Dear Dáithí, I’m sure you get lots of letters complaining about family at this time of year, but I’m actually at the end of my tether and I don’t know what to do! My brother-in-law is ...

"You both seemed to have dodged this one where up until the arrival of the twins you have spent it apart and now there seems to be a clash of traditions or more simply a difference in the way of doing things. This happens in every family."

"You need to get off your arse, or you’ll give the rest of your weekends sitting on it, and we don’t want that."

Remember parenting has changed but you haven’t, so you too need to adjust here, but all of this is coming from a good place, so keep it there, all will be good.

He has children from a previous relationship and doesn't want any more. She says she doesn't want children but I know in my heart this is not true. How can I make her see sense?

He wants to give lavish cash gifts for the weddings. I think €250 from us both is perfectly acceptable, but he insists on putting in €500

"If this situation were to continue, can you imagine the effect it would have on everyone, especially the grandchildren? They would be asking if this was the norm when you get older, and you’d have a tough time convincing them that it wasn’t."

It’s not even about the sex (ok, maybe a little). It’s about the companionship 

"The rest of us have been trying to think of the best way to approach the situation, and not make it look like we’re pitying them, or that we think they’re a charity."

Another problem this week that didn’t exist when we were young but is very common nowadays