‘I better give you advice on what it takes to be a teacher’
A teacher’s role is that of a character actor there to facilitate the protagonist’s plot, their six-year arc
Parenting
Stories related to parenting
As my children plead with me not to bring them to creche, my heart is stretched thin
Since becoming a mother, I have not yet reconciled my two identities
Babies may be conscious at birth ‘to help them really hit the ground running’
What is consciousness and how can we tell if another being possesses it?
Parents fear of dying before their disabled children: ‘Our family will be thrown into a crisis’
Some such parents have transformed their lifestyles in the hope of outliving offspring who cannot live independent lives
‘I wish your mummy was still alive,’ my daughter says, before the conversation swiftly changes
Speaking to my children about my mother’s death, with all their bluntness, candour, even indifference, has been bracing, but also strangely joyous
‘I had no idea that being pregnant increased your risk of getting a blood clot’
Blood clots can happen to anyone, but pregnancy and birth raise risks for women
Open days: Parents need to know the difference between encouraging a child and deciding for them
Guardians can research the multiple choices available and act as a sounding board, but an independent decision is key to success
Horror is the main reaction to our decision to get rats as pets
We’re now a family with two rats and two cats
Love is complicated, but neurodivergent people often bond around shared experiences
This is the third of a four-part series on neurodiversity and the family by John Sharry, clinical director of the Parents Plus Charity
‘It’s not as scary as you think,’ I tell friends expecting their first child. I’m lying
When my kids were babies and we were sleep deprived and generally petrified, I presumed they were in mortal danger at all times
More than half of under-12s have overnight access to smart devices, survey says
Most young people say their parents, too, are on smartphones for long periods
When did children stop playing outside?
One in six Irish parents don’t think it’s safe for their five-year-old child to play outside at home during the day
No, you don’t need AI to read your child a bedtime story
Sam Altman’s self-satisfaction about utilising an LLM to raise his child wouldn’t even make the top 20 of his all-time nonsense
Childcare providers face squeeze with fees due to drop further despite funding increase
Minister announces record €650m-plus funding for next year for sector
How to talk to your children about school strikes
While it might be tempting to air your frustrations, a better approach might be a clear, open discussion
I routinely have intrusive thoughts about horrible things that could happen to my children
I imagine the GP asking ‘When did you first realise your daughter had grown antlers?’, ready to call social services
The last thing Macron needs is a letter from an Irish mother, but I have my two cents to offer
The long French school day gives the state a sizeable presence in my son’s childhood
Don’t be a ‘permissive parent’, warns an expert with decades of experience helping families
Conversations with Parents podcast with Jen Hogan
Most neurodivergent children have a neurodivergent parent – diagnosed or not
Part two: Neurodiversity and your parenting style
Séamas O’Reilly: Am I a soft, overprotective dad bringing his own childhood traumas to bear?
My son doesn’t yet have proper football trainers, since we, his miserly parents, haven’t yet committed to such accoutrements
Falling birth rates, fertility and becoming a mum later in life
Conversations with Parents podcast with Jen Hogan
‘Why I breastfed my fourth baby after bottle-feeding the others’
One in two babies still get breast milk at three months old, as rates rise slowly
Just as in Sharon Horgan’s comedy Youth, getting older is less fun than promised
Life and parenthood look different from what we imagined in our own youth
My son has missed a lot of school. Like many parents, I’m not too worried
New research suggests today’s parents may be more willing than previous generations to allow their children to stay home. I saw myself in the findings
‘Mom and Dad’? ‘Mary and Gearóid’? What you call your parents says a lot about your family
It can be hard to equate calling a parent by their first name with a healthy and intimate filial relationship. It seems unfeeling, distant
Being a working mother is a horror show at times. The stress can be crippling
I am just one of the more than 1.3 million women in employment in Ireland. For working mothers, the stress can be crippling
Parenting triplets: ‘We were in shock. We didn’t know what to do – smiling, crying, laughing’
What’s it like parenting four children, when the oldest is a toddler?
Nobody else is going to turn your child’s phone off. But you can’t do it alone
A social media ban for under-13s or even under-16s is not pointless just because many will get around it
My inner Grumpy Old Woman is intent on making her presence felt lately. She’s mad as hell
Maybe I can just decide to stop nagging. But who would I even be?
My son’s new hobby is confounding me with ‘mystyrieyos’ riddles that he puts in writing
There is usually the nugget of something clever in them, albeit shielded behind layers of opacity
Formal recognition of single-parent families would help eliminate poverty traps
Empower mothers to avail of further education and employment opportunities
More children missing school today than before Covid pandemic, says ESRI report
Boys and girls are more likely to miss school if their parents have a harsher parenting style and if there is a lack of routine at home
First term resolutions to live by for a peaceful and happy new school year
Avoid overparenting, set aside some time for yourself and, like Elsa, learn when to let it go
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
The GlossOpens in new window
Read the digital edition of The Gloss magazine now
Family NoticesOpens in new window
Weddings, Births, Deaths and other family notices