Be careful what you put on social media, or you might just go viral and end up with a whole new career, as author, Observer columnist and now dad of two, Séamas O’Reilly discovered when he replied to a tweet asking “what’s the worst day you ever had at work?”.
In the latest episode of Conversations with Parents, Séamas who has 10 siblings, (or ‘10 siblings!’ as Tommy Bowe might say) talks to Jen Hogan about serving drinks to President Mary McAleese, aged 18, while being under the influence of an illegal substance. And how 80 million views, and a mention in the New York Times, later he was able to quit a job he didn’t like and take up writing for a living.
The author of the award winning, Did Ye Hear Mammy Died?, shares his experiences of growing up in a large family, having lots of teenage sisters at the one time, and coping with the loss of his mother when he was just five years old, leaving his father to raise 11 children alone.
As Séamas’s own son reaches the same age Séamas was when his mother died, he reflects on how his experience of bereavement at such a young age has affected his parenting.
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“My son, just about three months ago, he turned the same age that I was when my mum died. I don’t know what kind of sadist mathematician in me ever made me work it out, but I worked it out sometime and I had it in a calendar”, he explains, discussing how this milestone has given him a new insight into and appreciation of just how small he was when he lost his mother.
Plus, how do you cope when you’re an Irishman whose children support the English football team? What are Séamas’ takes on modern parenting phenomena? Would he consider having a large family himself? And do kids really say the darnedest things?
You can listen to this episode of Conversations with Parents on the player above. Or listen to Conversations with Parents wherever you get your podcasts.
And if you’d like to get in touch with the show, you can email us at parentspod@irishtimes.com
