Brianna Parkins: I envy Irish childhoods and the special confidence Irish children seem to have
Like many emigrants, we want our kids to be Irish but worry Ireland won’t be able to support them
Parents
Study finds 14% of young children do not live full-time with fathers
Contact with fathers is less frequent as children transition to school - ERSI
Summer Camps 2025: A guide to the best sports camps in Ireland
A parent’s guide to the best summer camps, from kayaking and swimming to gymnastics
Almost one-in-eight children live with one parent, CSO survey finds
Half of parents not living with their three-year-old child had lived with mothers during pregnancy
Non-sports summer camps 2025: From art and archaeology to technology and yoga
Here is our guide to summer camps that do not (generally) involve lots of outdoor physical activity. There is everything listed here from coding to cooking, archaeology to acting.
Drumcondra standardised tests: ‘What do my child’s scores mean?’
Parents of many primary school pupils will soon receive results which provide an indication of their children’s achievement
‘I worry that my anxious son will buckle under pressure during the Leaving Cert’
Simple steps can help students navigate stress and promote greater resilience
An ode to the group chat, a lifeline for new mums
We mourn the loss of the ‘village’ in modern times, but I think the village begins elsewhere these days
Thrill-seeking in middle age: the spirit is willing but the pelvic floor is weak
Oh, how I wish I had listened when people were talking about the importance of doing Kegels
‘Am I too old to wear this?’: It’s a question I never thought I’d ask but here I am
Jen Hogan: Motherhood can also bring limitations, but only if we impose them on ourselves
My daughter drags us on to rollercoasters but is wary of the monkey bars. People are a mystery
I usually pass the time on funfair rides by trying to calculate where I will land when whatever contraption I’m strapped into snaps off
Why most families can’t afford to take paternity leave
Even though parental leave has personal, family and social benefits, only half of fathers take their two-week entitlement
Easter activities: 10 family-friendly days out and events to enjoy over the holidays
Easter egg hunts, walks with a difference, places to go and more around the country
Are adolescent boys being influenced by online misogyny and porn to commit sexual assaults?
Experts who work with young offenders discuss whether the Netflix series Adolescence is true to life
When only wealthy fathers take paternity leave, something is broken
Just a quarter of men take parent’s leave compared with two-thirds of women
Parenting a toddler is the ultimate crash course in embarrassment
They may appear small and cute, but their complete lack of filter or fear of embarrassment is nothing short of liberating
‘I was 34 and all my friends were having kids... I was like: what am I waiting for?’
From going it alone to fostering, and exhaustive rounds of IVF, women share their unusual journeys in motherhood
Adolescence in teenagers’ own words: ‘Parents have absolutely no idea’
Young people are familiar with social media terms and concepts mentioned in the Netflix drama, and know misogyny is rife online. Their parents? Not so much
‘I am worried teachers won’t look beyond test results to see the potential in my 10-year-old’
Ask the Expert: The good news is that there is a lot you can do as a parent to support your child’s executive function
Adolescence: Five truths about our teenage boys we need to address urgently
In Ireland, masculinity is at a crossroads. We are in the process of rejecting the harmful ideas of the past but are feeling our way slowly and uncertainly forward
Private counselling sessions are the new school grinds
In wanting to comfort our children and ease their burden, we are in danger of depriving them of learning for themselves
‘I am struggling with potty training my three-year-old daughter’
Ask the Expert: ‘I get the impression the nurse thinks she might be autistic’
Should parents be checking their teenagers’ phones?
Our children will do their best to find ways around our rules, whether we like it or not
Life without children: ‘I’d want the investment my mother had, but I don’t have it in me. I don’t have the grá for it’
Women who choose not to have children still find themselves existing in a society that undermines them - but the tide is turning
Phones off: 20 simple ways to cut your family’s screentime
What’s the best way to help parents and kids navigate phones in the always-on age of the internet?
Enough of the begrudgery about remote working and career breaks for public servants
It’s like the historical policies that govern these routines emerged from a system where there was always a mammy at home
‘I had first-years with a WhatsApp group mainly used for porn sharing’: Why parents are delaying access to smartphones for their kids
Mounting concern over role of social media algorithms in pushing inappropriate content to young people
Regretting working outside the home: ‘We’re told to parent like we don’t work. And work like we don’t parent’
Parenting Taboos: The creche was the same as our mortgage. When I look at it now I think, ‘Jesus, how did we buy into it?’
How do I deal with a highly capable 17-year-old girl who does not want to go to school?
Ask the Expert: She seems to be suffering from very high anxiety levels and is stressed about many aspects of school
Can you really get on a college degree course without CAO points?
Yes, tertiary degrees are an exciting new option which are opening doors for students of all ages
Storm Éowyn red warning: A survival guide for parents working from home during the bad weather
Our six top tips to help you navigate your children at home for the day while you are remote working
My daughter’s new phone number will stay with her for life. It’s like we’ve given her an invisible, digital tattoo
When I sent on the number to Herself she got a bit weepy, in an our-little-girl-is-growing-up way
‘Here I am, a grown adult, who struggles to keep my tears at bay’
Jen Hogan: No way to keep the tears in check but maybe I’ll outgrow it, yet
Regretting being a stay-at-home parent: ‘You’re sitting at home doing housework and you’re bored out of your tree’
Parenting Taboos: Admitting that you feel bored, unfulfilled, or even regret your choice to stay at home with your children is difficult but not uncommon
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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