At 42, my wife's given me an ultimatum: grow up, or she'll leave

‘I don’t understand what I’m doing wrong – what more could she want?’ (Photo: Milan Markovic/Getty)

12 September 2025

I starting texting a mum at my kid’s school - I’m worried it’s an emotional affair

“I fear it’s gone too far – she told me how she’s missed me over the summer break” (Photo: Getty)

5 September 2025

My wife always goes to bed early to read - now we're in a sex stalemate

'Are separate bed times really to blame for having less sex?' asks Kenny

29 August 2025

I don’t like my partner’s friends - their conversations are so superficial

‘While you don’t need to learn to like your partner’s friends, it might make your relationship easier,’ advises Kenny (Photo: Getty)

22 August 2025

I love my children - so why does my wife micromanage my parenting?

'Often, much of parenting behaviour comes from what we experienced as children’ (Photo: Getty)

15 August 2025

My girlfriend didn't go to university - I'm worried she's not as intellectual as I am

”I’m worried she won’t be able to keep up with the conversation and that my parents will judge me.”

8 August 2025

I take hotel breakfast buffet for lunch - does it make me stingy?

“She tells me I’m ’embarrassing’ for taking Tupperware to the breakfast buffet so we can stock up ahead and skip paying for lunch”

1 August 2025

I logged in to my teenage son's laptop. What I found made me feel I've failed him as a father

Kenny Mammarella-D’Cruz: ‘Puberty is a bumpy and hard to navigate process – often for parents too’ (Photo: Getty)

25 July 2025

I'm 44 and my marriage and job are dull - I regret playing life so safe

Kenny Mammarella-D’Cruz: ‘I caution you not to go out and pretend you’re young, free and single, because this is throwing away the life you’ve created’ (Photo: Nastasic/Getty)

18 July 2025

My son has caught me having an affair and my world is falling apart

‘He’s told my wife (who I have not had sex with for 15 years) and she’s in shock’ (Photo: FG Trade/Getty)

11 July 2025

My wife wants IVF, I don’t even know if I want to be a dad

‘It’s made me really question the idea of being a dad, but I feel like we’re on a treadmill that I can’t get off’ (Photo: milan2099/Getty)

4 July 2025

I regret having a second child - we've lost our freedom and identity

"I was so much happier, rested and felt like myself when we just had one" (Photo: Getty)

27 June 2025

My wife has started getting botox and fillers - I've stopped finding her attractive

“Her face looks genuinely weird – but she says it’s her choice and I’ll never understand because I’m a man” (Photo: Constantinis/Getty)

20 June 2025

My wife thinks I’m too harsh on her – I think it’s constructive criticism

‘‘My wife says I criticise her about everything – the way she speaks, what she wears, how she parents’ (Photo: Kawee Srital-on/Getty)

13 June 2025

My best friend is a terrible father – I think I should tell him

‘He said to me the other night – a few beers down – that having kids was one of the worst decisions he’s ever made’ (Photo: AleksandarGeorgiev/Getty)

6 June 2025

My sons have stopped seeing me after my divorce - I'm brokenhearted

‘The eldest said he didn’t want to spend time with me’ (Photo: Oliver Rossi/Getty)

30 May 2025

My wife scrolls on her phone while I'm talking - it's so rude

‘I know it’s a minor thing but it makes me feel unheard and ignored’ (Photo: PonyWang/Getty)

23 May 2025

I got dumped when I asked to split the £320 bill for a fancy dinner date

‘I suggested we go halves – as we have always done – and ever since then she’s said she doesn’t see a future with me’ (Photo: YuoTube)

16 May 2025

I’m 43, and all my life I’ve been told I’m good in bed – until now

‘“I genuinely thought it was a joke when she said I was bad in bed and couldn’t take feedback,” says the writer (Photo: simonkr/Getty)

9 May 2025

I'm 66 and retired - but I don't want to care for my grandchildren full time

‘My daughter and her partner have been putting more pressure on me and my wife to move closer to them’ (Photo: Tom Werner/Getty)

2 May 2025

I'm 65 and scared to retire - my wife doesn't get it

‘My wife has been putting pressure on me to retire soon so we can move abroad or go on more holidays, but I don’t think I can do it’ says a reader (Photo: Piksel/Getty)

24 April 2025

My daughter's stepfather is walking her down the aisle – I feel so betrayed

‘I feel like I’m still being punished for my infidelity and hurting her mum years ago’ (Photo: Charday Penn/Getty)

4 April 2025

I don't want to pay for my son's pointless media studies degree

'The quickest way to create an anxious child is by trying to control their choices,’ says Kenny (Photo: Getty)

28 March 2025

I'm 36 and jealous of my friends' salaries - I have to think about every penny

Kenny advises ‘refocusing on the wealth gap as a societal problem, rather than a problem within a friendship group’ (Photo: Westend61/Victoria Rayu/Getty)

21 March 2025

I feel like retirement has ruined my dad – how can I shake him out of it?

