My elder son resents his brother’s special needs – how can I help him understand?
Dear Annalisa, I have two wonderful sons aged seven and three. My issue is that my older son does not understand that his brother has additional needs and resents…
I want to be a better parent than my mother was – but I’m failing
Dear Annalisa, There’s nothing like parenting to open your eyes to how you were parented, and I’ve discovered that I have an avoidant attachment style. As a…
I want to have a better relationship with my gran, but her behaviour enrages me
Dear Annalisa, I wish I could have a better relationship with my grandmother. She has beenrecognised as a difficult person, a liar and highly critical for as long…
I don’t want to invite my father to my wedding but feel coerced into doing so. The Guardian.
Dear Annalisa My sister and I have always had a rather fraught relationship with my father. He failed to form bonds and took no interest in…
How can I develop true self-confidence? The Guardian.
Dear Annalisa I am from a dysfunctional family where I was ignored, criticised and never given love or affection. I learned to be quiet, to never…
How can I cope with my manipulative mother? The Guardian.
Dear Annalisa I am a woman in my 50s looking for advice on how to cope with my needy and manipulative mother, who is in her…
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…
Annalisa Barbieri 