"The loss of a family pet is significant for adults and children. For some, losing a pet who was loved and who provided love and companionship can be as deep as the loss of a person."

"What matters in a family is that everyone’s needs are met as best as possible. Of course, every child differs, and some present with more pronounced needs, requiring a higher response level."

I'm doing my best to be patient, but it's very difficult to see them hanging around the house when the rest of the family is working flat out

"Entitlement starts with wanting something. That want quickly becomes a need. When we need something and another person withholds that from us, we get angry, even enraged, because we believe we are entitled to have our needs met."

"He once had all your undivided attention, and now he must share it with his sibling. He understandably resents that right now. And I agree with you that he will adjust, albeit this is taking him some time."

Is this just a phase? We are afraid he will miss out on wonderful opportunities in the future if he deems it a win-lose scenario

Children start to lie around three years old when they realise their parents are not mind readers and don’t know everything

It’s often scary for little ones to dress up in ghoulish clothes and go trick-or-treating in their local area. This can especially be the case if the child is neurodivergent

"I wonder if your daughter is more of a ‘selective eater’ than a ‘fussy eater’, and she is refusing what she would previously have eaten because it doesn’t fit within her new fitness goals."

"With busy working schedules that don’t always lend themselves to the early bedtimes of very young children, we have to get creative with our playful connections and maximise those small windows of playtime we might be getting each day."

"To love someone and, at the same time, to be afraid or nervous around them due to their unpredictability is very difficult. It also makes for very complicated grief, which is what you seem to be describing."

"The fact that your children are now asking about it indicates they are identifying the difference between the grandmother who is physically and emotionally present in your lives and the one who is notably not so."

"I am curious how you have set up your expectations for your children. Are there set chores each is responsible for each day and week?"

I am now the mother of three children, and I’m finding it hard to control my anger with the younger two

Almost every weekend, there’s an argument about stolen makeup, missing clothes, or whose turn it is to empty the dishwasher

What can I do to help them to have a happy Christmas without getting exhausted?

Breaking from the usual demands of school and work routines gives parents the opportunity to bond with their children

"No one needs to apologise for having a view. That said, we all need to be mindful of how and when we share that view and be sensitive to how it might land with people around us."

It brings to an end over 60 hours of counting in the General Election 2024

They left everything up to me, including keeping an eye on their children