'It's a mystery why parents can't praise their children to their faces. It would change the world if they would'

'Those jumble sales were an adventure, I'd walk in and it would smell of dead women's clothes'

It can be hard for children of very successful parents to match them; it's also hard for children of not very confident parents to over-ride their sense of inferiority

'My major intrigue was: married and divorced twice. Had he buried them under the patio?'

'My dad loves buying big cards with lots of over-the-top emotion'

When I see my mother in this state, I think maybe I should feel like a desperate, embarrassed old spinster

Divorce can be painful, but it can also be hilarious

'We all have to meet our wives, husbands, lovers somewhere, but I can think of more romantic places than a graveyard or a halal takeaway'

'This middle-class bohemian couple saw the comedy show as "an education" for their child. And I'm "a cow", apparently'

'My parents have never been to see me live. Partly they're scared, in case they hear things they don't want to'

'I have been to funerals before, but I have never felt more sad, upset or cried more…'

Do we ever really know our parents? There was a time when I couldn't spend five minutes with mine. But last week...

My brother's wedding is the moment my mum has been praying for her whole life. So why isn't she joining in?