The funny thing about family meetings is that although they sound ghastly they really can get the gang communicating better, improve talking and listening , help problem solve and more. So surely it has to be worth a go?

It may seem odd to apply a communication idea more closely associated with the boardroom, but there is no reason why families shouldn’t have meetings too. The very concept of a meeting smacks of the work place and although such comparisons feel inappropriate any team will work better if they have effective ways of communicating, rewards and consequences, goals and so on.

Do you dread the Christmas conversation that seems to start the minute the summer ends? It always seems to start off as a bit of a joke, but turns into a serious question frighteningly quickly.

For many people the whole festive season can be problematic beyond belief. The dream of a happy family supported by perfect images grinning out from the adverts, coupled with selective memories from our own childhood, can make a horrible mix. Especially when combined with the guilt that our children may not be experiencing the magic, but instead shattered dreams and painful reminders of last year or the past.

You take on new children, but you also take on an ex-spouse. How have others managed these grown-up relationships? Read on….

‘When you marry a man who has been married before – and there’s children involved from that marriage, his first wife’s never going to go away. I reconciled myself to that fact very early on in our relationship. One of the most difficult areas to navigate with regards to divorce has got to be the social fall-out that happens afterwards. We do still see some people who are friends with his ex-wife too. Then there are certain boundaries that need to be built and which you don’t go beyond. I’ll only talk about things that his ex knows about – I don’t want them to feel compromised next time they’re with her.’