# Parenting

All time

Voices

Opinion: Survival strategies for parents to get through long dark winter weekends

On overcast, rainy weekends, it can be tough to keep them occupied.

110

Dec 28th 2014, 7:00 PM

# on the naughty list

This warning letter from Santa to a naughty kid is genius parenting

Santa isn’t taking any crap this year.

29.4k

Dec 15th 2014, 8:48 AM

Voices

Opinion: Stay-at-home fathers are still seen as a 'novelty' but perceptions are slowly changing

In the future we will no longer think in terms of stay-at-home ‘mothers’ or ‘fathers’, and instead just refer to stay-at-home parents.

147

Dec 14th 2014, 7:45 PM

Voices

Opinion: Christmas – the season of sugar-laced tantrums, queues, and unreasonable demands

One disastrous shopping attempt and an aborted visit to see the Christmas tree lights are all you need to find what’s really important in the run-up to Christmas…

Dec 3rd 2014, 8:00 PM

# please make it stop

This cinema is giving parents earplugs for a Frozen sing-along

Please and thank you.

15.5k

Nov 27th 2014, 6:59 PM

Voices

Opinion: The unwritten rule that helps stressed parents through the tough days

There’s a casual solidarity between parents of young children that can lift you up on the lonely days.

Nov 16th 2014, 7:30 PM

Voices

Opinion: Detachment parenting – deliver, bond, and then deposit in creche

Many parents have no choice but to return to work when their babies are still very young – and the process is a bit brutal on all concerned.

7.3k

Nov 15th 2014, 7:00 PM

# family circumstances

Separated father with joint custody wrongly granted single person rent allowance

The High Court ruled that the decision must be reviewed.

24.7k

Oct 31st 2014, 4:44 PM

Voices

Opinion: Irish family life has changed dramatically in just one generation

Domestic life is more diverse than ever – but strong relationships, love and support within families are more important than their structure.

1.7k

Oct 21st 2014, 8:50 PM

Voices

Opinion: Is it worse for your child to bite, or be bitten?

It now seems ‘the first bite’ has been added to the long list of modern-day childhood milestones.

2.4k

Oct 4th 2014, 12:00 PM

# hey mom

Mum chronicles her 4-year-old daughter's 'innocent' insults

“You have so many hairs on your face. Is that a moustache or a beard?”

11.0k

Oct 1st 2014, 4:40 PM

# Growing pains

Some creches waiting FIVE years between inspections

“It’s just not good enough,” says Early Childhood Ireland.

4.5k

Aug 27th 2014, 9:25 AM

# selfie loathing

Dad secretly films his daughter taking selfies, embarrasses her in front of the whole internet

DAAA-AAAD!

6.8k

Aug 26th 2014, 8:31 PM

# way harsh

11 solid reasons why parents should never be messed with

These are ALMOST worse than the wooden spoon. Almost.

47.5k

Aug 19th 2014, 9:30 PM

# Art Attack

Creative mum turns kid's wall scribble into a work of art

There’s making the best of a bad situation, and then there’s this.

4.6k

Aug 16th 2014, 4:06 PM

# quick stop

Multitasking mum gives birth while registering her son at school

Enter with one kid, leave with two.

29.0k

Aug 15th 2014, 6:00 PM

Voices

Stay at Home Dads: I was put through things a mother would never face to get custody

I went through a long stressful time in the Family Law Courts trying in vain to get custody of of my children – but it was worth it.

608

Aug 9th 2014, 7:00 PM

Voices

Stay at Home Dads: 'For now, this is my career. My daughter is my priority.'

As for the future, I will go back to work, in my own time. I feel the pressure of not having a “career” right now.

497

Aug 9th 2014, 12:00 PM

Voices

Motherhood and Work: 'Why do more women than men stay at home with children?'

Overall, more women than men stay at home to raise children (at least for a short while). But why?

6.5k

Aug 7th 2014, 8:00 PM

Voices

Motherhood and Work: Practical tips for returning to the office after maternity leave

For some the end of maternity leave is a sad time, for others it’s something to look forward to – either way there are some practical steps to manage that transition.

1.3k

Aug 7th 2014, 8:00 PM

# bedtime

Mum displays infinite patience trying to get her twin boys to sleep

Is this what happens when you become a parent?

5.7k

Aug 3rd 2014, 5:16 PM

Voices

Opinion: Why do people continue to do 'the hardest job in the world'?

Parenting can be very tough – and thankfully more people are being honest about that – but let’s not forget about the good stuff.

Jul 27th 2014, 7:30 PM

Voices

Opinion: I admit it, I'm an Apple Parent... are you?

When the need arises to soothe, calm, occupy, or otherwise try to obtain some peace from the kids we break out the tablets.

Jul 26th 2014, 12:00 PM

Voices

Opinion: Struggling to entertain the kids over the summer holidays?

One of the things I love about the summer holidays is the fact that there are no rules – we are at nobody else’s beck and call.

641

Jul 21st 2014, 7:30 AM

Voices

Opinion: Why I hate the part of me that needs to return to work

I realised that part of me needs to go back to work, for my sanity as much as my bank balance.

Jul 18th 2014, 8:00 AM

Voices

Opinion: We can't afford NOT to invest in childcare and early education

Crèche fees in Ireland are among the highest in Europe – but that is no guarantee children are being well cared for.

158

Jul 14th 2014, 7:00 PM

# Charity

How much does it cost to send your kid to school?

Barnardos wants to know about the price of socks, PE clothes and tablets.

15.5k

Jul 12th 2014, 11:15 AM

Voices

Opinion: Post Natal Depression – should it discourage you from ‘going again’?

Literally tens of thousands of women out there must find themselves in a similar predicament to my own. Yet I have never seen or heard it openly discussed. Ever.

1.3k

Jul 9th 2014, 7:30 PM

# sharing is caring

Beauty, food and parenting: the top themes of Irish blogs

A new survey of Irish bloggers has found that a quarter earn money from their blog, while all say they write from personal experience.

5.2k

Jun 24th 2014, 1:36 PM

# Mother and Baby

Have you ever kept a pregnancy hidden? You're not alone

And TCD’s School of Nursing and Midwifery wants to hear from women who have.

15.1k

Jun 24th 2014, 11:11 AM

# aisle five

What's the most embarrassing thing your child has done in a supermarket?

Never darken the doors of Tesco again.

31.5k

Jun 23rd 2014, 1:00 PM

Voices

Opinion: An apology on Father’s Day (or oops! I did it again!)

Mums, let us take a vow to truly appreciate every father’s parenting style.

Jun 15th 2014, 12:00 PM

# sponsored

WATCH: Here's what Irish dads mean to their children

What makes a good father – and how will you let him know tomorrow?

35.8k

Jun 13th 2014, 3:43 PM

Voices

Opinion: I'm not genetically linked to my son or daughter but, honestly, it just doesn't matter

Dealing with my own infertility and the emotional journey that is IVF was full of anguish, but now we have our beautiful twins – and I love them so much it’s overwhelming.

117

Jun 12th 2014, 7:30 PM