Once upon a time a great idea was had, to go poking well known people about the sort of personal things they’d probably far prefer to keep to themselves, and to write all about it in The Irish Times. To query them on the highs, lows, triumphs and failures of a life lived in the public eye while trying to manage the most humbling and grounding experience of them all – being a parent.
And then, as readers consumed these interviews with vigour - curious to see how the people we feel we know, and may presume are on top of their adulting brief, experience parenthood - we decided to take things a little further. And so, a brand new podcast, Conversations with Parents, was born, weighing in at a little over thirty minutes per episode. With me, Jen Hogan, as your proud new matriarch, sorry I mean host, at the helm.
So, why should you listen to Conversations with Parents? Well for one, we have brilliant and fascinating guests on board. Every Tuesday I’ll sit down and have a conversation, with a parent you know. You’ll get to hear a side of them, you may not have heard before, as we chat about the sort of impact parenthood has had on their lives. You’ll hear the good, the bad and the ugly. And we don’t shy away from the uncomfortable topics. Or forget to have the craic, along with the serious.
From trying to wrestle the bed back from toddlers so that sex doesn’t have to be quite so scheduled, to racism, parenting children with additional needs, a la carte Catholics and modern parenting phenomena, nothing is off the table. We’ll chat about what parenthood is really like for those dealing with various different challenges. And have conversations about the wonderful diverse, families that make up society today.
We hear so often that the village it takes to rear a child has gone missing in action. And those conversations are not happening as they should. It doesn’t matter who you are, or what you do for a living, life can pull the rug from beneath us when parenthood comes knocking. So let us be part of your virtual village as we chat about parenting in all its glorious chaos and craic. The great thing is you don’t have to even be a parent to listen, we welcome those who are just curious about other people’s lives too!
Conversations with Parents starts on Tuesday October 8th with an unmissable first conversation with radio host Brendan O’Connor. We don’t want you to miss a thing, so follow, subscribe and listen to Conversations with Parents on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
And of course I’d love to hear from you too. So, get in touch with your thoughts, feedback, and suggestions at parentspod@irishtimes.com
