Modelling positive relationships can go a surprisingly long way, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith. If you do say something, make your meaning clear
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My dear friend has turned out to be an appalling father. He has unmanaged anxiety, admits to being an alcoholic, is in a relationship of convenience with the mother of his child after deciding, whether unilaterally or mutually, that they cannot resolve their differences, and seemingly only notices the bad about his four-year-old son. His expectations of his son’s behaviour are unreasonable and his comments, in front of his son, about him are almost completely negative.
I’ve tried to talk to him about getting treatment for his anxiety, which he has not done. He lives with his partner as he has constructed a narrative that he cannot afford not to do so, despite them now communicating through a shared calendar.
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