My wife glazes over when I talk about my writing. How can I come to terms with her indifference? | Ask Philippa

Your persona as an author is in the public domain, so perhaps your wife wants to keep the private you to herself

The dilemma I am a 53-year-old husband, happily married for 10 years. Everything is as good as it could be, but I sometimes feel like a neglected housewife living in the 1950s, while the “husband” (my wife) is ignoring the real me – and that real me is a writer.

I write anything and everything from novels to TV shows to poems to jokes – and I love all of it. I work part-time and mostly I’m a stay-at-home father while my wife earns the larger salary. We’re just getting by financially, but we are happy and open with one another about everything. Regarding my home duties, I feel wholly appreciated, yet whenever I mention my writing, my wife quickly changes the subject or gets a glazed look in her eyes. At times, she even struggles to stifle a yawn. She’s never shown an interest and has hardly read anything I’ve written.

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