Tim Lott
Tim Lott is a journalist and author; his latest book is Under the Same Stars
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Should I burn my diaries? They’d make my children cringe …When I die, they will inherit a lot of clutter unless I take a deep breath and get rid of it first
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Becoming a parent is the greatest identity change we go throughIf identity is about how power plays out inside us, then having children is the profoundest transformation a human being can experience
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Why we must cherish the role of imagination in childhoodForget the educational Gradgrinds and school league tables’ fixation on facts – to imagine is the mind at its most human
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What does depression feel like? Trust me – you really don’t want to knowDarker than grief, an implosion of the self, a sheet of ice: no matter how you describe it, this is a terrifying state to be trapped in
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Is it OK to have a favourite child?I always deny having a favourite when asked by my children because any answer is sure to be misinterpreted
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Traditional families are not the only preserve of moral valuesPoliticians like to talk of family values, but what does the term mean and why does it so rarely include people in same-sex relationships, or single-parent families?
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Hate is just as much part of a sibling relationship as loveSiblings fight – they always have and always will. It is part of their personality, and how they define themselves
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Valentine’s Day is divisive in a way love isn’t meant to beI’m not against the idea, just the romantic propaganda. I’ll be celebrating at home on the sofa with a packet of biscuits
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You have to trust your childrenMy daughter lied but I’m going to give her yet another chance to prove she can be honest
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Happy Boxing Day – whatever it’s aboutWe need more festivals, rituals and ceremonies that draw people together
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Christmas reminds me how well we do religion-lite in BritainAnd the messages of peace, love, joy and forgiveness will do as national values
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Why the stigma of suicide hurts so muchMichael Mansfield’s campaign to break the silence around suicidal thoughts is vital for isolated men
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It’s too tempting to plug into entertainment all the timeThere’s much to amuse at our fingertips – we’ve never had it so good. But is it good for the soul?
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Careless words triggered my depressionI hadn’t understood how words could cause such injury. A warning might have saved me from a year of suffering
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There’s more to life – and people – than academic skillsIf we talked about the fact that DNA accounts for most of our brain power, we could begin to change destinies written in our genes
Tim Lott's Family column Eight universal truths you can learn from children