How to deal with a sick child or childminder and a busy work schedule

4 years ago

It’s tricky business.

7 years ago

“He’ll be in school the year after next, and it’ll be so much easier,” said the woman to her friend as she tried changing her baby with one hand while holding on to her toddler with the other. “I know, I can’t wait till we’re not paying crèche fees anymore,” was the reply. I resisted […]

8 years ago

Breastfeeding can be an emotive topic. There are those who love it from the first latch of the first baby in those first minutes of life. There are those who find it difficult in the early stages, but get there in time. There are those who decide not to breastfeed or who try and try […]

9 years ago

Do women look out for each other?

9 years ago

I can clearly remember the first time I heard that you shouldn’t say “bold girl” to your child. I was chatting to a friend who has children around the same age as mine – they were toddlers and babies at the time. She said, “You know the way you’re not supposed to say ‘bold’ anymore.” […]

9 years ago

And click. Out goes the photo, onto the internet, forevermore. It’s one of my three kids. They’re all laughing at something, and my youngest is holding his three-day-old cousin on his knee. He’s besotted. It’s a gorgeous, happy photo, and I know our extended family will enjoy it. But many experts would say it’s wrong […]

10 years ago

When I found out I was pregnant with my first baby, I knew next to nothing about birth. The small amount I did know came mostly from TV – waters breaking in a big gush at a climactic moment in the film, labour that always seemed excruciating, and newborns that look three months old. I […]

10 years ago

Choosing not to have children has always been a sensitive topic, and while no doubt childless women everywhere are still putting up with intrusive questions about their plans; anecdotally at least, it would seem that society is more accepting now of the idea that not all women wish to procreate. Choosing childlessness is becoming more […]

10 years ago

When I start to talk about Christmas traditions, my husband often does what he thinks is a secret eye-roll, and says things like “Oh yes I forgot there was a strict rule that says you can only put up a Christmas tree at the weekend” and “Ah, I didn’t realise that pasta isn’t a suitable […]

10 years ago

“And as everyone listening knows, the presenters here on this radio station are the only ones who talk directly to Santa,” said the well-meaning man on the radio. I tried to change the channel, but it was too late. “Why does he get to talk to Santa mum?” asked my four-year-old. “I thought you said […]

10 years ago

Depending on what corner of the internet or which parenting book you’re reading, expectations of new mothers can be tough.  Eat healthily, don’t eat too much, stay hydrated, get fresh air, get exercise, meet people, don’t bring your newborn out of the house too soon, sleep when baby sleeps, don’t stress, forget the housework, and […]

10 years ago

In Japan recently, a school teacher hit the headlines when she was told by a court that she must abide by her employer’s requirement that she use her married name at work. It sounds bizarre to any of us reading in Ireland, where no such rule exists, and in fact legally, there’s no real “changing […]

10 years ago

All mothers should work – that’s according to US author Samantha Ettus. Her book, The Pie Life, has been causing some controversy since it was published last week. Samantha believes that women who don’t continue working outside the home after they have children may be unfulfilled and asks readers to accept that having a job […]

10 years ago

I haven’t written about miscarriage before, and I’m not sure it’s something I’m brave enough to write about in any great detail, other than to say, despite the passage of some years now, I’ll never forgive the doctor who shouted at me for being upset and indecisive, and I’ll never forget the empty cot left […]

10 years ago

For many families, summer holidays can be a mixed blessing – kids can relax and take a breather from school, but parents are left juggling camps and calling in favours so that the kids are looked after while they’re at work. One set of parents who find this particularly difficult are those who have children […]

10 years ago

“Mum, why are we going for a walk – I don’t want to go. Why can’t we do something we want to do for a change?” said my daughter. I stared open-mouthed. We were on holidays and I’d suggested a walk before dinner. A holiday that was filled with pool trips, beach picnics, kids’ discos […]

10 years ago

5 lbs 13 ozs. Those figures went around and around in my head as we drove home from the hospital with my first baby. 5 lbs 13 ozs. Surely it wasn’t right that she’d be allowed out at that tiny weight, with two clueless first-time parents in charge? Maybe it would feel better at home. […]

