Séamas O’Reilly: My children are my greatest source of joy - and stress, sadness, guilt and fear
It appears there’s quite strong proof that having children does not, in any measurable way, make you more happy
Parenting
Stories related to parenting
I’m the only male at home and it’s not weird. It’s a fascinating honour
Family environment makes me think of the opening line of John McGahern’s Amongst Women
‘I learned invisibility as a child and now I can’t cry as an adult’
Having to take on adult responsibilities at an early age can have negative effects that last into adulthood
Oisín McConville: ‘At one stage, football was the only thing that kept me alive’
The two-time All Star winner says his gambling addiction was so bad ‘loan sharks wouldn’t even touch me in the end’
I’ve recently come into a lump sum and want to invest it. What should I do?
How to invest: Options for investing a lump sum; long-term saving for children; and whether you should pay down your mortgage before you invest
I am a Gen Z trapped in the body of a Gen X
Jen Hogan: Nothing is certain, not your desk, not your emojis, not even your generation
Róisín Ingle: Getting a tattoo was my friend’s idea. I’m calling it my ‘mild-life’ crisis
Róisín Ingle: It’s no big deal, only a bit of ink on skin, but also it’s permanent, so it’s sort of a big deal
Children must learn their letters, their numbers – and then 6,000 facts about animals
The average four-year-old would almost certainly beat the average 40-year-old in a quiz on animal facts
Colman Noctor: ‘Behaviour is always the signpost to a problem. It is very rarely the problem’
Noctor is a well-known child and adolescent psychotherapist
Preparing to move from primary school to secondary starts now, not in September
A new school can feel like an alien experience. Everything is different
‘My son has intense meltdowns, including hitting, when asked to do reasonable things’
Ask the Expert: Things can escalate so quickly that it is frightening
Séamas O’Reilly: When I turned 40 my daughter’s eyes went wide as saucers. She has been known to cook the numbers
Her passion to be bigger and older stops just short of wanting to be an adult. Any suggestion that she is as old as, say, her parents, evokes disgust
Submit your questions on: Maternity leave in Ireland
Experts in HR, employment law and career progression can offer their view on your maternity leave queries
Having a baby: can you and your employer afford it?
Ireland offers more generous time off than most countries, but low level of financial support means many parents cannot afford to take it
Flexible work could help parents balance jobs and childcare
AI may transform work, but employers can already retain talent through genuine flexible roles
We’d all love long teacher holidays, but how keen would we be on the job that goes with them?
Any parent, in their more honest don’t-say-it-out-loud moments, will admit that looking after kids can be boring
Jen Hogan: You may be questioning the sort of company I keep
I had just about got rid of Cilla Black singing Lionel Richie classics on Instagram, when I’d algorithmically relocated to foot odour feed hell
‘Working’ or ‘stay-at-home’ parent is a false choice. Most of us want something in between
The words of Australian swimmer Cameron McEvoy are in stark contrast to the vogue for pernicious tradwife influencing
Honest talk about one of life’s biggest challenges: Conversations with Parents podcast is back
Conversations with Parents podcast with Jen Hogan
My wife and I felt shame when told our child needed glasses. We’d ignored the warnings
My wife and I felt shame, casting our minds back through warnings we’d missed, when told our child needed spectacles
Raising Chelsea: Conception, birth and first brand partnership of an aristocratic nepo baby
Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo’s Disney show blurs lines between family life and brand-building
How to manage family finances after a separation
Transparency, planning and consideration are essential for parents who need to remember the focus must be on what works for the children
Inland Fisheries Ireland’s €60,000 PR outlay and protests at rising fuel costs
Early Edition podcast: Today’s top stories from The Irish Times
‘Can I say something to my son and daughter-in-law about their parenting?’
Ask the Expert: My son says his child is getting an ADHD assessment, but I think they’re making too big a deal of his problems
What tax liability arises if I send a cash gift to my daughter who is based in UK?
The rules in the UK and the Republic are quite different when it comes to gifts but sometimes that can work in your favour
Gender pay gap agenda is contrived, pointless and ignores the reality of women like me
What about the professional Irish women who, when their household income allows it, quit work or reduce their hours to look after their children?
Michelle Pfeiffer: The movie queen reinventing herself as a small-screen star
At 67, the US actor is busier than ever, a movie queen lately reinvented as a small-screen star
Parenting advice: Enjoy your walking pad, just don’t be a dose about it
Being able to watch your favourite show while working up a sweat is enough of a reward
Children and separation: ‘I had so much fear of people seeing inside our snow globe of doom’
Barnardos report warns high-conflict parental separation has a ‘profound’ impact on children
‘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
‘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
Where is Ireland’s manosphere?
Louis Theroux’s new documentary pulls back the curtain on the world of ‘traditional’ masculine influencers - but where are the Irish players?
Why don’t we have a cure for head lice? I suspect it’s the fault of the patriarchy
How do we have arse implants and double-basket air fryers but no cure for lice?
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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