Should I still see my difficult sister now our parents have died?
Dear Annalisa, My sister is 12 years older than me, in her early 70s. We have always had a “seesaw”“ relationship. When it’s good, we go on holiday…
I’m worried my mum is rushing into marriage with her new boyfriend
Dear Annalisa, My mum recently broke up with her boyfriend of 11 years, a man I view as my father. Two months later, she rekindled her relationship with…
My wife finds her mother’s rightwing rants hurtful. Should we cut her off?
Dear Annalisa, My wife is constantly made extremely upset by her mother’s behaviour, which has always been difficult but has progressed to new levels. My mother-in-law is a solitary…
Living alone is making my anxiety spiral, but I’m too ashamed to reach out to friends and family
Dear Annalisa, I’ve always been an anxious person, but have never been formally diagnosed with anxiety or prescribed medication to alleviate the symptoms. Last year I…
My husband has no friends and is too reliant on me. How can I help him?
Dear Annalisa, I have been with my husband for 20 years. During the first few years, he would occasionally hang out with about four friends. I’ve…
My sister is drinking heavily while pregnant. How can I help her stop?
Dear Annalisa, I’ve just come back from a trip with my sister, who is pregnant with her first child. During our time away (we were in…
I want to go back on my decision to share parental leave with my partner
Dear Annalisa, I am currently on maternity leave with my first child. Before I had the baby I agreed to split my maternity leave with my…
I’d like my fiance to take my last name – is that too much to ask of him?
Dear Annalisa My partner and I are getting married this winter. But we don’t know about our last names. We are both broadly against ingrained gender stereotypes and…
My daughter will only eat junk food. How can I get her on a healthy diet?
Dear Annalisa, Our daughter, who is eight, had the “best start”: exclusively breastfed, weaned on to vegetables and fruit and healthy home-cooked meals. At some point, she started…
My mother-in-law’s partner has a police record for exposing himself. Do we tell her?
Dear Annalisa, My wife’s mother is in her 60s and divorced, and has been seeing a man her age for around six years. While he is…
Annalisa Barbieri 
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