After the death of my mother, I wasn’t sure how my father, brother and I would knit ourselves into a unit. Could a sweaty nightclub in Lisbon hold the answer?“We should go to the Ibiza closing parties,” my dad blurts out, driving through the rain in Ho…
‘Let them be kids!’ Is ‘free-range’ parenting the key to healthier, happier children?
Now more than ever, children are cooped up indoors and monitored 24/7. But how can they build confidence and social skills if adults never let them out of their sight?She describes herself as having been a “fairly cautious” parent before the pandemic, …
How can I win round my frosty future mother-in-law?
Look at her actions in a positive light and swap the small talk for more meaningful conversationThe question I’m due to marry later this year and would like advice regarding my mother-in-law to be. My relationship with her tends to be strained. She los…
‘I can’t work’: the mothers left to fight alone for their children’s mental health care
Three parents forced to give up their lives and careers to get help for their severely ill children tell their storiesCassandra Leese should have been at the front of the queue when the NHS called on former staff to return to help fight the nascent Cov…
Fred Sirieix: ‘I was training to be a chef, but I thought it would kill my soul’
The First Dates star and maître d’ on what his parents taught him about service, the value of hospitality and his pride in his Olympian daughterI was born in food. My dad used to say: “We don’t have much money and we don’t have fancy cars, but we alway…
‘The soundtrack to my life was burping and farting’: how disgusting is your partner?
Living and working in the same space has given many couples an unwanted insight into each other’s dirtiest habits. But should we really find them so gross?“Over lockdown, the soundtrack to my life was email notifications pinging – and people burping an…
Avni Doshi on summer in Mumbai
The Burnt Sugar author remembers summer 2007, when her grandmother arrived to help her set up home – and teach her some life lessons• Read other authors on their memorable urban summersShe arrives with a small suitcase and several jute bags filled with…
Tim Dowling: hallelujah, the dog’s gone on holiday
No dog sleeping on my feet or barking when the bell rings, or staring at me intently as I make coffee or try to watch TVI wake and stretch my legs until they reach the end of the bed. The sun is shining and my mood is unaccountably light. I can’t think…
‘It became a compulsion’: how fertility forums took over my life
After years trying for a child without success, I sought solace in online message boards. Before long, I was spending hours a day poring over intimate posts, sharing everything with total strangers. Would it help?Leanne was having her fringe cut when s…
More awareness and support needed after miscarriage | Letter
Charlotte Tew writes about feeling isolated and the lack of adequate medical care for those who have lost a babyA huge thank you for publishing the podcast about baby loss and miscarriage (Today in Focus, 9 August). My husband and I are currently exper…