We would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year. Hoping that it is a happy one for all of us!
How are you getting on with any resolutions that you made? Don’t panic if it hasn’t been as easy as you thought it might of been! Don’t forget that we are always here to answer and help with any problems that you might be experiencing.
Come and chat to us any time!

Agony Aunt Claire Raynor has died aged 79.
She became a household name as an agony aunt on problem pages in the best selling newspapers.
Our thoughts and prayers are with her family at this sad time.

Well, everyone should be back at school or college by now.
We hope everyone got the results that they needed. If you didn’t and you are feeling unsure what to do, or perhaps you son/daughter hasn’t got a place where they wanted.
If you need someone to talk to for honest advice come and chat to an Agony Aunt or Uncle.
We are here to help!

School Holidays are nearly over!! (thankfully i hear you all say!)
How did you cope? Where did you go and what did you do?

PLEASE post a comment letting us know your ideas to keep kids amused.
We can then put them all together and create a new blog post to give parents ideas for the next school hols.
Help us out – share your ideas!

What Is Love?
Does he love me? Do i love him? What should i do?
What is love really? How are we supposed to know if it is the real thing?
I have been looking at definitions for love and it seems that there just isn’t one! We are all different and what we count as love can change depending on each one of us.
We get asked so many questions about love. But it really is such a personal thing. What is right for one person doesn’t always work for another.
My view is that feeling that you are at one with someone. That you can be held by someone and close your eyes and you just know that they feel the same way.
The path of love certainly doesn’t run smoothly and when things go wrong it can feel like the end of the world. But love is also about understanding and forgiveness and if you have that then things can and will work out.
What do others think? How would you define love? Feel free to leave a comment!

I’ve recently been getting a lot of letters from people worried about finances. Times are hard right now for all of us and it seems that a lot of people are struggling to make repayments on loans or credit cards.
Sometimes it feels easier to ignore things and pretend they will go away but they won’t! All debts can be dealt with but you need to face up to them. There are plenty of free services around with people that can guide you through making payment arrangements or consolidating your debts. People can speak to your creditors on your behalf if you need them to.
If you are in this position please don’t let it feel as if it’s ruining your life and you have nowhere to turn to. Have a chat to one of our Agony Aunts and they will be able to point you in the right direction.
You’re not alone!!

I’ve just been reading about the new film that’s due out on the 9th June called Letters To Juliet.
It sounds great – all about a girl travelling to Verona in Italy where Romeo was supposed to have first met Juliet. There she meets a group of volunteers who answer letters to an Agony Aunt called Juliet! It sounds like a really good love story based on letters that have been sent in from years ago.
But what i really loved was i didn’t know that the group of volunteers are real!!
Apparently thousands of letters a week are sent in to the house in Verona that people believe was once occupied by Juliet Capuleti. People travel from all over the world to see this place and apart from the letters received by post hundreds are stuck on the outside walls. Every single letter that is received is replied to by hand.
I’d love to go and see the place but for now i guess I’ll have to settle for watching the film!
If anyone else goes to see it, feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think of it!

I have come across a fantastic book called Never Kiss A Man In A Canoe by Tanith Carey. It’s a collection of agony aunts advice from the 1850’s to the 1960’s.

There are some great pieces in it and how things have changed!

Here is a piece from the Modern Woman dated 1929. Can you imagine the uproar if this kind of advice was given out now?!?

‘Do you believe that petting a child is bad for it?’

‘Yes, decidedly I do. A child gets very much attached to Mother (or Nurse) who feeds and baths it. It should be the mother’s aim to prevent the child getting too attached to her and fondling the child has the opposite effect. The child who gets all this fondling is always looking for it in everybody and is miserable without it. The adult who is always recounting his ills and looking for sympathy is the outcome of too much coddling in childhood. That is why psychologists say too much mother-love is harmful.’

This is from Peg’s Paper 1919

‘Doubtful’ writes:

‘I have been walking out with a young man for the last six months. He takes me for long walks, buys me chocolates and takes me to the pictures, and yet he has never shown me the least affection. My friends all regard him as my sweetheart and it puts me in an awkward position. I am very fond of him. I should be so glad, Peg, if you could tell me what to do.’

Peg says:

‘Get your father, brother or some relation to ask the young man what are his intentions. No young man has the right to monopolize a girl unless he cares for her and hopes to make her his wife. It would be better for you, my dear, to refuse his next invitations, telling him that people are talking about your going out with him so much. Then he’ll begin to think, and when he realizes, he may perhaps know his own mind.’

I just thought these two were hilarious!

‘What can I do with my old man who will persist in calling me Ducks?’

Answer: ‘Quack’

Woman’s Sunday Mirror 1959

‘My second husband is nice, but he will talk to me about his first wife. How can I stop him’

‘Start talking to him about your next husband.’

Tit-Bits 1961

It’s a brilliant book and I would highly recommend it as light hearted reading, especially if you need something to make you laugh!!

Exam time can be just as stressful for parents as it can for children! But there are some ways to help you get through this tough time. Here are some tips that may help:

Keep children motivated. It is so easy for a child to give up thinking that they will never be able to get all the revision to sink in. Keep encouraging and praising (even though at the time you may feel that your efforts are not appreciated!).

Try to find out what works for your child. Some people learn well by writing notes and learning them, others find computers more useful. Remember that what worked for you when you took exams isn’t necessarily what will work for your child!

Revision aids can be a great help. The BBC bitesize website is great and is supported by schools as wellwww.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/

Above all – be patient. The exams won’t last forever! Even if your lovely teenager has turned into a stressed, stroppy stranger things will return to normal! The more support you can offer then the easier it will be!

Good luck to anyone with exams coming up next month!

Hi and welcome to Instant Agony Aunt’s blog.

We are going to be updating the blog regularly with various articles and posts. Some will be for general advice. Maybe if you have come to our site and are looking for advice,  you may find some help in some of these articles.

But don’t forget you can talk to an Agony Aunt any time you need to.

We are also going to put some fun items in here too. We all need something to put a smile on our faces!

Hope you enjoy reading this and if you have any suggestions or requests for articles on particular things please feel free to let us know.

Instant Agony Aunt