Martha Fernback was 15 when she died after taking what she thought was ecstasy. Next day, her mother – Anne-Marie Cockburn – began a raw and intimate diary, a unique chronicle of a mother's grief. By Joanna Moorhead
Anna Wharton married too young, for the wrong reasons, and had regrets at once. When she finally mustered the courage to end it – after just 15 months – not everyone was sympathetic. Now, a decade on, she knows she did the right thing
The comedian talks about the effect of her father's depressive illness on her childhood and how he burned all her clothes, her strong feminist mother and having her own daughters later in life. Interview by Nick McGrath
David McAdam Freud is the son of the painter Lucian Freud. They never had a relationship but letting go of anger and hurt has helped him move on, he tells Britt Collins
15 Dec 2013: Vincent Nichols: I have witnessed the trauma our supposedly pro-marriage government is inflicting on thousands of families and their children
15 Dec 2013: Luisa Dillner: Lack of folate, found in green veg, can cause abnormalities in babies, so women planning pregnancy are advised to take a supplement. Should fathers follow suit?
Paris Lees: I always knew I was a girl, but for years that life seemed an impossible dream. It was a difficult journey involving sex work, depression and a spell in borstal
15 Dec 2013:
A mother who gave one of her daughters money for a house is no longer on speaking terms with the other daughter. Mariella Frostrup is shocked by her favouritism
It's not just about you, says Suzanne Moore. You have to let loose the Monster Munch, put a lock on your bedroom door and buckle up for the biggest balancing act of your life…
There is no secret to being a good father. But there are ways to stay ahead of the pack. Rafael Behr on how bribery and bad dancing will keep the peace and keep you sane
Children appear increasingly weighed down by homework. But how tough can it be? Jay Rayner attempts his son Eddie's maths assignment – then wishes he had a dog to provide the appropriate excuse…
Being the aunt, you can be outrageous, forbidding, fun, frivolous, or anything you please – that's the joy of not being the parent. By Katharine Whitehorn
The definition of family has changed in recent years, now co-parenting is rewriting it completely. These mothers and fathers have relationships based on legal agreements and counselling rather than dates, romance and sex. But they all have one thing in common: the desire to have a child. Louise Carpenter reports