‘The idea that your dad was rejected at work and is now seen to be a nuisance at home must be damaging for his self-esteem'.

14 March 2025

I’m 45 and terrified I might be impotent

‘Have you been using porn? If so, I’d encourage you to avoid it'.

7 March 2025

My wife has banned me from talking about my career

‘Does she feel left out because she doesn’t have a career and sacrificed her own progression for motherhood?’ 

27 February 2025

I'm addicted to checking my ex's Instagram - I do it every day

‘I’d challenge the idea that you have zero feelings towards your ex’.

20 February 2025

My wife accused me of ‘turning into my dad’ – I’ll never forgive her

‘Explain that you feel you need to make peace with your past’.

13 February 2025

An emotional affair with a colleague saved my marriage

‘It can be both a betrayal and a kindness to keep a secret like this to the grave'.

7 February 2025

My wife got a £22,000 pay rise - she’s angry that I don’t want her to tell anyone 

"Fundamentally, I wonder if you believe that you and your wife are equal".

3 February 2025

I'm 61 and my wife wants a divorce - I regret everything I didn't do

"It can be very difficult to love someone else when our own self-worth is low".

27 January 2025

I’m 47 and my new girlfriend is in her 20s - how do I get friends to take us seriously?

"Why do you need your friends to accept and respect your new young girlfriend and play happy couples?"

20 January 2025

My wife and I are caught in the ABC sex trap - it’s killing our marriage

"It’s so common for long-term partners, especially those bringing up children together, to fall out of lust with each other".

12 January 2025

I froze when my daughter was threatened - my family look at me differently now

‘I’m worried this will change how my kids and wife view me forever. What can I do to fix it?’

5 January 2025

I'm a 34-year-old man with zero ‘real’ friends – how did this happen?

‘I can’t help wondering where I’ve gone wrong to end up like this,’ says the writer

30 December 2024

My wife keeps criticising my weight

"I feel like everything she says is a put down or a dig at me"

23 December 2024

I want to dump my girlfriend - should I spend Christmas with her family first?

"Ending a relationship with no future might feel incredibly sad, but you are acting honorably and don’t need to feel guilty"

16 December 2024

I'm hiding my £27K pay rise from my wife - it’s mine and I don't want to share it

"If you want your relationship to last, please come clean about your pay rise"

9 December 2024

I’m a 37-year-old man and I’ve been on Hinge for three years – I’m being left behind

"Are you genuinely interested in your dates, finding out about them – or more concerned to upsell your own strengths?"

2 December 2024

I’m worried spending Christmas with my ex and her new family will break me

"You might no longer be part of a standard two parent nuclear family, but you are an important member of a blended family"

25 November 2024

I'm attracted to my wife's best friend - I think she feels the same

"If you feel you’re hiding something and that disconnects you from your partner, then that is a loss."

18 November 2024

I’ve been with my girlfriend for 10 years – sometimes I feel like I’ve settled

"This sounds awful but I’ve started to wonder if I could do better. I even downloaded Hinge, but deleted it straight after out of guilt"

11 November 2024

My partner is 40 and desperate for a baby but I am ambivalent

"My partner is fearful that I may end up leaving her for someone younger when I ‘change my mind about children’ and that she will regret it forever"

4 November 2024

My partner won’t stop interrupting me and it’s driving me crazy

"I feel like my partner isn’t listening because she never lets me finish"

28 October 2024

My daughter-in-law is a money-grabber and my son is a wimp

"Encouraging caring communication between your son and daughter-in-law is key"

21 October 2024

I’m 55, my kids have flown the nest, my wife is busy working, and I feel lost

"Whatever the dynamic within your relationship, this is also a time to focus on yourself"

14 October 2024

I want to be in touch with my daughter and I want to protect her: what do I do?

"Trust your daughter, in time, to recognise that she doesn’t feel good about herself when she’s around her boyfriend"

7 October 2024

My wife is going sober and asked me to do the same - I don't want to

"While your wife is focused on your drinking, I wonder whether at some level her invitation to you is: 'Be with me on this new adventure' "

30 September 2024

My needy girlfriend wants more affection than I can give: what do I do?

"It might be that your girlfriend’s are words of affirmation and physical touch, while yours might be acts of service and quality time"

23 September 2024

My wife and I stopped having sex 15 years ago - but it’s the affection I miss

"We haven’t had sex during that time, but it’s touch – hugging and choosing to be close – that I miss the most. I miss her"

16 September 2024

My wife controls all our money - so I cheat on her to regain my freedom

"I feel a possibility that you might actually want to be with her but that she’s too overbearing"

9 September 2024

I'm in £60,000 of debt - but I'm too scared to tell my wife

"The home truth that needs to be accepted is that your family is not currently financially stable"

2 September 2024

I think my girlfriend is cheating, so I check her phone in secret

"Checking your girlfriend’s phone is illegal and is considered stalking checking your girlfriend’s phone"

26 August 2024

I respect women so why can't I stop staring at them in the street?

