‘I am the Grinch,’ one friend told me as I teased him about disliking Christmas
Jen Hogan: Plenty of people feel the season-to-be-jolly is overrated
Parents
Christmas rituals assume women have endless free time
Call it the festive load, or the third shift: I’m talking about the disproportionate tasks needed to produce 'the magic'
‘No new gifts, please’: Meet the parents who swap rather than shop
Concerns about the environment, a desire to declutter, and creating community are just some of the reasons parents are opting for swap groups
I’m thinking of leaving my depressed partner but am horrified about what it will do to her daughter
It took a long time for me to earn this child’s trust but I feel like I am getting sucked into her mother’s black cloud
Epilepsy and pregnancy: ‘In the delivery room, I handed her to my husband and I immediately took a seizure’
Help is now available for women with epilepsy to manage pregnancy and early motherhood
‘Dear monster under the bed’: Books that will make the perfect Christmas gift for younger readers
Children’s authors and experts recommend books to give anyone aged from four to 14+
The most annoying thing about parent-teacher meetings? Parents who hog teachers
On behalf of frazzled parents everywhere, please make a separate appointment
Writer Eithne Shortall: ‘We put Irish at the heart of family life, one bedtime story at a time’
Three years ago we decided to start speaking Irish to our young children – a steep learning curve for all involved – with leabhair Ghaeilge as a key feature
Miriam O’Callaghan: ‘I’m lucky to have eight children after suffering secondary infertility’
Conversations with Parents podcast with Jen Hogan
I’ve changed my old stance on teens and alcohol – it’s snus and vapes that are the problem
I suspect few enough of us reached 18 before having our first alcoholic drink
‘My son (9) loves football, but I am horrified at what goes on at matches’
Tell Me About It: I am tempted to pull him out of this sport as it normalises such awful behaviour
‘I am often called in during rows between my daughter and my wife’
Ask the Expert: Take the time to get a deeper understanding of what is going on for family members
Hotels catering for families with autistic children: ‘Nobody looks or stares at you’
Holidays can be stressful for neurodivergent guests, but the industry is adapting
‘I found a therapist, but I’m worried my parents will look up what they specialise in’
Tell Me About It: ‘I’m worried I’ll be put into a situation where I have to tell them something I don’t want to share with them yet’
Toy libraries are helping families save money, cut down on clutter and reduce waste
What if you could borrow a toy for a child instead of buying it? The idea is a win-win for families and the environment
Eczema season guide: What is the skin condition and how to support your child
Autumn doesn’t have to mean a surge in sore skin. With a clear plan, eczema need not shape your child’s school life
How do I best help my son who has been diagnosed with dyslexia?
Ask the Expert: While there are common patterns, each dyslexic child is unique and has their own learning profile
I’m not really religious but I still pray to St Anthony when something is lost
This might just be an ingrained echo of a Catholic upbringing but I also find it comforting
Brendan Gleeson: ‘I got very tired of watching fatherhood portrayed as something that was almost an abuse’
Brendan Gleeson plays a beloved father opposite Claire Foy in new biographical drama H Is For Hawk
‘Silent sidelines’ at children’s matches: How utterly depressing that this is where we are
Jen Hogan: Adults’ behaviour is having a detrimental effect on children playing a game. Just let that sink in
Ireland’s maths gender gap: why boys are getting twice as many top grades
Single-sex school and a lack of confidence are key issues - but new training methods and awareness of systemic barriers suggest change is coming
‘I am worried about the racist and misogynist accounts my 17-year-old son is viewing online’
Ask the Expert: ‘He had a girlfriend over the summer in scouts, but then something happened and it ended badly’
The Irish parents using social media to earn a living and how it affects family life
‘It’s up and down all the time, which is not very stable compared to somebody that’s on a salary’
Some wisdom learned from a half a life (and counting) spent parenting
Conversations with Parents podcast is back with a brand new season starting on September 30th
Seán Moncrieff: The wifi went. It was raining. How would our daughter cope?
I tried to think of a problem more first-world than the temporary loss of the internet
Woman forced to give up baby an hour after birth wins appeal in Denmark
Ivana Bronlund’s case has become the latest flashpoint between Denmark and Greenland
How did Offaly become one of the top breastfeeding counties in Ireland?
Breastfeeding rates for three-month-old babies in Offaly have moved from being one of the lowest in the country to one of the highest
Are school wellbeing programmes doing more harm than good?
Some studies suggest one-size-fits-all mindfulness and mental-health programmes may even increase difficulties among young people
‘My son (3) gets very upset and anxious as we approach preschool’
Ask the Expert: ‘The first day seemed to go fine, but now he says he does not want to go in’
I could hardly breathe when I heard ‘Mum’s gone missing’, but then I knew what had happened
At first my mother’s death by suicide shocked me, but I came to accept it, partly thanks to a ritual I created
How to talk to children about the sudden death of a child
The image of Daniel Aruebose is everywhere, and children are not immune to stories of tragedy, they will have questions too
Workplaces must adapt to needs of employees who are single parents by choice through IVF
Almost all who have had the fertility treatment say it affected their emotional wellbeing at work
This was the moment I’d been dreading since the landlord gave me notice
Home wasn’t something I’d ever had to create before. I’d lived in 22 places since leaving home in my troubled teens
The pressure to get a smartphone for my teen daughter was immense. We found a compromise
Parents face a dilemma: do they avoid giving kids any devices or just give in and wing it?
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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