Stay updated with breaking news from Ask Allison. Get real-time updates on events, politics, business, and more. Visit us for reliable news and exclusive interviews.
Question: My husband has a terrible habit of arguing the counterpoint to anything I say. For example, I will tell a story relating to a shop assistant being rude to me and he will instantly give reasons as to why the shop assistant may have been right, or some other excuse that invalidates my point of view. It is constant, and it happens for minor and major things.
Something that comes up over and over again in my clinical work, and in the Ask Allison column, is family estrangement.
Question: I have a 13-year-old daughter and I feel like I have completely lost control. She is a lovely girl, but very insistent, and she has friends — also lovely, but they have parents with whom my values don’t really align. They are also more domineering than I am and I feel like decisions are being taken out of my hands the whole time.
When teens are blowing their allowance on (or begging for) "it" items like Stanley tumblers or skin care, what should parents do?
Question: My husband and I were both quite sporty before we had kids. We have three children now — aged between four and 10.