The anonymous reader wants to know about his looking at younger women – and worrying about his wife finding out

19 August 2024

I prefer my son to my daughter – and I feel wretched about it

"Boarding schools are not always the best options for a child or a family"

12 August 2024

I want to give my son £10k – but not my daughter, she’ll fritter it away

"Some very important skills that parents often don’t pass on to their children are the basic tools of budgeting and saving"

5 August 2024

I watched my partner give birth – and now I don’t want to have sex with her

"What do you do after the trauma of childbirth if it changes your relationship?"

29 July 2024

I want to leave my children different amounts in my will – my daughter needs it more

"Is it fair to leave your children different amounts depending on their stage in life?"

22 July 2024

I grew up more wealthy than my kids will – and I feel terrible for it

"The most important question for you to answer is where does your guilt stem from"

15 July 2024

My wife prioritises her friends and work over me – I’ve become an afterthought

"Focus on being there for yourself and this will help you become available to love"

8 July 2024

Why can’t I stop cheating on my beautiful wife?

"Seeking out help from a professional may be the way forward..."

1 July 2024

I want to send our son away to school but my wife refuses – we can’t compromise

"Boarding schools are not always the best options for a child or a family"

24 June 2024

I resent my wife now we have a child – I wish we could go back 10 years

"The early years of parenting can be a particularly tense time couples."

17 June 2024

I’m a saver and my wife’s a spender – she needs to grow up

"Money is never really about money. It is about “stuff” that lies much deeper."

10 June 2024

My wife is stricter than me and we don’t agree on how to parent our kids

"Children who aren’t brought up with boundaries can feel less safe and display anger."

3 June 2024

My wife doesn’t want to work – even though our kids are at school

"Surveys have shown that the work of a stay-at-home parent would be worth more than £30,000 as a salary."

27 May 2024

I want a second child but my wife doesn’t and it’s breaking us

"Before children, we talked about having a big family, an idea we both loved."

20 May 2024

I’m not sure if my partner is ‘the one’

"Life involves bliss, grief and every emotion in between"

13 May 2024

My wife prioritises our kids over everything – I’m thinking of leaving her

"If you give energy to the way you want things to be, and share this with your wife, then you’ve got every chance of a successful relationship."

6 May 2024

I’m a 70-year-old widower – I want to meet someone new but don’t know how

"I’m looking for love – or maybe I’m looking for female companionship and intimacy"

29 Apr 2024

My wife is 40 and wants a third child - but I can't go back there

"Many parents have mixed feelings as their parenting role evolves"

22 Apr 2024

My wife is pregnant – and being horrible to me

"I fear it’s the end of our loving, caring, communicative relationship"

15 Apr 2024

My partner and children are so messy that I no longer feel relaxed at home

"Experience your home from the eyes and needs of your children"

8 Apr 2024

I want to move abroad but feel I can’t leave my 35-year-old brother

"Sometimes, we’re in such a habit of shouldering responsibility we don’t know how to unburden ourselves"

1 Apr 2024

My wife and I haven’t had sex since our second child was born two years ago

"Fewer than half of men and women aged 16 to 44 in the UK have sex at least once a week"

23 Mar 2024

I don’t like the way my in-laws care for our kids – but we can’t cope without them

"Perhaps the bigger issue is that you feel as if your family is being taken over by them"

18 Mar 2024

I want to leave my bullying family business – but I’m trapped by the security

"I wonder how much of this burden – which I have no doubt feels incredibly weighty – might be in your head,"

11 Mar 2024

My ex is moving away with my 10-year-old – I regret our breakup

"I won’t get to see the best person in my life as much and I’m devastated."

4 Mar 2024

I drink every night and wake up on the sofa – I’m worried for my kids

"By facing what you’ve been suppressing, you can show compassion to yourself."

26 Feb 2024

My wife is always telling me off – I feel like I can’t do anything right

"No two individuals are expected to grow at the same pace and in the same direction."

19 Feb 2024

At 42, I have everything – but I’m unhappy

"I want to acknowledge the importance of anger in our lives."

12 Feb 2024

I love my wife but, at 32, am no longer attracted to her

"I’d recommend you reframe the idea that a successful relationship lasts for ever."

5 Feb 2024

I’m 50 and losing my hair and libido – I miss being young

"Our culture is particularly negative about ageing and conversely, glorifies youth"

29 Jan 2024

All I do in my mid-40s is work and parent – I’m lonely

"This is an opportunity for you to heal loneliness by connecting to yourself and others"

22 Jan 2024