“I told my husband he couldn’t cross dress anymore. Now he avoids sex.” Published in The Guardian
Dear Annalisa I am 44 and have been married for 12 years. We have a daughter and my husband is a devoted father. A few months…
Making sense of a family tragedy. Published in The Guardian.
“I had no idea that Matthew had died till he was born,” says Sue Hale. “The midwife said, ‘I’m so very sorry, he’s stillborn.’” Matthew was…
“My son’s grandmother gave him some chocolate and told him to lie about it.” Published in The Guardian
Dear Annalisa Several months ago while putting our five-year-old son to bed, my wife saw what she thought was blood on his pyjamas. She asked him…
“My ex-husband’s father has changed his will in favour of a woman who we fear is exploiting him.” Published in The Guardian
Can you help me and my sons, aged 22 and 21, and daughter, 18, to find perspective on an issue that we find deeply distressing and…
“My daughter says she’s not inviting us for Christmas.” Published in The Guardian
I love my daughter very much and thought we were close. Some years ago we gave her financial help, bought her family a car and helped…
What makes a good parent? It’s not discipline, or striving for respect (or fear). Above all else, it’s trust. Published in The Independent
As I started to write this, I asked my eldest child, who is nine, what makes a good parent. “Someone who cuddles you, someone who plays…
So you’re good at exams. So what? Published in The Independent.
It would be woefully unfair of me to judge Michael Gove on his physical appearance. Yet he would have me judged, perhaps my whole life defined,…
“Forty years ago my mother had a baby that died. How can I help her?” The Guardian
Dear Annalisa How can I help my mother? Almost 40 years ago, she had a baby girl who died a couple of days after she was…
We’re making it easier for violent men. Published in The Independent.
We all know politicians can lie, but it’s only when you know a little bit about something that you realise just what honkers they’re capable of…
My mother’s suitcase. Published in National Geographic Traveller.
The first suitcase I ever picked up was my mother’s. It had travelled with her from Italy and lived in the depths of her wood-lined wardrobe.…
Annalisa Barbieri 
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