The birth order effect
Whether you’re a confident but controlling first-born or a resourceful yet restless middle child, your positioning in the family can affect everything from your choice of career to how successful your marriage is
Parenting
Mother-daughter relationships: improve your communication
Discover how to nurture your mother-daughter relationships by analysing your conversations with each other and improving your communication.
Should we spoil kids at Christmas?
Children can learn valuable lessons about generosity at Christmas, if we can avoid over-indulging, says Isabelle Taubes
A letter from Celia Dodd to her daughter
At its best, Christmas is a time of cherished rituals and familiar faces. Yet inevitably, life doesn’t stay the same. Author Celia Dodd drafts a letter to the person who won’t be there this year
Why it’s important to nurture the father-daughter bond
The role of the father is often overlooked, writes Emma Cook
Should family secrets remain hidden?
Is it ever a good idea to let family secrets out of the vault? By Sue Cowan-Jenssen
Let your child make mistakes
Knowing when to step in and when to stay back can be tough, but it’s also one of the best parenting tools you have, says Sarah Neish
Five ideas for dealing with teenagers
Sophie Radice asks five experts for their tips on surviving life with teenagers
