Advice

‘My lover has told me of another relationship. I’m worried the stress might kill him’

Tell Me About It: ‘We have discussed living together in his country, and I have put my house up for sale’

We’re married with three kids and have had sex once in the past year

Ask Roe: I’ve tried talking about us finding some middle ground, but my wife avoids the conversation

If I were an agony aunt, my advice would always be ‘leave them’

My dream in life is to be an agony aunt, but my advice would always be ‘leave them’. No considered empathy from me

‘My lovely husband has changed . . . and I am one of the people he has pushed away’

Tell Me About It: ‘Our life together has been replaced by distance, with a deliberate decision on his part to engage in new activities’

‘My eight-year-old gets into a panic when I leave the house’

Ask the Expert: ‘Last week, when I had an important appointment, my daughter had a full-blown panic. It was really upsetting for everyone’

I suspect my duplex management fees have been used to maintain the apartments in my complex

Property Clinic: The management company accounts now say there isn’t enough money to fix things in the duplexes

10 ways to refresh your life this September

‘Eat the frog first thing in the morning’, start a new notebook, and see self-care as a necessity not an indulgence

I ghosted a friend nearly two decades ago – should I reach out and apologise?

Ask Roe: ‘I just couldn’t cope at the time being single and a bit hopeless’

Girls keep telling me by message that they want to stop dating me

I’ve been in situations where I expected things to progress to a relationship, but then I get an unexpected message

The developer of our housing scheme won’t hand over the common areas. What can we do?

Potential purchasers of our homes are now being advised by banks and solicitors not to buy

There’s a telegraph pole in my garden and I don’t know what it’s for, or who owns it. How can I find out?

Property Clinic: A cable runs into my house but isn’t connected to anything - what I can do about it?

My partner is having an affair with a colleague but says she wants another baby

Ask Roe: After the last miscarriage and a period of high conflict, I discovered my partner is having an affair with a colleague

‘Throughout my life I’ve struggled to read social and romantic cues, particularly in relationships’

Tell Me About It: ‘I’m feeling overwhelmed by the state of my personal life’

‘I am a stay-at-home mother and completely addicted to my phone’

Ask the Expert: ‘Every bit of downtime I have now I find myself resorting to scrolling social media’

‘My cousin won’t end his marriage and formalise his relationship with his lover of 15 years’

Tell Me About It: ‘He has been living a kind of Irish divorce of old where he still goes to family events with his wife’

‘I’m in my 40s and dating after my husband died – but I find the apps genuinely creepy’

Ask Roe: I spend my time feeling like a judgmental prude or feeling rejected by people I’ve never met

‘Am I crazy to think my partner secretly wants to get back with his wife?’

Tell Me About It: ‘He does not bring me to any of the kids’ events. It feels like I am not important enough in his life’

‘My son wants to give up GAA but his dad is forcing him to keep going’

Ask the Expert: On average, 14 is the most challenging year for teenagers, and also for their parents

‘I’m in my late 30s, have a good job and travel a lot. I don’t think I’ve ever been in love’

Tell Me About It: ‘I find it hard to muster the enthusiasm that might be required to take any relationship to the next level’

‘I don’t love my husband. I care for him and don’t wish him ill health, but I’m struggling’

Tell Me About It: I just feel so deflated, with nothing to look forward to any more

‘I had always wanted to be a stay-at-home mum ... but I’m exhausted’

Ask the Expert: Moving to vulnerable communication about feelings neutralises resentment

Will I pay tax in Ireland if a US relative leaves me something in their will?

Inheritance tax liability is determined by where the beneficiary and/or the dead person live and the impact of cross-border agreements

I’ll soon have a second house. How do I tell my friend who just had to move back in with her parents?

Tell Me About It: I feel awful for my friend in her situation and don’t want her to feel like I’m rubbing her nose in it

‘I’m really starting to dislike my husband... I am exasperated and I dread spending time with him’

Tell Me About It: He has become extremely interested in and angry about immigration issues... I find his online presence an embarrassment

‘My three-year-old daughter won’t let me wash her hair ... I’m not sure what to do’

Ask the Expert: She is really sensitive, is easily upset and has lots of fears

How to reset your life, career and happiness with the help of one simple tool

Work at understanding your needs to create a fulfilling life or run the risk of living your life according to the whims of others

‘I’m an atheist and my fiancée’s strong Catholic beliefs have caused a chasm over our wedding and raising our future children’

Tell Me About It: Use the mutual influence in your relationship to grow what is already great about it

‘My sister-in-law will never organise or contribute to family events, she won’t offer to help in any way’

Tell Me About It: She is almost rude to us and is certainly ungenerous in all her dealings with us

We’re worried there may be asbestos in my father-in-law’s shed roof. What should we do?

Property Clinic: Asbestos fibres are highly hazardous to human health and can cause serious illnesses

One of the residents in our apartment block is spying on everyone. What can we do?

Property Clinic: He uses the communal space to monitor movements and records conversations

An old flame has got back in touch – but we’re both married

Ask Roe: The strong feelings between us are still there, but I’m afraid keeping up contact will damage my otherwise happy marriage

‘I’m in my mid-30s and split up with my long-term boyfriend, but now I think I still love him’

Tell Me About It: ‘I had stopped all physical contact, and we were essentially living together as flatmates’

‘My relationship is at serious risk because of what a psychic told my partner. This is bonkers’

Tell Me About It: There have even been long periods where I have to sleep in the spare room as I can’t be trusted enough

‘My daughter is having big anxiety meltdowns. How can I help her?’

Ask the Expert: In helping your daughter, the goal is to understand and address the underlying stresses that cause her meltdowns

‘My husband is obsessed with exercise and sports ... it feels a bit like an affair’

Tell Me About It: He would rather leave the house for a run, cycle or swim than spend time with me and the children

How can we prevent damp in our home?

When it gets cold outside, we start having damp marks appear on the walls of the office

‘I fell for the horny married man playing the nice guy routine’

Ask Roe: ‘We had an emotional connection, and he seemed to just switch that off when he mentioned his children’

‘I’m worried: My ex-husband and I have been invited to a wedding’

Tell Me About It: The problem is my family – they think I am soft and stupid for giving in to him

Seek the pattern: how to infuse your outdoor space with summer staycation style

From boho prints and vintage florals to stripes, trellis motifs and geometrics – pattern is in vogue

‘My 16-year-old son doesn’t like the way he looks. He seems to be struggling with puberty’

Ask the Expert: ‘He has now said he doesn’t want to hang out with his friends at school any more but won’t say why’

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE...

Stardust

Inquests into the nightclub fire that led to the deaths of 48 people

Common Ground

How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands