‘We’re not French’: Irish teens and alcohol – what exactly should they be allowed to do?The dreaded drink is often one of biggest fears parents have for their childrenTue Apr 04 2023 - 06:01
‘I wouldn’t let an under-16 babysit my child’: At what age should teenagers be allowed to mind children?A series looking at the freedoms we should or should not allow for our childrenFri Mar 31 2023 - 06:01
‘I’ll check their phones until they’re 18′: What should our teenagers be allowed to do on their mobiles?A series looking at the freedoms we should or should not allow for our childrenThu Mar 30 2023 - 05:01
Jen Hogan: Maybe my kids will look back and think their childhood was grand (in spite of dropped balls)Jen Hogan: I obsess about wanting my kids to be happy and contentMon Mar 27 2023 - 05:30
Parenting tweens: What exactly should our children be allowed to do?A series looking at the freedoms we should or should not allow for our childrenThu Mar 23 2023 - 06:01
Parenting under-8s: What exactly should our children be allowed to do?A new series looking at the freedoms we should or should not allow for our children - starting with those aged eight and underThu Mar 16 2023 - 05:31
Paul Murphy: We don’t want to limit our baby by saying you’re a boy or you’re a girl. Let them decideParenting in My Shoes: As a politician and a father, Paul says he’s conscious of respecting Juniper’s privacyTue Mar 14 2023 - 06:15
There are those who know how to fill a dishwasher, and those who don’t careJen Hogan: My husband rearranges the dishwasher after I’ve loaded it. Amazingly, I haven’t divorced him yetMon Mar 13 2023 - 05:31
What age would you allow a child to use a swimming pool dressingroom on their own?Some pools require children to use gendered changing rooms from aged seven, which may be well before parents feel their child is readyMon Mar 06 2023 - 06:01
Peace Proms return with strong message on harmony and inclusivity Children’s Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland to perform wide-ranging selection of musicWed Mar 01 2023 - 05:01
Another year, another child due to make his Communion or ConfirmationJen Hogan: ‘Bouncy castle Catholics, I think my sort is called. I prefer to go by a la carte Catholic’Mon Feb 27 2023 - 05:31
Amongst women: Why are there so few men in caring roles? What’s it like to work in a women-dominated profession? A nurse, SNA, drama teacher, childcare worker and occupational therapist share their experiencesSat Feb 18 2023 - 05:00
Woman says she was shocked to be asked to stop breastfeeding her baby at UCDMarguerite Simmons was reportedly asked to move to a cubicle at swimming pool if she wanted to continue to feed her babyThu Feb 16 2023 - 16:19
Girls, sports and periods: ‘I’ve been playing in Croke Park and had to say, Would you check my shorts?’Encouraging younger athletes to talk about their bodies’ normal functions could help them maintain their sporting activitiesTue Feb 14 2023 - 06:01
Dreading maths in the Leaving Cert? Have some roast potatoesThe trials and tribulations of those mocks are upon us — they’re just a timing exercise, right?Mon Feb 13 2023 - 05:01
How to spot parents on a night out? They’ll be nervously watching the phone on the tableJen Hogan: I’m going to break my habit of spending Friday nights on the couch. It’s my carpe diem attitude to 2023Mon Jan 30 2023 - 06:01
Should children be allowed to consume disturbing news? A child’s temperament is the best guide when it comes to ‘how much is too much’, says expertSun Jan 22 2023 - 05:00
‘I used to go into work really hungover from partying, yet I’d be saying, I think I should become a priest’Neil Fox began the process at 32 but left the seminary four years later. He explains why hereWed Jan 18 2023 - 05:31
How do other people manage to have conversations without swearing?Jen Hogan: It’s perfectly normal, though not necessarily laudable, for mums to use expletives while ordering their children not toMon Jan 16 2023 - 06:01
Homework: ‘If educators saw the stress it causes, they would be horrified’Jen Hogan: It’s been a topic of discussion for years, yet nothing changes. Perhaps it’s because we just don’t seem to hear children and womenMon Jan 02 2023 - 06:01
Six reasons to be thankful this year, from an autism diagnosis to discovering a new sibling2022 in review: Despite the up and downs, our readers share their joyous and unforgettable moments from the past 12 monthsFri Dec 23 2022 - 06:00
All I want for Christmas is to pretend we’re more like the Waltons than the Addams familyJen Hogan: It’s a stressful time of year, especially when you’re trying to gather the kids for a family photoMon Dec 19 2022 - 06:01
Small gifts for the loved ones in our lives who are impossible to buy for at ChristmasJen Hogan: At this time of year, we like to say thank you with a small gift. Finding something different isn’t always easyMon Dec 05 2022 - 05:31
Charities that need our help in the run-up to ChristmasIt can be a tough time of year for many, but there is an array of charities working to ensure that those most in need are not forgottenThu Dec 01 2022 - 06:01
People make allowances for fussy eating when you’re a child. It’s much more problematic when you’re an adultConfessions of a fussy eater: please know it’s not you, it’s meWed Nov 30 2022 - 05:31
Jen Hogan: Your beautiful babies will grow up. Where does that leave you?Remember to protect yourself too as your children will one day enter the big, bad world, without needing to hold your handMon Nov 21 2022 - 06:01
