Q: We have a young, growing family, and I'd like to do everything I can during this formative period to encourage everyone in the house to develop healthy habits. Can you provide me with any helpful tips?

Jim: Great question! Intentionality is an important part of promoting good health. According to Focus on the Family's Physicians Resource Council, the following list of questions can help you take a more proactive approach:

-- What's the quality of your fuel? When planning your family's menu, think about the number of calories you're consuming, the actual nutrients contained in the foods you eat and the importance of including sufficient amounts of fruits and vegetables in your diet.

-- Are you watching your weight? If you or anyone else in your family is overweight, see your physician to develop a program of diet and exercise that will help you shed the extra pounds.

-- Do you exercise regularly? You, your spouse and your children should be doing some kind of physical exercise at least five days a week.

-- Do you ingest any harmful substances? Tobacco, heavy alcohol use, illegal drugs and excessive amounts of prescription medications all present serious threats to long-term health and quality of life.

-- How is your emotional health? Take steps to ensure that your family's life is kept on an even mental and emotional keel.

-- How is your spiritual health? A strong personal faith can have a measurable impact on your physical health.

-- Are you getting enough refreshing, restorative sleep? The amount and quality of the sleep we get is a vital component of good health.

This is just a quick rundown of the essentials, of course, but if you put these suggestions into practice, you and your family will be on track to live a long and healthy life. I wish you all the best!

Q: When I drive my two kids (one teen, one preteen) to school, sports or music practice -- just about anywhere -- I've usually got the radio on, always to something positive. My kids say that my station choices are boring and my music is "lame." As a result, just recently, they've both resorted to using earbuds and listening to music via their cellphones. At least we don't argue anymore about what's playing in my car. But I can't say I'm really comfortable with this new arrangement. What say you?

Bob Waliszewski, Director, Plugged In: As an empty-nester, I want to remind you that while you'll have many years down the road to listen to your favorite radio stations (mostly by yourself, I might add), you only have a few short years left with your children. So turn off the radio, insist that your kids unplug, and enjoy some old-fashioned conversation.

Meanwhile, it's always a good idea to have family listening guidelines. First off, make sure your children know that only music that's positive, inspiring, encouraging or, at the very least, "neutral" will be allowed. Nothing racy or risque. Nothing glorifying drugs or violence. Nothing hopelessly wallowing in gloom and pain. To facilitate that, make sure they understand the research linking troublesome music lyrics to negative attitudes and behaviors. (This is easy to Google.)

Next, be sure to listen to what they're listening to. Check out the music they've downloaded and make sure it's not pirated. If they utilize music apps such as Spotify or Pandora, take time to lend an ear to tunes from their various station picks.

Finally, talk to them about listening at an appropriate volume level. In fact, listen in at the levels they've set. What your children consider acceptable may actually be damaging their hearing -- a disconcerting trend, even among teenagers.

Jim Daly is a husband and father, an author, and president of Focus on the Family and host of the Focus on the Family radio program. Catch up with him at www.jimdalyblog.com or at www.facebook.com/DalyFocus.

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Q: Should I permit my child to play video games? If so, which games should I allow and how can I maintain control?

Jim: Only you can decide if you want to allow your kids to participate in gaming. But if you do, be sure to stay actively involved in the buying process. Here are a few helpful game-purchasing guidelines:

-- Always check ratings. This is a good start, but remember that the video-game industry rating system is not infallible when it comes to determining family-friendly content. No matter what the rating says, parents should research the material to ensure that the game is appropriate for their family.

-- Read expert reviews and consult other parents. Take the time to research games that your child wants to play. Read online reviews. Focus on the Family's Plugged In (pluggedin.com) offers helpful reviews of popular video games.

-- Rent or borrow video games before buying. Before plunking down the money for a high-priced game, try finding it in the library, renting it from a game-rental outlet or even borrowing a game from a friend.

-- Set time limits and gaming rules for your family. Mom and Dad should establish the standards. Remember to be consistent about enforcing those rules. You might want to set parental controls if your gaming console or computer has that option.

-- Try the game yourself or take time to watch your child play. Playing video games with your child, or at least watching your child play a game, gives you a firsthand knowledge of the content. Your child will be more likely to talk about the game with you if you're aware of what it's about.

Remember, the key to success in this area, as in so many others, is direct parental involvement.

