Parenting | The Irish Times

Colman Noctor, child psychotherapist, with his children Harry (2), Odhran (7), and Layla (4) at home in Co Wickow. Photograph: Aidan Crawley

Exhausted? Inefficient? Distant? Parental burnout is inevitable

Most parents, not just mothers, become distressed and exhausted at some stage

It is all getting too much for this father – so what can he do?

My wife and I are arguing more and I don’t know what to do

I do a three-day week, while she works full-time. But I’m stressed at home and in work

Polly and Jenny Kitzinger after a successful day gardening in 2008

‘We did our damnedest to ensure our mother had a “good death”’

The number of people making 'death plans' and living wills is too low, say campaigners

The Cullen children, Joshua, Kayleigh, Leon, Amelia and Cara, who range in age from 16 to five: Their mother, Jessica Cullen, believes 10 is the best age for a child to have a phone

Smartphones delay babies' language, and shorten their sleep

A Canadian study finds screen time is linked to an expressive language delay

Children

Focusing on the shyness can inadvertently make a child think something might be wrong with them. Photograph: iStockphoto

How to encourage your child’s potential . . . from toddler to teen

Saying ‘don’t be shy’ or ‘has the cat got your tongue?’ can increase his anxiety

Teenagers

For teenagers, bereavement can be particularly difficult to come to terms with. Photograph: iStockphoto

Ask the expert: Our daughter is struggling since the death of a classmate

She is struggling to get a proper night’s sleep and is very anxious before going to bed

Toddlers

Sleep training requires a lot of patience and does not yield immediate results. Photograph: Thinkstock

Ask the expert: How do we get a toddler to sleep all night?

If you have a parenting query, send your question to health@irishtimes.com

Babies

Pixie McKenna: ‘In an ideal world, if you can cook something, great. It’s cheaper, it’s more convenient, you can batch-cook and, ultimately, as you go through the stages, you can all eat the same thing, which is really important.’

Pixie McKenna on weaning: ‘I hadn’t a clue’

‘Dr Pixie’s First Foods’ examines weaning and babies’ first food recipes . . . sugar included

Relationships

As one of my boys is 12 and prepubescent, I’m concerned about telling him about his dad before he has established his own sexual identity. Photograph: Thinkstock

Ask the Expert: How do I tell my sons their father is bisexual?

John Sharry helps solve your parenting problems. Send your queries to health@irishtimes.com

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Izzeddeen and Eman Alkarajeh with their children Omar, Jouri and Lama. Izzeddeen, a Palestinian from the west bank who moved here from Saudi Arabia with his wife and children last year and is living in direct provision in Cork. Photograph: Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision

‘We didn’t come to Ireland to claim benefits. That would be an embarrassment’

Though our lives can be altered by means within our control or outside it, we have a tendency to think negatively about change, and for good reason.

Even after loss, we eventually return to a baseline level of happiness

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