My mother’s grief is making our relationship toxic
Dear Annalisa, I am a woman in my late 30s, married with two small children with a rewarding and demanding career. I live some hours’ drive away from…
I secretly contacted my father – now my mother refuses to speak to me
Dear Annalisa, I am 36 years old. I hadn’t seen my father since I was five, but at the age of 25, after a particularly difficult crisis and lack…
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…
My brother, who lives at home, is abusive to my mum. I worry he’ll hit her. The Guardian.
Dear Annalisa I am the eldest of four children of a single mother. I have two sisters and a brother, who is the second child. He…
I’ve just discovered that my adored dad, who is now dead, had an affair. The Guardian.
Dear Annalisa I loved my dad. I was a serious daddy’s girl until he died when I was 13. Even though I only spent a little…
Why does my brother humiliate me at family events? Can’t he just accept me? The Guardian.
Dear Annalisa Recently I visited my brother and his wife and was left asking myself some questions. Why did he never like me? What did I…
I want to make sure my tricky sister is doing the best for our mother. The Guardian.
Dear Annalisa My elder sister has always been tricky for me to deal with as she is very critical and suspicious of anyone’s opinions or motives,…
My family is casually sexist, but say they are entitled to their ‘opinions’. The Guardian.
Dear Annalisa I have a problem talking to my family about gender issues, sexism and feminism. I find there is a lot of latent and underlying…
I coped well after my partner left me and the children five years ago, but suddenly I feel overwhelmed. The Guardian.
Dear Annalisa I’m a single parent with sole responsibility for my two children. Their father left about five years ago, before they started school, and now…
Annalisa Barbieri 
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