Painting a picture of Irish families by numbersWho is likely to have a big family and what does it mean for the children growing up in them?Tue Feb 12 2013 - 00:00
Teaching to learn outside the boxIt takes the courage of your convictions to follow a less-travelled path with your children, especially when it comes to something…Tue Jan 29 2013 - 00:00
Parents more likely than childcare workers to neglect childrenCOMMENT: The story of an Irish nanny charged with assault in the US plays on parents’ fears, writes our family columnistSat Jan 26 2013 - 00:00
Emigration: and the family came tooWe often think of emigration in terms of individuals only, but it’s a whole new world when a young family has to be taken into…Tue Jan 22 2013 - 00:00
Parents' great expectations drive changes in childcareLike everything else, the economic turbulence of recent years has had a profound effect on early childhood care and education…Tue Jan 15 2013 - 00:00
"Don't hot house your children if you want them to thrive"An emerging split between “core” activities for pre-school children and what are now considered “extra” activities is a worrying…Tue Jan 15 2013 - 00:00
Grandfathers and their 'wow' factorMore and more Irish grandfathers are refining their parenting skills and catching up on family time with their grandchildrenTue Jan 08 2013 - 00:00
Seasonal offerings for a cracker of a ChristmasSeven more sleeps to the most distinctive day of the year – one that is invested with so much hope and expectation.Tue Dec 18 2012 - 00:00
Centre stage for ChristmasIt will be drama all the way in the O’Leary household this Christmas, with a mother and two daughters starring in the pantomime…Tue Dec 11 2012 - 00:00
Enduring toys for children to love over and over againChristmas doesn’t have to be all fads and plastic toys. Find some that will give and keep on givingTue Dec 04 2012 - 00:00
Invisible victims of the prison systemChildren not being able to hear, never mind touch, a father during a prison visit is one of many issues highlighted in a new …Tue Nov 20 2012 - 00:00
Child benefit spent on treats? Get real, say parentsThere are few parents who will not be watching anxiously for news of changes in child benefit payments when Budget 2013 is unveiled…Tue Nov 20 2012 - 00:00
Don't turn a blind eye to the dangers in your homeThe dangers of looped cords on window blinds or curtains are often overlooked when parents are childproofing their home, the …Tue Nov 13 2012 - 00:00
'Vet as many people as possible to keep children safe, but there must be a common sense approach'Childminders may not be covered by the new child protection measures due to come into force, but your local sports club, youth…Tue Nov 13 2012 - 00:00
Making sure your child is safeTo stand on the side of a pitch for an hour once or twice a year, as one of several designated parents on duty for after-school…Tue Nov 13 2012 - 00:00
Art attack: unlock your child's creative spiritYour child comes home from primary school carrying a misshapen lump of clay covered in blotches of paintTue Nov 06 2012 - 00:00
Raising Generation ex? Help is at handHow do you make parenting a priority when devastated by a relationship break-up?Tue Oct 23 2012 - 01:00
Sights set on geneticsIRISH PEOPLE have a genetic predisposition to a condition that is the most common cause of registered blindness in this country…Tue Sept 25 2012 - 01:00
Making sense of a son's deathTHE STORY of Egan Welch was always going to end badly as the compulsion to drink alcohol sabotaged his attempts to make his own…Tue Sept 25 2012 - 01:00
Changed landscape of overseas adoptionsGRUELLING ASSESSMENTS, long waiting lists, exasperating bureaucracy and considerable expense are some of the most discussed challenges…Tue Sept 11 2012 - 01:00
Let them love the land before they need to save itParents and teachers’ concerns about health and safety have disconnected children from their landTue Sept 04 2012 - 01:00
Holding back the tears on the first dayStarting primary school is often a bigger deal for the parents than for the childTue Aug 28 2012 - 01:00
HSE plans 'catch-up' MMR vaccine campaignA CATCH-UP MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) immunisation campaign is being planned by the Health Service Executive (HSE) due …Tue Aug 14 2012 - 01:00
Increasing the odds for your familyMaking lifestyle chnages can greatly improve your chances of fertilityTue Aug 14 2012 - 01:00
Bereaved young need to take part in grievingUpon the death of a loved one, information on what has happened and inclusion in rituals are vital for childrenTue Jul 31 2012 - 01:00
