Parents on summer childcare: ‘Holidays are too long for how families are set up. The cost is ridiculous’
Coping with a ‘dicey hodgepodge’ of camps, annual leave and magnanimous grandmothers
The Juggle
A selection of the best reporting, interviews, opinion and lifestyle features for parents of young children with busy lives
‘We haven’t adapted to the reality that two parents have to work and that is causing so much stress’
Inside Business podcast with Ciarán Hancock
Taking time out for children can hit your chances of getting the full state pension: here’s how to close the gap
It could be worth about €15,000 a year if you get it in full – but many women still miss out. Don’t let this be you
Raising money-smart kids: How you can teach them from aged three to teens
How to teach your children about finances without stress or meltdowns
Mothers as business owners: ‘The culture in medicine leans heavily toward the idea that complete personal sacrifice is a badge of honour’
Running your own business while parenting is a challenge but with the right support it can pay dividends
Most of the women in my life dread the eight-week primary school summer holidays
A friend has managed to secure the holy grail of summer camps – one that keeps the children even longer than the school day
What can your boss do to make your working life easier when you have children?
‘When leaders share how they manage children and work, this brings an environment where family commitments are respected’
Thinking of private school for your children? Better start saving now
When should you start saving? ‘When a child is born’
I’m paying €757 to keep my child busy for 3.6 hours a day. Summer childcare maths doesn’t add up
A patchwork of mostly privately run summer camps, supplemented in many cases by parents taking turns to mind each others’ kids in ad-hoc arrangements, are sure signs of failure at the macro level
Child Benefit: Will payments rise for lower income households and what will this mean for wealthier parents?
A second child benefit option for less well-off households is under consideration and there could yet be once-off payments
The motherhood penalty: ‘Once they’re in bed, you log back on at 9pm or 10pm and work’
Hybrid and flexible work helps but juggling work and children is stressful and requires both support and organisation
Bringing up baby: the tech you need and the stuff you don’t
New parents are confronted with a world of tech-enabled assistance that the marketing tells you no responsible parent can live without
Will part-time work or staying at home with children leave you poorer in old age? Here’s what to do now
In a working world that is still skewed against them, what can women do to offset the disadvantages?
Women are lagging behind on AI but they can catch up
Curiosity, experimentation and learning are crucial if women are to shape the future of work
Health takes a back seat when working and raising young children. We just get on with it
Women’s health in work: When you are working and raising young children, you have little time to think about your own health or your physical and mental needs
Coca-Cola ordered to pay €68,000 to marketing executive demoted on return from maternity leave
Employee had held role since 2018
A 9-5 work schedule operates on the assumption someone else is looking after your house and kids all day
Childcare in Ireland: Data-driven approach needed if Government is ever to find a balance that supports families and caregivers
Smooth Company’s Áine Kennedy: ‘My screen time is outrageous. I don’t have a work-life balance at the moment’
Dublin-based entrepreneur on the bootstrapping of her TikTok sensation company and learning to back yourself against bigger fish
Childcare in Ireland: ‘Even as well-paid professionals, it was an exhausting struggle. The numbers never added up’
Despite ECCE and National Childcare Scheme supports, high costs remain a barrier to women working outside the home
An ode to the group chat, a lifeline for new mums
We mourn the loss of the ‘village’ in modern times, but I think the village begins elsewhere these days
Why most families can’t afford to take paternity leave
Even though parental leave has personal, family and social benefits, only half of fathers take their two-week entitlement
Parenting a toddler is the ultimate crash course in embarrassment
They may appear small and cute, but their complete lack of filter or fear of embarrassment is nothing short of liberating
Regretting being a stay-at-home parent: ‘You’re sitting at home doing housework and you’re bored out of your tree’
Parenting Taboos: Admitting that you feel bored, unfulfilled, or even regret your choice to stay at home with your children is difficult but not uncommon
Greater emphasis on Irish words in updated curriculum for babies and toddlers
Early years educators and parents encouraged to boost children’s confidence in national language
Only mothers who find recognition in professional life seem to be guilty of ‘having it all’
Society considers mums suspected of working by choice to be playing a zero-sum game where career ambition comes at the cost of motherly love
My daughter’s creche wasn’t working for her or us - but there wasn’t much we could do
As anyone using childcare amid a dire shortage of places knows, if your creche place disappears suddenly, your job might too
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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Weddings, Births, Deaths and other family notices