DEAR HARRIETTE: On a recent pediatric visit, I told the doctor that our daughter now climbs out of her crib and comes in our room. She is 2 years old and a very wild sleeper. The pediatrician explained to us that the sleeping and eating patterns of kids can be a war for parents.

The doctor told my husband and me that we have to be united. He said that when she gets out of the bed, we should put her back in but not speak to her.

My husband converted her crib to a toddler bed, and we proceeded to count how many times our daughter got out of the bed. I counted 23 times that we put her back in bed. She cried and screamed nonstop, then finally pointed to her shiny boots, smiled and said "shoes"! My husband and I wanted to laugh, but it was wise to be silent. This child is relentless!

I told my husband to go to bed. My daughter and I stared at each other until 2 a.m. Then my daughter lay on her pillow and proceeded to pop up to see if I was still there!

I am pooped. I need my eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. What can I do? -- Momma Needs Rest, Cranford, N.J.

DEAR MOMMA NEEDS REST: Creating the discipline that makes your child follow your rules can be extremely challenging, particularly when it comes to bedtime. Your pediatrician was right in encouraging you to stick to the rules. If you let your daughter sleep with you, she will not want to sleep in her bed -- possibly for years.

You may want to go into your daughter's room with her an hour before bedtime. Do slowing-down activities together, including reading, giving her a massage and telling her a bedtime story. Tell her that one rule is that she must sleep in her room all night long. Dim the lights as you coax her to sleep. Stay in the room with her until she falls asleep.

When she gets up and comes into your room, silently walk her back, tuck her in and leave. Even if you have to do this over and over again, do it. Eventually, she will learn that she isn't going to win this war.

There's a great book that may help your family, called "It's Time to Sleep in Your Own Bed," by Lawrence E. Shapiro.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I started playing games on my phone with my children, and now I feel like I'm addicted. Whenever I have a spare moment, I find myself playing silly games instead of doing my work. I even got caught by my boss last week. I know this sounds crazy. I'm usually very responsible, but I can't help myself. What can I do to curb this habit? -- Addicted, Washington, D.C.

DEAR ADDICTED: What advice would you give your child? Turn off your phone and put it away so that it's not easy to boot up and play on a moment's notice. Set times when you will play with your children, and agree that you will play only at those times. Take the games off of your phone and have them only on a device at home.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I completely disagree with your advice to the mom who had difficulty getting her 15-year-old daughter out of bed for school every morning. Your suggestions for staying in the room, sanctions, etc., are making the mom do all the work, when it's the daughter's responsibility to get to school on time -- not the mom's!

My suggestion to Mom is to back off! Tell your daughter that you will no longer be responsible for waking her up every morning. Don't ask her every night what time she needs to get up. Buy her the alarm clock of her choice, and offer to collaborate on strategies that she might use to get up (alarm clock across the room, snooze button, etc.). It becomes your daughter's responsibility to get herself to school on time. And when she does sleep in and is late to school, do not say a word. She will have the natural consequences of whatever the high school's policies are for lateness. Soon she will get the message, I promise.

Before you know it, your daughter will be away from home in college and will have to do this herself. The time to learn is NOW. -- Tough Love, Chicago

DEAR TOUGH LOVE: Your point is a good one that several other readers have echoed -- namely, that this teenager needs to become responsible for herself. A couple of other readers thought the teen might have a health condition that needs to be addressed. One reader shared that his long-sleeping son actually had mononucleosis, which contributed to his lethargy.

I did some additional research and learned that, according to a Stanford University study, teenagers need at least eight hours of sleep per night to be highly functioning. When they do not get enough sleep, they often do poorly in school and suffer behavioral challenges and ultimately health challenges. See this article for more details: www2.providence.org/wallawalla/providence-st-mary-medical-center/sleep-disorders/Pages/Teens-and-Sleep.aspx.

So, for any parent who has an overly sleepy teen, you may want to monitor how much sleep she or he is actually getting and take your teen for a physical to make sure all is well.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I was cleaning my son's room (he's 10) when I came upon a note from his teacher that he should have given to me. It was a request for a meeting with the teacher that I missed because I didn't know about it.

I was outraged. I didn't say anything right away to him because I wanted to cool off. What is a constructive way to address this? -- Mad Mom, Denver

DEAR MAD MOM: Show the note to your son and ask him why he didn't give it to you. Explain that it is his responsibility to immediately give you anything the teacher sends home to you. Begin the practice of reviewing your son's homework and checking his bag with him to make sure everything is in order.

Contact the teacher and reschedule the meeting, and let the teacher know you just got the note. Suggest that the teacher also email you or call to ensure that you get any future messages.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am an alcoholic. I started drinking heavily in my fraternity days in college, and I haven't stopped. It wrecked my grades, and I had to drop out of school. Drinking has had a negative impact on my life, and I want to change it. I don't want to do Alcoholics Anonymous because I've been, and it just made me want to drink more. Nor do I think rehab is the way to go.

I want to turn my life around and finish my degree to get a better job. What can I do to change my ways? -- Ready to Change, Flint, Mich.

DEAR READY TO CHANGE: Congratulations on realizing that you need to change your life. Awareness is the key to your success in kicking this addiction. You need to get help.

Start by going to your internist and getting a physical to check on your overall health. Ask your doctor to recommend a method of detoxification that may work for you. Options include going to a therapist who specializes in drug and alcohol addiction. Many alcoholics do one-on-one therapy like this or attend group therapy with a professional counselor. If you have insurance, it may help pay for counseling.

Your doctor also may suggest that you reconsider the options you say you have ruled out. Although you didn't like Alcoholics Anonymous in the past, you may want to revisit it. There are many AA meetings, so you may be able to find a different one that is more suited to you. AA is free and you can go every day, which has proved helpful for people who are trying to kick this insidious habit.

DEAR HARRIETTE: At an event, I spoke to a woman who immediately asked if I remembered her. Her face was familiar, but I didn't really know who she was. She kept insisting, and finally I had to tell her I wasn't sure. She went on to tell me that I never remember her, and it was obvious her feelings were hurt. That wasn't my intention at all.

What else could I have done? And do you think it's right for people to ask if you remember them? I feel like they're setting themselves up for a letdown. -- Embarrassed, Jackson, Miss.

DEAR EMBARRASSED: Usually a friendly greeting is enough to satisfy people when you see them. What people want most is to be acknowledged. Of course, it's best to state the person's name if you know it. But if you don't and you are asked that question, you could say, "I know your face but don't remember why. Will you remind me?" Then it's on the other person to fill in the blanks.

I would strongly advise against asking someone if he or she remembers you, though. Instead, you could help out the person by saying your name and adding something like, "I met you last year at X event," or whatever the reminder might be. That way, you reinforce your connection rather than create discomfort.