Parenting | The Irish Times

“Drinking is not a bad thing necessarily, it’s about how you drink and what you drink. If you do it sensibly, that’s a good message for young people to see and that is more likely to lead to a healthy relationship with alcohol for your children” Photograph: iStock

Christmas cheer: sobering news for parents

As the alcohol flows over the festive season, adults should be aware that their drinking has a big influence on children present

Tanya Sweeney: “There is so, so much new stuff to know in a relatively short amount of time.” Photograph: Nick Bradshaw

I am pregnant. I know you mean well. But please no more well-meaning advice

Apparently, if you’re not suffering then you’re not putting your back into this mothering thing, are you?

Parents, trust your guts

Parenting rules cause stress and anxiety. Trust your gut instinct when it comes to your child

My eight-year-old daughter’s violent tantrums are getting worse

When we correct her about something, she kicks, hits, punches and becomes extremely violent and verbally abusive

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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‘Mass migration from the East has given the public fresh bogeymen to fret over; compared with the discrimination these people face, the Irish jokes I encounter almost feel like progress.’

We’re often the butt of the joke in Britain but we have it much easier than others

Planning a move to Canada? Here’s everything you need to know

Do you send Christmas cards? Well maybe you should

If you’ve never before attempted getting the Christmas feast to the table, there's plenty of fail-safe recipes to help you put on a real spread

Christmas dinner: The ultimate guide to getting through the big day

Think how best you can open a constructive conversation with your daughter about her behaviour at home. Photograph: Thinkstock Images

Ask the Expert: Our grown-up daughter is making us miserable

If he’s performing oral sex and you can feel that you’re about to pass gas, just grab him up and kiss him. Photograph: iStock

Is it normal for a woman to fart when she orgasms?

Limerick

What will €330,000 buy in Barbados, Thailand and Limerick?

Covenant (2018) by Kenneth Webb, at the RDS

Kenneth Webb: a life’s work on show at RDS

Sometimes at Christmas there’s nothing for it but to crack out a board game, Photograph: istock

Eight brilliant board games to break out over Christmas

Video: Ireland’s finest private castle for €6.5m

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