Q: Over the past several weeks I've had serious difficulty sleeping. My insomnia seems to be rooted in anxiety, and it's becoming worse: The more I worry about getting to sleep, the longer I lie awake. If anxiety is the issue, will medication help or will it simply mask the deeper problem?

Greg Smalley, Vice President, Family Ministries: Most of us suffer from occasional insomnia, but it sounds as if you're dealing with a chronic problem. The first thing you need to do is make an appointment with your family physician in order to rule out potential physical causes. If your doctor gives you a clean bill of health, then it's likely that your insomnia is being caused by anxiety or depression.

Anxiety-induced insomnia is fairly common. We all know what it's like to lie awake for hours thinking about our worries and concerns. Depression is a more serious issue. It can cause changes in the chemistry of the brain, which can lead to trouble sleeping or another phenomenon called "early morning awakening," a condition in which the individual wakes up in the wee hours of the morning and has difficulty falling asleep again.

Is it possible that your difficulty sleeping is related to anxious concerns about problems in other areas of your life? Are you worried about your job, a relationship or some troubling development in your family? If so, it might help to talk to someone about these issues, even if it's just a family member or trusted friend.

If, on the other hand, you suspect that you may be suffering from clinical depression, it's important to have your situation evaluated by a qualified physician. In that case, appropriate medication may be exactly what you need. Rather than "masking the deeper problem," it can restore the chemical balance required to put you back on an even keel.

Jim Daly is a husband and father, an author, and president of Focus on the Family and host of the Focus on the Family radio program. Catch up with him at www.jimdalyblog.com or at www.facebook.com/DalyFocus.

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Q: How can I guard against the danger of online social networking taking up too much of my time and negatively impacting my marriage? When my wife and I first started using sites like Facebook, we thought they were a great way to keep in touch with family and friends. Now they're beginning to dominate our lives. Any advice?

Jim: There's a fairly simple, common-sense solution to your dilemma: You need to take control. One way to do this is to draw up a household "mission statement" to govern your use of social media. I suggest you begin by asking yourself some basic questions: "Why do I want to be involved with social media? What am I hoping to accomplish by way of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn?"

Sit down and hash these questions out with your spouse. Write down your answers in the plainest possible terms. For example: "My goal is to use Facebook to stay in touch with Mom and Dad, my sister Jan, cousin Frank, and Bob and Jean." Then post those guidelines on your refrigerator and make up your minds to stick with them. If you get "friend" requests from people outside this circle, feel free to ignore them.

Another way to limit the amount of time you're spending with social media is to cut down the number of devices you're using to access your account. You can also give yourself permission to leave behind your handheld devices while you're out doing more important things -- for example, enjoying a dinner date with your spouse. Some families have even found it helpful to have a "Sabbath Box," where phones and iPads can be laid aside voluntarily as a way of disconnecting for a while.

You can probably come up with additional strategies of your own. Remember, you are in the driver's seat.

Q: My spouse and I have been married only a couple of years, and already I sense that the original "shimmer" of our romance is beginning to fade. Is something wrong with us? Are we "falling out of love"?

Greg Smalley, Vice President, Family Ministries: Maintaining the emotional excitement of romance can be difficult once the day-to-day reality of married life sets in. The good news is that you can still have a healthy, vibrant marriage, even when routine "stuff" begins to take over.

How does it work? Simple. You just have to lay hold of the fundamental anchor points of daily existence and turn them into meaningful relational moments. Here are a few suggestions:

-- Waking Up. Instead of saying, "Good morning," try turning to your spouse first thing and whispering something like, "I love you, and I'm glad to be waking with you by my side."

-- Leaving the house. When it's time to go, kiss your spouse goodbye -- and kiss like you really mean it!

-- Checking in. How do you stay in touch during the day? A judicious use of social media can go a long way toward maintaining and strengthening the ties that bind.

-- Coming home. When you come back together at the end of the day, try kissing and hugging and saying, "How was your day?" You'll be surprised what a difference it makes.

-- Mealtimes. Mealtimes are ideal times for reconnecting and celebrating your shared identity as a couple.

-- Bedtime. The end of the day, like the beginning, is a universal anchor point. It's a time when you can clean the slate and express gratitude and appreciation with a goodnight kiss.

Obviously, this isn't rocket science. Neither is it about "doing more" or "doing things right." It's purely a matter of blooming where you're planted.

Jim Daly is a husband and father, an author, and president of Focus on the Family and host of the Focus on the Family radio program. Catch up with him at www.jimdalyblog.com or at www.facebook.com/DalyFocus.

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