I can’t stand my sister’s husband. What can I do about him?
I love my sister. But I can’t stand her husband. He is an idiot who thinks he is better than other people and talks down to them. I…
My mother-in-law is still driving despite a near miss. How can we stop her?
Dear Annalisa, My mother-in-law is still driving. After a near miss a few months ago, we told her she was no longer to drive with our children in her…
My mother says she’ll disinherit me unless my partner stops being estranged from her. What should I do?
Dear Annalisa, I have been with my partner for 14 years and we have two small children together. I have always had a complicated relationship with my…
‘My mother-in-law sent me an insulting text intended for someone else. Should she apologise?’
Dear Annalisa, I’ve had a terrible run in with my mother-in-law and don’t know what to do about it. I’m married to her only son, whom…
The 11 step guide to being a good guest. The Guardian.
Being a good guest starts before you arrive. Reply to any invitation as promptly as you can. (If you can’t accept, say so early.) The answer to…
My fiance’s sister is jealous and talks about me behind my back. The Guardian.
Dear Annalisa I met my fiance on a blind date about five years ago – we moved in together after a year of dating, bought a…
My son-in-law insulted my son’s partner and it has caused a family rift. The Guardian.
Dear Annalisa Our daughter, son-in-law (SiL) and granddaughter, visited us last year, at the same time as our son and his partner and another couple. When…
How can I help my adult son cope better with chaotic meal and bedtimes? The Guardian.
Dear Annalisa I am writing after returning from a week’s holiday with my son, his partner and their two children, who are both under five. I…
My parents-in-law have gone back on a promise to give us their house. The Guardian.
Dear Annalisa We are a lovely and mostly happy family of four renting a smallish two-bed flat with no garden in London. Last summer we were…
Things are tense with my in-laws but my husband won’t stick up for me. The Guardian.
Dear Annalisa My husband is southern-European and our parents live abroad. Shortly after our eldest was born, my mother-in-law attacked me verbally about how I was…
Annalisa Barbieri 