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What I’m really thinking: the woman trying for a babyThe last thing you should say to a woman who is desperately trying to have a baby is, ‘Try not to think about it.’ It’s all we think about
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In a charity shop I find my dad, and embrace my inner Caractacus PottsChitty Chitty Bang Bang has always been a favourite of team Golightly. But I hadn’t realised why it had been so important to me as a child -
My father’s claim on my heart put an end to my young love affairWhen his mother left, Alan Balfour, aged six, vowed he would never let his father down. But when he fell in love with a German girl, he knew his Jewish father would never approve -
Sarfraz Manzoor: Our long, hard battle to have a second childWe had our daughter without a problem, so when my wife and I decided to try for a second baby, we never imagined we would need repeated IVF
opinion
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Unhappily married? You’re not aloneAs an agony aunt I’ve heard all sorts about couples. But this doesn’t make it any easier to judge whether Tini Owens’s loneliness should be grounds for divorce
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The beautifully made 1985 series was talismanic for so many of us who saw it as children. Its Netflix incarnation will have a difficult task unseating our memoriesCan Anne of Green Gables overcome 30 years of nostalgia?
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Loose canon: Synod’s rejection of the same-sex marriage report shows the problem of having glorified administrators focused on unity at the head of the churchThe clergy has moved on. It’s the bishops who are out of touch
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The firm’s parachuting parcels wheeze is about as credible as the 1970s TV detector van that only existed in adverts. But hey, we’re all talking about itNew from Amazon: the drone that delivers free publicity
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The Guardian view on marriage: not the only wayEditorial: The law should recognise more than marriage as a way of giving rights to straight couples
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Miriam González Durántez is right to object to being called ‘Mrs Clegg’An invitation to speak on International Women’s Day was sent to the lawyer in her husband’s name. Why is there such a deep anxiety about women retaining their independence?
advice
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Private livesPrivate livesMy wife has had an affair and I am struggling to get past the hurtShe told me she had a six-month affair and she is trying to make things work, but I don’t see what I did wrong and can’t seem to get over the pain
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Dr Dillner’s dilemmasDr Dillner’s dilemmasHow much screen time should I let my teenager have?A new study says that up to six hours a day is perfectly normal, and unlikely to do any harm – as long as your child is doing fine at school and getting enough exercise
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Dear MariellaDear MariellaMy teen daughter is refusing a family trip with my partnerA woman is struggling to get her daughter to be more positive about her partner. Mariella Frostrup advises her not to foist a new family on the teenager
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Sexual healingSexual healingI've always felt too much guilt to enjoy sex – and now I've got no libido eitherAt last, I’ve met someone I would like to enjoy life with. But, thanks to my Catholic upbringing, I’ve always had problems with sex, and now I’m perimenopausal
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Problem solvedProblem solvedA friend is flirting with my husband. She cheats on all her partners, so I don’t trust herI find it hard to believe any man would not want sex with her, but won’t confront her unless she goes further. Annalisa Barbieri advises a reader
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Ask AlysAsk AlysAsk Alys Fowler: I want to get rid of concrete slabs and create a gardenOur gardening expert has some excellent advice
love & sex
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True love waits? The story of my purity ring and feeling like I didn't have a choiceWhen my dad gave me the ring, he said it represented my commitment to guard my heart. But after a while, my virginity vow no longer felt empowering
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Blind date: ‘He’s a smooth talker. I think he enjoyed himself’‘Super, super cool’ Dominique, 30, meets ‘confident gentleman’ Ed, 37
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A friend is flirting with my husband. She cheats on all her partners, so I don’t trust herI find it hard to believe any man would not want sex with her, but won’t confront her unless she goes further. Annalisa Barbieri advises a reader
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First Dates and the unbearable awkwardness of going DutchThe thorny issue of bill-splitting made for a cringeworthy encounter on Channel 4’s dating show. I would like to suggest a few basic rules
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What are your worst dating experiences?A man has asked a first date for his money back after being rejected by her. Let us know the price you have had to pay for a courtship gone awry
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Why is he ignoring me? 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
'I didn't realise he was dying': the day I lost my fiance