I worry my grandson is being harmed by his father’s negative behaviour
Dear Annalisa, I am the grandmother of a six-year-old boy. The mother divorced the father four years ago because of abusive behaviour. Although both parents are British, the…
My abusive parents won’t admit what they’ve done. How can I let go of the pain?
Dear Annalisa, I’m 43 and father to a wonderful daughter, whom I co-parent. I live abroad now but am British-born. My parents were abusive, and this left me…
Was it so wrong to pass on my brother’s diagnosis without his consent?
Dear Annalisa, My dad died two years ago, exposing a sea of secrets and lies. He’d had a degenerative condition, but was totally in denial –…
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…
My mum has Alzheimer’s. How do I stop her ‘helping’ around the house?
Dear Annalisa, My husband and I and our two children (aged six and two) recently moved into a bigger house so my mum could come and live with…
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…
My parents moved to a new area after my mother retired and now she is really isolated. The Guardian.
Dear Annalisa A year ago, once my siblings and I had left home, my parents moved to the other side of the country. They have made…
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…
I’m worried that my elderly father is in an abusive marriage and is being isolated from me. The Guardian.
Dear Annalisa I am really concerned about my dad’s current relationship. After being widowed for some years, he met someone new and, within a short time,…
How do I explain to my children the rift with my mother, whose partner abused me? The Guardian.
Dear Annalisa I have been estranged from my mother since I was 18. When my brother and I were very young, my mother left my father…
Annalisa Barbieri 
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