‘We’re worried about our daughter, who’s in sixth class and has difficulty making friends’
Ask the Expert: The teacher says she spends a lot of lunchtimes alone
Parents
‘We banned television and screens after a sad epiphany during an episode of Bluey’
Screen content can fill those gaps that would otherwise be filled by children’s imaginative sense of play
Postponing parenthood: How Ireland’s housing crisis is forcing people to delay having children
To 30-somethings hoping to start a family, the connection between the lack of available homes and the State’s falling fertility rate is obvious
Jen Hogan: Mams are the best thing since toilet roll in a pandemic when it’s Mother’s Day
I am mother, hear me roar. And not just at my kids when they’re melting my head
Mother’s Day can be difficult and messy territory
There’s no such thing as a bestest-ever mother, there is no maternal majesty; most of us do our best most of the time
‘I want to move to part-time due to a lack of childcare options. Should my employer allow this?’
Work Q&A: I’m nervous about asking to move part-time, as it might not be looked upon favourably. Are there other options?
Irish in Britain: A full month after my birth, my parents changed my name
Would a Laura by any other name feel more sure of herself? Possibly. But names are personal and political
Weaning families from two modern scourges: screens and ultraprocessed foods
Michaeleen Doucleff’s parenting book offers the possibility of a life of authentic pleasure instead
‘My 14-year-old daughter wonders if she is gay and feels confused’
Ask the Expert: Stating clearly your love and acceptance gives your daughter some freedom to discover her sexuality and identity without judgment
A busy school, just one bike outside: Why so few children cycle in one Dublin suburb
Green Party councillor says ‘a proper cycle lane’ must be ‘good enough for a 12-year-old’ to use
‘We bring it back to basics’: The home visitors helping parents discover the power of play
The ParentChild+ programme aims to model good adult-child interactions for parents who often grew up in disruptive family environments
The annual ‘is four or five the right age to start school?’ season is upon us
If your child is on the younger side, September 2026 shouldn’t be the only consideration – September 2036 matters too. Here’s why
Parents on posting: ‘We’ve opted out, so my child is being excluded’
As concerns grow around safety, identity theft, consent and AI, attitudes to sharing images on social media are changing
Teens and screens: How much mischief can they really get into?
Jen Hogan: It’s not only the people they speak to online, it’s the content they consume - and the messages
Stay-at-home parent role now valued at more than €60,000 a year
More than one in five women accurately estimated that the cost would exceed €50,000, compared to 14% of men
Síle Seoige – An Saol Mar Atá on TG4: An honest depiction of the daily frustrations of parenting in modern Ireland
Television: It’s refreshing that Seoige doesn’t pretend to have all the answers. She’s muddling through like the rest of us
‘He wouldn’t be great for vegetables’: School meal scheme not to everyone’s taste
Parents share mixed views on weekday lunches offered to children in schools
‘They’re missing out on so much’: How screens and Covid are shaping childhood in Ireland
Basic skills such as playing, pretending and conversing have been affected by tech use and pandemic isolation
‘My son spends hours gaming and on YouTube. He has become slightly overweight and I am worried’
I am worried that my older son will suffer because we do not have the bandwidth to make sure he is getting what he needs
Podcaster Dylan Haskins: ‘I auditioned for a film with Brad Pitt as a child’
The multi-award-winning podcast commissioner with the BBC on never dwelling in anger, the death of his father in 2006, and his ‘condensed’ Covid wedding
Irish women share their stories of motherhood after 40: ‘I knew if I didn’t try, I would have regrets’
Motherhood in Ireland is changing, with more babies born to women over the age of 40 – and indeed, 45 – than ever before
Motherhood after 40: Why are women having children at an older age, and why does it matter?
Pregnancy over 40 would once have raised an eyebrow, but not any more. For an increasing number of parents, having a child when they are older is no accident
FAFO parenting has taken over from the gently-gently approach
This new trend sounds remarkably like the parenting of the 1980s and 1990s, the kind we’ve mostly been trying to avoid
‘I feel a bit resentful of my daughter who did not involve me in her new marriage after her husband died’
Tell Me About It: I’m afraid that if I do the wrong thing, she might cut me off
Women in aircraft leasing firms ‘feel under pressure’ not to take full maternity leave
Companies in multibillion-euro industry lack clear policies, notes report
‘My son has been complaining about going to see his dad... What do you recommend?’
Ask the Expert: ‘I think my son might be bored and on video games most of the time while there’
Breastfeeding linked with reduced risk of depression and anxiety for mothers, study suggests
Each week of feeding reduced risk by 2% after accounting for other factors, long-term research shows
‘Stop saying yes’: Over 50 ways you can make your life easier in 2026
From daily tasks to planning for the future, here are 52 ways to make your life easier this year
‘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
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
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Stardust
Inquests into the nightclub fire that led to the deaths of 48 people
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
Family NoticesOpens in new window
Weddings, Births, Deaths and other family notices