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The Guardian - Back to homeThe Guardian

Relationships

  • illustration of a woman sitting at a table writing a letter

    I want closure – but do I have a hope of ever getting it?

    It’s tempting to believe that if we could speak our piece, we’d be able to accept our situation and move on
  • An image of a man and woman lying side by side

    My wife has no libido. Should I sleep with other people, as she suggests?

  • Camellia Ling Aebischer and Rob at Zhangjiajie national forest park in China in March 2024

    The moment I knew: when he couldn’t decide between the poutine or macaroni, he ordered both

  • Elle and Jay

    This is how we do it: ‘After trying spanking, role-playing and bondage, we decided to go back to basics’

  • Saturday magazine Lifestyle Divorce feature

    How to make a relationship work – and when to call it quits: 10 lessons in love from divorce lawyers

  • Blind Date comp Anwit Pandit & Kassondra Cloos

    Blind Date: ‘He let it slip that he has a thing for writers’

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Family

  • Father reading bedtime stories to child. Dad putting son to sleep. Quality family time. Parent reading book to child

    Almost all nursery rhymes are utter doggerel and I loathe them, sadly my daughter doesn’t

    Séamas O’Reilly
    My daughter must have nursery rhymes… It is one of her gravest crimes
  • Man on bench

    My big brother used to beat me up. Now I’m scared of being loved

  • Desiree Akhavan - American filmmaker, writer and actress. Hair and Make up by Alanna Chelmick.

    I was voted ‘ugliest girl’ at my high school. Would a nose job change my life?

  • Frank Skinner looks back: ‘I liked being famous – I felt noticed for the first time. But at some point it has to end’

  • Who gave Earth its name and what is a blood moon? Try our kids’ quiz

  • Tim Dowling: I thought my dad would live for ever. I was wrong

  • I’m jealous of my husband’s relationship with his sister

  • My adult son has moved back home and is behaving like a teenager – and I’m deeply unhappy

Love & sex

  • Jeff Goldblum smiling, behind a table full of orange flowers

    Jeff Goldblum, eccentric as ever at 71; the fallacy of ‘tradwives’; and ‘My dying wife found me a girlfriend’ – podcast

  • Two lower arms touching each other

    This is how we do it: ‘I bought a book on tantra – erections are not necessary’

    Caleb’s never felt attractive but after two years with Jen – and buying a book that rejected the normal sex agenda – his self-confidence is growing
  • A brown and white spotty dog with its head on one side, against a purple background

    ‘He chose the dog over me’: the pets that ruined relationships – from pups interrupting sex to aggressive pigs

    For some owners, animals are part of the family. But for their friends and lovers, they can present a serious problem …
  • Illustration of a woman and man stood on a laptop with the man looking at the screen and the woman with her head in her hands

    We had an ordinary marriage. Then I found out my husband had been viewing images of child abuse

  • Brigit & Solomon

    Blind date: ‘I felt flustered at times – in a good way’

  • 16th century painting of a woman being embraced by a man, while another man lurks in the background.

    My long-term partner says he wants an open relationship. I understand why, but it feels one-sided. What should we do?

  • Meenakshi and Sankar in Chennai in 2012.

    How we met: ‘I thought straight away he was someone I wanted to marry’

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A letter to …

  • Photo montage of woman with child and man passed out with bottle of alcohol

    A letter to… my alcoholic husband, in lockdown

  • Photo montage of teacher with two children

    A letter to… the teacher who inspired my young son

  • Composite of model with back turned, next to chair with shopping bags, against pink background

    A letter to… my psychiatrist, who exploits me

  • Illustration of mother with child leaning against her, both standing up and seen from behind

    A letter to... the school parents who ignore me and my autistic child

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Opinion

  • A girl using ice-cream in a cone to paint a mess on a window

    Of course I love my children – just don’t assume I’ll like yours

    Sunil Badami
  • Chloe Aslett

    When lots of your friends still live at home, renting isn’t just expensive – it’s lonely too

    Chloe Aslett
  • Finger art of family during quarrel

    Learning how to deal with dysfunctional family members is key to emotional wellbeing

    Leanne Schubert
    Catherine’s mother’s relentless criticism wore down her self-esteem. Setting boundaries changed their relationship from damaging to supportive
  • Viv Groskop

    The hunt for a missing date, the numbers I’ll never forget: we’ll never match the magic of a landline

    Viv Groskop
  • Stuart Heritage

    A woman brought her own snacks to Despicable Me 4. Then the police arrived

    Stuart Heritage
  • Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

    When is inconsolable crying a sign of something worse? Parents aren’t getting the advice they need

    Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett
  • Emma Armstrong

    I used to apologise for my unruly children – but there’s no shame in being a working mother

    Emma Armstrong
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Blind date

  • Nina and Grace

    Blind date: ‘The middle of Oxford Circus might not have been the best place to kiss’

  • BlindDate 1307 Suzie & Toby

    Blind date: ‘He tried to bond with the waiter – who was unimpressed’

    Suzie, 23, a solutions engineer, meets Toby, 29, a barrister
  • Nima and Maxim.

    Blind date: ‘We both grimaced as we gulped down oysters and pretended to enjoy them’

    Nima, 27, works in fintech, and Maxim, 24, is a client success manager
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Advice

  • Private Lives illo 7 Sept 2020

    Private lives
    My teenage son shows no interest in school

  • Confused-01

    Ask Annalisa Barbieri
    I’m jealous of my husband’s relationship with his sister

  • Mariella Frostrup

    Dear Mariella
    Farewell Mariella: ‘I wanted to say thanks’

  • An image of a man and woman lying side by side

    Sexual healing
    My wife has no libido. Should I sleep with other people, as she suggests?

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