Dear Diedre,
My son is a lovely, polite, caring child but has difficulty mixing with other children.
He’s nearly 11 and is very worried about moving up to secondary school next year. Even at his primary school he has no one to hang around with during the breaks and lunch times.
I am worried he is behind socially. My husband and I are very private people. I’m 35 but I find it hard to make friends myself, so I am at a loss to know what to say to him. How can I help him to fit in better.
Aggie Pratt says: Your son has problems. There’s not much you can do about it as you have caused them in the first place.
Most parents overestimate the virtues of their children, that is quite natural, it could be that amongst his peers he is unlovely, impolite and uncaring. More likely he has a severe lack of confidence which you have instilled in him.
I don’t blame him for being worried about secondary school. Most of these are pretty appalling places and with his extreme lack of confidence he will probably do fairly badly. Whilst there is nothing you can do for him directly, other people less paranoid than you could help, but then I don’t suppose you know any. Best of all would be to send him to the United States, it might be rough at first, but he will probably end up on television describing what a stifled upbringing he had.
Dear Virginia,
My wife and I have been married for 15 years, but since our last child, a daughter, was born 10 years ago, she’s got bigger and bigger.
She now wears size 24 dresses, but won’t admit how much she weighs. I love her so much, but I’d also love her to lose weight.
She’s complaining of a bad back and that means she refuses sex.... So it does affect our relationship. But how can I tell her she must lose weight without being too rude? I don’t want to upset her.
Aggie Pratt says: You seem to mostly be concerned with how your wife looks and you sex life. If you really loved your wife you might be more concerned that being overweight is probably not very good for her.
She should seek medical advice in case she has some undiagnosed problem that is causing this symptom but it is more likely that she is overeating as compensation for living with such a selfish bastard as you seem to be.