‘They think we’re all diddly-dee and made of potatoes, and drink pints for breakfast’Irish in London: The stereotyping isn’t welcome, but living in such a diverse city gives you the freedom to be yourself, say Brian Gillespie and Kate GleesonThu Nov 17 2022 - 06:01
Vicky Phelan: Even heroes need to restJen Hogan: Vicky always expressed amazement about the kindness she encountered, as if she never quite realised what an inspiration she wasMon Nov 14 2022 - 12:56
‘The English have definitely got no concept of their own history, and I do challenge people on it’Oliver, from Co Donegal, is a policeman in London, where most people assume he’s ‘a Protestant from Northern Ireland and not a Catholic from the South’Thu Nov 10 2022 - 02:00
I went on a trip down memory lane with one of my kids. The fallout was unlike anything I’d expectedJen Hogan: For me the 1980s were about Raleigh Strikas, crammed Ford Fiestas, and playing outdoors. I’d completely forgotten about some darker thingsMon Nov 07 2022 - 06:01
18 spooktacular things to keep your little monsters busy over midtermThe season outside may be frightful, but there’s lots to do that’s delightful this HalloweenFri Oct 28 2022 - 05:00
‘People think people with ADHD don’t pay attention. That’s not true. We’re paying attention to everything’The singer Louise Barry struggled for years, and was greatly relieved when finally, at age 43, she was diagnosed as having ADHDTue Oct 25 2022 - 06:01
‘Don’t call your baby that. My ex-husband was called that, and he was a proper b******’Jen Hogan: Lots of thought went into my children’s names. Long, long before I was a mother I considered what I’d call the kids I might one day haveMon Oct 24 2022 - 06:01
‘Lots of children with ADHD are incredibly creative, but they get perceived as very bold’Having an ADHD diagnosis and learning to cope with the challenges can be a transformational move for both parents and childrenWed Oct 19 2022 - 05:01
‘We nearly lost our boy due to men who needed the under-12 win to make them feel they were great’What happens when team sports stop being fun and ends up chipping away at a child’s confidence?Tue Oct 11 2022 - 05:31
Think parenting is a breeze? Try getting a teenager to put on a coat before he heads into the cold with his friendsJen Hogan: Someone should make a TV show where all-girl families switch places with all-boy families, himself often saysMon Oct 10 2022 - 06:00
The dog’s tail had been cut off. Her teeth were rotten. ‘Stop looking for her owner,’ we were advisedFor the last three years, we’ve celebrated her birthday on October 1st. Turns out I don’t dislike Jack Russells as much as I thoughtFri Oct 07 2022 - 05:00
‘I think at that point I just died inside... just those words... your child has cancer’Norah Hayes and family are fundraising to take Alice to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in America to undergo further treatmentSun Oct 02 2022 - 06:01
Why do parents allow children to continue doing homework when they can just opt them out?‘We are so conditioned to believe that we are in trouble if we don’t do our homework’, says oneWed Sept 28 2022 - 05:31
Jen Hogan: This was supposed to be the year I got my work-life balance in orderJen Hogan: With more life juggling than ever, I need all my commitments written down in black and whiteMon Sept 26 2022 - 05:01
Now a mother has brought her baby into the Dáil, there’s just one more thing we need to seeJen Hogan: To see a politician remind women that we can be seen to exist as both mothers and professionals is hugely importantThu Sept 22 2022 - 14:07
Deirdre O’Kane: I was five months pregnant, and on tour, when I miscarried. Then I had a complete health crashParenting in My Shoes: The actor and comedian was 36 by the time she and her husband had their first child, and 40 when they had their secondTue Sept 13 2022 - 05:31
‘I’m terrified. I’m a single parent on a fixed income, and I’m just managing to juggle it all as it is’Jen Hogan: Parents are already been put to the pin of their collar even before we enter the winter of discontent.Mon Sept 12 2022 - 05:01
Minding Me: ‘I can breathe long and slow to calm my busy mind’New illustrated book provides positive affirmations for childrenThu Sept 08 2022 - 17:30
The guide to cutting back-to-school costs: Check what you have first and see if they really need to be replacedMaking savings isn’t easy, particularly in the current climate, but there are a few ways to lessen the financial burdenMon Aug 29 2022 - 06:00
Jen Hogan: I tell my children lies — lots of themThese fibs help preserve magic of childhood, protect them — sometimes— from horrors of world and make them eat their corn and broccoliMon Aug 29 2022 - 05:31
The lunch guide for back to school: School lunches are not the time to introduce new or disliked foods‘While it’s perfectly fine to have the same sandwich every day, do try to vary it a little,’ dietitian saysFri Aug 26 2022 - 06:00
The bedtime-routine guide to going back to school: Start adjusting early‘Adjusting bedtimes before September can be done either gradually or all at once,’ sleep consultant saysThu Aug 25 2022 - 06:00
The back-to-school guide to helping your child make friends: ‘You might need to organise a playdate’Encouraging children to meet up with school friends over the summer is important, says psychotherapistWed Aug 24 2022 - 06:00
Terry Prone on motherhood: ‘I did my best all of the time. I just fecking got it wrong!’Parenting in My Shoes: The communications expert on life with her late husband, Tom Savage, and their son, Anton SavageTue Aug 23 2022 - 06:01
