Rather be with my dog than his mum on Christmas Day

Dear Coleen

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I'M A woman in my late 20s and I've been with my boyfriend for three years, and we moved in together just over a year ago. Things are going well, but we often butt heads over his family because I'm not comfortable spending too much time with them.

My parents are sadly no longer here - my mum died a few years ago from cancer and my dad was in a car crash when I was a baby.

It's been hard for me since Mum passed away, as she brought me up on her own and never had another partner after my dad, so it was just always the two of us.