Matt Cooper: I’m an only child. I’ve always been conscious of not having brothers or sisters
The journalist and broadcaster on his middle name Raphael, visiting Belfast in the 1970s and his experience as an only child
‘Trust me, I’m a family Christmas expert and these are the rules to live by’
Create time for yourself to enjoy the magic of the season, and take as much of Christmas Eve off as possible
Bressie on his Army dad: ‘I remember him being picked up to go overseas and you wouldn’t see him for a year. I remember the fear of it’
Niall ‘Bressie’ Breslin is co-founder of Lust for Life, a PhD student, musician and host of Classical Wind Down on BBC Radio 3
Prof Donal O’ Shea: ‘The positioning of Ronald McDonald House at the entrance to the new children’s hospital makes me angry’
Prof Donal O’ Shea is the HSE lead on obesity and a regular commentator on the dangers of marketing ‘junk and fast food’ to children
Séamas O’Reilly: ‘My little boy is the same age now as I was when my mother died’
Conversations with Parents podcast with Jen Hogan
What do children know or understand of life and political issues?
Quite a lot, if only they had the chance to be heard – and reducing the voting age to 16 would give them that voice
Trinity provost Linda Doyle: ‘I met Paul Mescal last week here in Trinity. Very cool’
Dr Linda Doyle is the first female Provost of Trinity College Dublin. She is a professor of engineering and the arts
Black Paddy: ‘I want to teach my children self-acceptance and to love the colour of their skin’
Conversations with Parents podcast with Jen Hogan
‘The hardest thing about being a parent is being unavailable to my kids because I have to work so hard to feed and clothe them’
Our recent article on the topic of regretting parenthood sparked numerous responses. Below, we share a selection of the views we received
‘I shared a secret I shouldn’t have and was racked with guilt’
Donna Marie O’Donovan is head of philanthropy at Unicef Ireland and a member of the Dublin Theatre Festival board
Terry Prone on allowing son Anton Savage to be in her publicity as a child: ‘I think it was the wrong thing to do’
Conversations with Parents podcast with Jen Hogan
‘Be an adult’ we tell our older teenagers but the Irish school system treats them like children
Our 18- and 19-year-olds, who can legally drink and vote, sit in school uniforms, call other adults ‘sir’ and ‘miss’ and must ask permission to use the toilet
Dr Brian Pennie: ‘I lost 15 years to heroin addiction but I wouldn’t take them back if I’d lose the happiness I have today’
Dr Brian Pennie is a neuroscientist, author, resilience specialist and former heroin addict
Ivan Yates: ‘The lack of affection from my parents’ generation was a huge mistake’
Conversations with Parents podcast with Jen Hogan
Averil Power: ‘I had two babies who died in pregnancy. I think about them all the time’
Irish Cancer Society head on having 10 siblings from three different families, rebelling against her parents and loving a good debate