Barbara Godin is a graduate of Athabasca University. She writes the “”Dear Barb” and the “Women of Interest” columns. As well, Barb has written many personal interest stories and enjoys connecting with others through her writing. She has been writing for The Voice since 2003.
If you enjoy reading Dear Barb, you can also purchase her curated collection, Dear Barb: Answers to Everyday Questions at her website, http://www.barbgodin.com.
Dear Barb: I am the oldest of three. My parents have a terrible relationship; they drink excessively and argue constantly. I worry about my two little sisters. I don’t know how they are going to be able to maintain any kind of a relationship having my parents as their role models. I have had a… Read more »
I am beginning first year university and so is my boyfriend. We have been dating for about a year and are very compatible; in fact we have never even had an argument. Although since we have both been working full time, we haven’t spent a lot of time together, but I can see us getting… Read more »
Hi, I am in my thirties and a couple of years ago I was diagnosed with a heart condition, cardiomyopathy. It took me a long time to come to grips with the reality that I will have to live with for the rest of my life. I have a great cardiologist, who monitors me regularly,… Read more »
Hey! I’m a hard-working guy in my thirties, plus working on my degree at Athabasca. I have never had a problem finding a job, maybe not a top paying job, but at least I was working. I have a problem with all these young people in their twenties complaining about not being able to find… Read more »
My husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for three years and we’ve had no luck. We followed all the specialist advice, and even tried IVF and nothing has worked. I became pregnant 8 times and lost the baby each time. My sister has two children of her own and has volunteered to… Read more »
Buffy Sainte-Marie is a Canadian singer, songwriter, pacifist, and humanitarian who was a fearless advocator for the issues faced by Native Americans. She has received many accolades and honors for her work in education and social activism, including both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for the best Original Song in 1983 for… Read more »
This is the first time I have written into a column like this, but I really need some advice. I met this wonderful woman and we have been dating for a month. She has a five-year-old son, whom I have never officially met, but we have seen each other under somewhat awkward circumstances. I usually… Read more »
Dear Barb: I have always been a shy person, but, as I’m getting older, it seems to be getting worse. I constantly feel uncomfortable in social situations unless I am with my immediate family. When I was in school, if the teacher would call on me, I could barely speak out loud. When it was… Read more »
Dear Barb: I have gotten myself into a bad situation and I’m not really sure what to do about it. My ex and I had been dating for two years when we broke up. Then I started dating Jay, we get along great and have a lot of fun. Last month I was at a… Read more »
Dear Barb: I am a member of a huge family. We often get together for family events and have lots of fun. I know some families have problems, but that never seemed to be the case in our family, until recently. After a few drinks at family BBQ a relative confided in me that her… Read more »