure, exposure, exposure. Kids are outstanding imitators. They imitate whatever they see, whether it's positive, negative or neutral.

To quote Kevin Arnold from The Wonder Years, "Who you are in fifth grade is who everybody else in fifth grade says you are." That's a harsh reality of middle childhood, and you are so right when you point out that friendship is critically important to an 8-year-old.

Fear is an intrinsic human emotion -- a vestige of our days as cave people when fear was critical to survival. In many cases, that is still true today: fear protects us from many risks. That said, it's important to differentiate a fear from a phobia.

There is no "right" answer to this question -- only the one that fits your family's needs and beliefs. Many girls will start to experience darkening and coarsening of their hair sometime between the ages of 10 and 13, with lots of cultural variation. In the melting pot that we've become in the U.S., this is now even harder to predict.

No matter how you choose to address the co-sleeping issue, it's critical that you and your husband are in agreement. Talk out any options first and make a decision to support each other. This won't be easy, but after a week or two of difficult nights, most children make the adjustment smoothly.

You describe your work day as starting at 5:45. Does that mean you have outside help in the morning when your husband is travelling? If so, is there any chance that person could help out after school -- for an hour or two once a week -- so that you could grab a cup of coffee with a friend?

Since your son is 10, there's a strong likelihood that he witnessed or heard many arguments when you and his father were together. Many times parents think the children are asleep or oblivious to the violence, but in most cases they're very aware but afraid to talk about it.

Many researchers feel 10 is the "most fearful age," so your daughter may just be living up to that adage. To determine if you need professional help with her anxiety, it's critical to determine how much her fears are getting in the way of her daily activities.

At 2 ½-years of age, many children crave the social stimulation of a preschool classroom -- the routines, the novelty, the other children. Many, like your daughter, still prefer to speak in telegraphic one-and two-word phrases, but within the next month or so, you should start to see an increase in her word combinations, as well as a huge spurt in her vocabulary -- possibly helped by the new stimulation at school!