Family

My husband’s Halloween obsession is giving me the creeps

It starts as summer ends – the costume and party-planning, the stockpiling of ‘candy’, the cobweb cut-outs – even our kids can’t bear it

Grieving while growing: The Hampshire smallholding helping mourners process their loss

A tiny farm is helping bereaved locals through the joys of being in nature

Dear Richard Madeley: My family is being held hostage by the whims of my wife’s controlling sister

She clearly suffers from a personality disorder of some sort, but her cowed husband won’t intervene

Dear Richard Madeley: At 28, how do I find an older woman that wants me for more than sex?

I want someone to build a future with, but it’s difficult to plan ahead with my ‘type’

‘I took a DNA test in midlife and exposed a decades-old family secret’

The story of one woman’s frantic search for the truth

Dear Richard Madeley: My husband never finishes his DIY jobs around our house

I don’t want to live in a hovel, but he becomes moody whenever I bring up his aborted projects

I’m 28 and earn more than £60,000 – but I still can’t afford to have children

Like me, almost every young woman I know feels that motherhood is out of reach. If we are going to break the cycle, we need change

Dear Richard Madeley: My mother forces me to sleep on the sofa whenever I stay over

My younger brother’s bedroom is completely empty, but she insists it’s ‘his room’ and I can’t stay there

The seven rules for finding love in your 70s

Following news of Maureen Lipman’s engagement at 78, our writer shares tips for love in your eighth decade

My wife is turning into a good Samaritan, but our family is suffering

While I know I am lucky to be married to a woman who thinks about others, it is starting to come at the expense of our family

I feel sidelined by my husband’s new-found enthusiasm for tennis

Since he’s been seeing his new friends at the club he’s joined, we don’t spend as much quality time together as we used to

I felt like a failure when my daughter refused to go to school – but parents aren’t to blame

The education secretary’s plan to toughen up on student absenteeism won’t help when people need understanding, not punishment

My new partner has an absolutely repulsive tattoo

He’s generous and kind, but the ugly thing down the middle of his chest is an immediate turnoff

Dear Richard Madeley: My relatives claim they can’t make my wedding unless I buy their plane tickets

I was happy to pay for my fiancée’s younger sister, but now all of my family is pleading poverty

Dear Richard Madeley: My old friend has become a health and fitness bore – I feel judged by him

Our usual pub lunches are off the menu, and he won’t meet up unless there’s some kind of exercise involved

I’m worried about my sister-in-law’s drug taking – how can I convince her to quit?

She is very resistant and has been very sneery about my sobriety, as I used to have a drug problem myself

Tasting dog food is more than a job – it’s my passion

It might seem strange but, once they see me trying it, people quickly come around to having a go themselves

I live in the country – but my husband doesn’t

We both love the rural area we jointly decided to relocate to from the city six years ago… I just wish he would join me full time

Dear Richard Madeley: I’ve been dumped by my grandchildren – how can I rebuild our relationship?

I was in huge demand as they were growing up, and I’m disappointed that they’re no longer in touch

The things your children do that you can blame on their genes

From fussy eating to poor school work, many of our offspring’s failings have little to do with parenting style

The world’s greatest – and saddest – pet memorials

Pets as we know them are an invention of the 19th century, and since then their owners have found ways to memorialise their animal friends

Midults Q&A: ‘My date revealed his tattoo - I don’t know if I can get past it’

Everything you need to know about moving house

Follow our checklist for a stress-free move – from who to inform of your address change to what to leave until the last day

Dear Richard Madeley: My youngest daughter, who was born male, is depressed and shutting me out

She’s living in a bedsit and won’t take my calls – somehow I’ve become the villain of the piece. How do I help her?

£85 poodle perfume and private jets: How the super-rich look after their dogs

Welcome to the new upmarket lifestyle of the pampered pooch

Dear Richard Madeley: My co-worker got promoted instead of me – I don’t know how to act around them

I don’t want my new boss to think I’m harbouring resentment, but it’s hard to reconfigure our relationship

My wife has decided to schedule sex in our diaries

I knew that we were in a bit of a dry patch, but I find it so unromantic

How Adam Peaty and Holly Ramsay found God – then each other

Despite coming from very different backgrounds, the couple have come together through their shared faith

Rent in London is £2,000 a month – I have no choice but to live with my mum

Afraid to fly the nest, or locked out of the housing market? Here’s why so many young adults are still living at home

I’m self-employed but my wife thinks I’m at her disposal

Just because I now work from home, my wife thinks I should be able to help with childcare at any time of the day

Dear Richard Madeley: My wife is taller than me and keeps bringing it up

It’s never been a problem before – has she picked this up from social media?

Dear Richard Madeley: I’m worried about going to university far away from my family and friends

I’m stressed about budgeting, sharing space with strangers – and being lonely