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I want my children to have a positive memorial to their motherStained-glass panels will be constant reminders of her in our house, overlooking the lives of which she is still a part
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Family life: My brother on his graduation day, Up Where We Belong and double-layer trifleReaders’ favourite photographs, songs and recipes -
Why didn’t I contact my father before it was too late?A touching letter and a handful of photographs received years after his estranged father died have raised complex questions for Gavin Newsham -
15 ways to support someone who is grievingThere are many ways you can offer practical help to the recently bereaved including what not to say
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Mothers with autism: ‘I mothered my children in a very different way’Women with autism are twice as likely to be undiagnosed as men. Amelia Hill speaks to four mothers who only recognised their own condition after researching their children’s behaviour
opinion
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Rising house prices, precarious incomes and the gig economy all mean a lack of stability for people in their 20 and 30s. No wonder we aren’t having childrenMy generation has to choose between a child or a career. We can’t afford both
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Conferences are intellectual lifelines – but as a single parent I often miss outWith few academic conferences making an effort to be family-friendly, those of us parenting alone can’t always access the same opportunities as others
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From child tax cut restrictions to universal credit, the government has crossed its own red lines. Soon millions more children will go hungryBy abandoning ‘hardworking families’ to poverty, have the Tories finally gone too far?
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The parents who have been fighting to keep their baby alive have not had access to legal aid, showing how the balance of justice is increasingly skewed towards the stateThe Charlie Gard case is a sad reminder that the law is the preserve of the powerful
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There’s a food poverty crisis in the UK. And the government is starved of ideasAs the cost of living rises and wages stagnate, for many food is becoming harder to afford. We’re returning to an era where a healthy diet is aspirational
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'An unrealistic pressure': mothers on what it's like to breastfeedThe majority of women stop breastfeeding after two months, despite health experts’ advice to continue to at least six. We speak to mothers about their experiences
advice
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Private livesPrivate livesI’m gay and only fancy younger, mostly straight, menI’m 57 and have never been in a relationship. I seem hard-wired to be attracted only to guys aged 18-35, few of whom are also gay
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Dr Dillner’s dilemmasDr Dillner’s dilemmasShould I ask for a second opinion?New research has shown that more than a fifth of patients who do ask for one discover that their first diagnosis was incorrect
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Dear MariellaDear MariellaMy mum’s behaviour led to me being raped when I was a teen – how do I confront her?Mariella Frostrup admires a reader’s attempts to come to terms with her past, but says she should be aware her mother may never take responsibilty for her actions
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Sexual healingSexual healingI'm a virgin and want to try sex, but I can't get in the moodMy desire isn’t sufficient enough to go through with it. What can I do?
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Problem solvedProblem solvedMy boyfriend won’t marry me, even though we plan to start a familyWhile he refuses to marry, I’m having tantrums of unexplained anger. Can this impasse be resolved, or do we need to split up? Annalisa Barbieri advises a reader
love & sex
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What I’m really thinking: the 24-year-old virginI feel weird about sex because I want it but at the same time I’m scared
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‘I don’t think we’ll ever have sex again’: our happy, cuddly, celibate marriageBrian and Alison have been together for 25 years and haven’t had sex for the past 20. Here, they explain why
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My boyfriend won’t marry me, even though we plan to start a familyWhile he refuses to marry, I’m having tantrums of unexplained anger. Can this impasse be resolved, or do we need to split up? Annalisa Barbieri advises a reader
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Don’t knock status – it’s just part of the struggle to win a partnerThere’s a truth to Mrs Merton’s joke about what attracted Debbie McGee to ‘the millionaire Paul Daniels’. Is it really so ridiculous to choose someone on the basis of their status?
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I’m gay and only fancy younger, mostly straight, menI’m 57 and have never been in a relationship. I seem hard-wired to be attracted only to guys aged 18-35, few of whom are also gay
Sporting children of champions: 'I've always had a need for speed'