Too old for care; too young to be left aloneWhen young people in care reach 18, they are no longer entitled to continuing support, and many fall through the cracks at a …Tue Jul 03 2012 - 01:00
Get out and about with the kids this summerWhen it comes to a day out with the children, planning and anticipation are half the funTue Jun 26 2012 - 01:00
Expelling modern languagesThe Government is cutting the funding for a modern language ‘pilot’ scheme for primary schools after 14 years, and the teachers…Tue Jun 19 2012 - 01:00
Finding a space between silence and a screamAs a traumatised teen, Annie Rogers didn’t speak for five months; now she’s helping young people find ways to articulate their…Tue Jun 05 2012 - 01:00
Making those lazy days work out for allThree months of freedom stretch ahead for teenagers, but how can you ensure they and you make the most of their summer holidays…Tue May 29 2012 - 01:00
Where has our sex life gone?TWO becoming three can be the most challenging transition for any couple to go throughTue May 15 2012 - 01:00
Newborn screening cuts referral times by over two yearsTHE TIME taken for detection of hearing loss in babies and follow-up intervention has been cut from 30 months to less than three…Tue May 15 2012 - 01:00
Turning a leaf with baby book for dads‘Daddy pro’ David Caren hits the shelves with a baby book designed for information-starved Irish dads-to-beTue May 01 2012 - 01:00
Cutting your teeth on Ireland's dental serviceUp to half of children in Ireland have tooth decay by the age of five yet the public dental screening service does not kick in…Tue Apr 10 2012 - 01:00
Leave to enjoy your maternityTen tips to help you make the most of your maternity leaveTue Apr 03 2012 - 01:00
Hey, leave those kids aloneISSUES FOR THE POSITIVE CHILDHOOD CAMPAIGN: WHEN JILL Holtz’s daughter was about to turn seven recently, all she wanted for …Tue Mar 27 2012 - 01:00
Bringing up baby . . . far away from homeFrom breastfeeding to the cost of childcare, foreign-born mothers share their thoughts on child-rearing in IrelandTue Mar 13 2012 - 00:00
A novel way of teaching literacyWHEN RITA Treacy arrived for her niece’s christening in St Canice’s Cathedral, Kilkenny, some years ago, she was asked, as godmother…Tue Feb 21 2012 - 00:00
Do as I say, not as I doIT IS ONE of the (many) things not fully understood when coming new to parenthood: the constant scrutiny you will be under as…Tue Feb 07 2012 - 00:00
Seeing their lives change before your eyesWhen children are registered blind, it can be a shock for the entire family, but there is support out thereTue Jan 24 2012 - 00:00
UK operation may enable Cavan girl (6) walk unaidedA SIX-YEAR-OLD girl from Co Cavan is due today to be the first Irish child to undergo a pioneering neurosurgical procedure in…Tue Jan 24 2012 - 00:00
PE teachers oppose exercise plan for schoolsTHE IRISH Primary PE Association has said it is “alarmed” at Senator Eamonn Coghlan’s proposal for a daily, 15-minute, monitored…Tue Dec 27 2011 - 00:00
A therapy that helps to rebuild broken livesANNE* ALWAYS felt she was different from everybody else and, having had a difficult early childhood, by the time she was a teenager…Tue Dec 27 2011 - 00:00
Cavan hospital midwife-led unit to stay openTHE FUTURE of the midwife-led unit in Cavan General Hospital – one of only two in the Republic – seems to be assured, at least…Tue Dec 20 2011 - 00:00
Great presents of mindALL-SINGING, all-dancing toys have a habit of taking centre stage in the marketing countdown to Christmas, as companies try to…Tue Dec 06 2011 - 00:00
Education: It's a question of faithWith 97 per cent of primary schools under religious patronage, education is a big issue for those who want a religion-free system…Tue Nov 22 2011 - 00:00
In search of a family-friendly IrelandPARENTING: How do Irish businesses and restaurants fare in the booming children’s market?Tue Oct 25 2011 - 01:00
One set of twins is hard enough . . . but two sets?FIONA O’NEILL HAD no idea she was expecting twins until she went into premature labour on her second pregnancy and the doctor…Tue Oct 18 2011 - 01:00
Parenting under pressureKATHY AND her partner Tom find they talk about little else but money these days, about how they will be able to afford “x, y …Tue Sept 20 2011 - 01:00
When love costs too muchThe emotional and financial constraints of finding love as a single parent can be dauntingTue Sept 06 2011 - 01:00