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When the cat goes missing, I have an awful sense of fearHarry is an online dating asset – all my matches like cats. He is also the ersatz fourth member of the family
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Family life: My great-aunt, the Resistance heroine, Marvin Gaye’s I Heard it Through the Grapevine and Grandma’s mashed up egg in a cupReaders’ favourite photographs, songs and recipes
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Seventeen going on 70: the play that connects the generationsA new play aims to show teenagers and people in their 70s how similar they are. Joanna Moorhead talks to the director and cast about crossing the generational divide -
‘My uncle’s violent death shaped who I became’His loss made my mother realise how fragile happiness was and changed how we lived our lives
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Football: the bond that lasts longer than many marriagesJames Brown has played five-a-side football with the same men for 17 years. But while he often knows nothing about their lives, he says he knows their personalities inside out
opinion
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As a kid I was always terrified of public attention, so my child’s spontaneous enthusiasm towards an on-stage invite came as a strange surpriseWhy is my daughter so different to me?
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The disabled one-year-old needs vital help unavailable from the NHS or benefits system. The family are £30,000 in debt and fear her medical equipment will be repossessedSophia’s parents are fighting for her life and fighting for support at every step
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Pregnancy sickness can kill – why are doctors so uninformed about it?The agony of hyperemesis gravidarum can drive expectant mothers to terminate. That’s because the support they desperately need is still lacking
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BBC drama The Replacement plays on the insecurities of pregnant women in the workplace. My advice is, just rise above such anxietiesI'm off on maternity leave – but I don't fear my replacement
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I thought I'd never be a dad until I saw an ad for LGBT foster carersAs a gay man, becoming a foster carer seemed impossible. But social workers, teachers and healthcare professionals were always accepting and supportive
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'I felt utterly harassed' – your stories of returning to work after parental leaveWith MPs calling on government and employers to do more, we asked readers to share their stories of returning to work
advice
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Private livesPrivate livesMy boyfriend found an explicit text message from my ex-colleagueEven though I have explained that the whole thing was perfectly innocent, he is accusing me of undermining our relationship. How can I turn things around?
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Dr Dillner’s dilemmasDr Dillner’s dilemmasCan optimism make you live longer?Not only is positive thinking linked to a host of health benefits, it can also make you more resilient
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Dear MariellaDear MariellaI’m a happy woman, so why do I fantasise about sex abuse?Our imagination can be an outlet for things we wouldn’t do or condone, but craving to be controlled might be worth exploring with a therapist, says Mariella Frostrup
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Sexual healingSexual healingSince I terminated a pregnancy, my boyfriend has been unable to ejaculateHe says it is nothing to do with the abortion, but before it happened, the sex had always been great
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Problem solvedProblem solvedMy sister helped me to escape our family – now she’s abandoned meI used to spend a lot of time with her and her children, but I feel she has lost interest in me since I moved away and married. Annalisa Barbieri advises a reader
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Ask AlysAsk AlysAsk Alys Fowler: should I make space for my strawberry tree?Our gardening expert has the answer
love & sex
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What is the best food to eat on a date?A study shows women are more likely to swap chips for salad if they are dining with someone they are attracted to, while men splash out on expensive dishes
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Why are Americans having less sex? Blame eggplant emojis – or Paul RyanAs a study finds that American adults are having less sex than they did in the 1990s, Thomas Batten offers some theories to explain the phenomenon
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Why is communication important? You asked Google – here’s the answerEvery day millions of internet users ask Google life’s most difficult questions, big and small. Our writers answer some of the commonest queries
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Adults are having less sex than 20 years ago, finds studyFinding may be down to factors including changing gender roles, social media use and living at home longer, but is not necessarily bleak, say researchers
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Since I terminated a pregnancy, my boyfriend has been unable to ejaculateHe says it is nothing to do with the abortion, but before it happened, the sex had always been great
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Smart condoms: like Fitbit for sex – and you can even share your statsEver wondered how many calories you’re burning in the bedroom? The i.Con condom, which keeps track of your sex stats, could be the answer
Marriage isn’t for me – but the fight for an alternative is not a civil rights issue