Your Family

Suitable exotic pets such as certain snakes, frogs and lizards could foster empathy for the unusual, a pet shop owner says

Ask the Expert: It is right to weigh up all aspects of your decision carefully and to think through how to manage it well for your daughter

Ireland’s housing crisis is having far-reaching ripple effects on family life over many generations, with some having to stay in the role of hands-on parent for longer than expected

Women aged 27-30 can avail of free contraception following the expansion of a State-funded scheme. Great news, but can’t men carry their fair share of this burden?

Kate Twohig faced the prospect of dying at 30, spent 23 months waiting for a liver transplant but now has a second chance at life that has left her grateful to the donor

Jen Hogan: Halloween dress-up day will see your crafting and creative skills are about to go on public display

A climate journalist, poet and film-maker discuss the love and the power of mothers, and mothering instincts to save humanity

Many workers provide unpaid care for older relatives, but companies who flaunt family-friendly credentials often have in mind employees with young children

From an eerie cave in Co Waterford to the world’s most haunted castle in Co Offaly

Five adults who have moved home during the housing crisis talk frankly about the impact it is having on their relationships, sex lives and mental health

A group of parents with young children have come together to set up Care Shared, an informal childcare exchange network

Grace O’Malley had three children by the time she moved to Sweden, but would she have been better off giving birth there too?

Are there valid reasons for children not walking to school – eg, safety, schoolbag weight, urban v rural issues? At what age should a child be allowed to walk to and from school by themselves?

Heavy backpacks, idiot drivers, the judgment of other parents: we’ve heard it all. Stop making excuses for why children don’t walk to school any more

Andres Estevez Guersanik diagnosed with incurable, life-limiting disease at age of 43

It’s okay for the parent start the conversation and if a child doesn’t want to talk, don’t make them

Ask the Expert: My boy can’t explain why he can’t use the toilet. But I know autistic children can … hate changes of routine

Living in New York, I realised I had to actively work on making friends while grappling with the difficulty of settling children and family in a new city

Symptoms can seem vague, but a rapid deterioration is the key sign to look out for

Jen Hogan: Parenting goes very fast. And then one day, your daughter makes the next wonderful step and leaves home

Part 3: With the virtual world at everybody’s fingertips, accessing or stumbling across pornography has never been so easy for youngsters

Darragh Geraghty: I made three grave mistakes when cutting my daughter’s nails on what should have been a pleasant Sunday afternoon

Readers share their experiences of witnessing aggression on the sidelines of children’s sporting events

Ask the Expert: When parents embark on a journey of ADHD assessment and getting help for their child, it can usually mean the start of a wider family journey

No one expected the Government to write a blank cheque. But this looks like a pilot scheme

If children get a whiff of weakness or division in your parenting team, it can be game over

The Environmental Protection Agency believes air quality in Ireland is generally good but warns of dangers in certain zones

One couple’s story of four years from dementia diagnosis to assisted death

Part 2: Following on from our piece on puberty, most of us want open conversation about sex with our children. Achieving that can be complex

What have you heard on the sidelines? We would hear your views

Jen Hogan: I wouldn’t feel comfortable allowing my children to partake in a match without one of their parents present

Side effect of coronavirus pandemic has been that dogs and cats now receive more attention and pampering

The puberty talk: ‘We need to deal with our own embarrassment if we want to have an open conversation with them’

Young survivors need medical and psycho-social support to cope with ‘payback’

Ask the Expert: ‘He looks really down in the dumps most days and I worry about him’

We asked readers how they feel about school uniforms for youngsters. The question has certainly evoked strong feelings - here are just some of them

Palliative care is an additional layer of support for people with life-limiting conditions, with early referrals tending to do better

Jen Hogan: Schools have returned to pre-Covid days by putting children in itchy, scratchy uniforms while the rest of the world continues in more comfortable ways

Jen Hogan: The sun may be splitting the stones, but maths and Gaeilge wait for no boy or girl

‘Due to the complexity of Trisomy 18, we knew that the possibility was high our baby would not go full term, but we wanted to see where he would take us’