Our three-year-old says he loves me more than his dad. What can I do?
Dear Annalisa, For the past six months, our three-year-old son has been showing clear favouritism towards me. My partner finds it really upsetting and was recently devastated…
My teenage son constantly lies to us. How do we get the trust back?
Dear Annalisa, My son is 15 and causing no end of trouble. He is a good kid, pushing against the boundaries and learning to grow up.…
Do I need to leave my partner for the sake of my fragile son?
Dear Annalisa, I am 62 years old and semi-retired. I’ve worked hard all my life. In my 30s I had a son; it was just the…
My son seems to blame me for his anxiety. How can we reconnect?
Dear Annalisa, My 22-year-old son is about to start his third year of a four-year degree course, and he is living at home. He has always been quiet and…
My partner delights in being a dad, but is awful to me. What can I do?
Dear Annalisa, My partner and I have been together for five years; we have a son. My partner wasn’t supportive during my pregnancy and showed no interest in antenatal appointments or…
I think the married woman I had an affair with is pregnant with my baby. What’s the right thing to do?
Dear Annalisa, Before lockdown, I began an affair with a married woman, J. She told me I was her soulmate and no one had ever made…
Our adopted daughter has rejected us. How can we help her?
Dear Annalisa, After years of trying to have a baby, my husband and I adopted a girl of early primary school age. Despite doing lots of homework,…
My teenage daughter is in a miserable state; she has lost hope. The Guardian.
Dear Annalisa I am desperately worried about my teenage granddaughter, who is in a very miserable state. Her self-esteem is at rock bottom, she has no…
After the Manchester attack: how do I talk to my children about distressing news stories? The Guardian.
I have only once actively hidden a news item from my daughter. She was three when Madeleine McCann went missing, far too young to know about…
I’m childless and lonely, I feel moving would help, but my husband isn’t keen. The Guardian.
Dear Annalisa I’m coming to terms with a life that I wasn’t expecting after 20 years of marriage and am struggling to find a route to a new…
Annalisa Barbieri 
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