10 years ago

In our recent HerFamily.ie A Slice of Ireland survey, a whopping 82 per cent of our readers said women should be entitled to longer than six months with a new baby before returning to work. Maternity leave duration is very much a relative thing, isn’t it? Our 26 weeks seems generous every time we read about US […]

10 years ago

Have you heard the one about the tax incentive to encourage women to have babies by the age of 30? No, it’s not a joke. It’s a real suggestion. The idea was put forward by a medical professional who is concerned about the relatively high average age at which Irish women first give birth. Meanwhile, in […]

11 years ago

I’d like many things from my children’s schooling. I’d like my kids to be readers, to enjoy art, to write essays and to love maths. I want them to try sports, fall down and learn to get up again. I want them to be in the show even if they’re mouthing the words at the […]

11 years ago

Reading an article recently, the following words stopped me in my tracks: “Modern parenting is all about the child and that’s what I don’t like about it.” They weren’t the words of a curmudgeonly bachelor, fed up having his morning stroll disrupted by racing, roaring toddlers. They weren’t the words of a publicity-hungry celebrity columnist, […]

11 years ago

A long time ago, when I was back at work after having my first baby, I read that you shouldn’t keep a photo of your children in your office. “You wouldn’t have a picture of your office in your house, so why would you have a picture of your kids at work – keep them […]

11 years ago

For millennia, women have been having babies, but it seems to be a concept that some workplaces still have trouble understanding… Although it is, of course, illegal to discriminate against an employee because she is pregnant, unfortunately, it still happens. A recently published UK report shows that three-quarters of women who are pregnant or returning […]

11 years ago

“I just wanted to check if you were interested in this idea I had…” – so begins my email. Not just one email – most of my emails. If I were using the Just Not Sorry app, I’d be in trouble. It’s a Chrome plug-in that checks your emails to count how many times you […]

11 years ago

The Irish healthcare system is fraught with problems. We’ve had the introduction of the controversial free GP care for under sixes, with a promise in the last budget of free GP care for under twelves in the future. We’ve seen the debacle over discretionary medical cards cause huge stress for parents before the change was […]

11 years ago

It’s been all over the airwaves for weeks now – promises of childcare for €2 an hour, more free preschool, after-school up to the age of 12, along with arguments over how much all of it will cost, and whether or not childcare providers were consulted. In many respects, the arguments don’t matter; that […]

11 years ago

In the run-up to the General Election, what do parents want from the canvassers who call to their doors? What are the topics that will prompt them to tick that box beside a particular candidate? I asked the question on social media and among colleagues and friends: what changes do you want to see for […]

11 years ago

For many, GE16 is an opportunity to voice concerns on issues that particularly affect women, such as reproductive rights and maternity services. Since the death of Savita Halappanavar in 2012, calls for improvements to the way women are treated during and after pregnancy have become increasingly loud, and Friday, February 26th is a chance to […]

11 years ago

It was 9am. Bleary-eyed, I was making my way towards the kettle. Baby up on my shoulder; unopened parenting book in hand. It had been another sleepless night, and it was time to finally read the book. A contented little baby is what it promised me and that sounded like everything in the world at […]

11 years ago

“If girls do not learn to socialise with boys as children, what happens when they go out into the work place? They may have a clutch of A*s and a first class degree, but if they cannot meaningfully converse and communicate with male colleagues, they will be at a huge disadvantage.” So says Richard Cairns, […]

11 years ago

At first glance, it’s a headline that’s hard to ignore and a promise that’s difficult to find fault with, especially if you’re a cash-strapped parent paying out a second mortgage in childcare fees. As election promises go, it certainly had my attention. And indeed, comparing it with what we have now, it would be a […]

11 years ago

To the parent who said she could never imagine leaving a child in a crèche, and can’t understand how anyone could do it, I get it. Maybe not so much why you chose to text a radio station about it, but yes, I get it. When I had a tiny baby, I couldn’t imagine leaving her […]

11 years ago

As we say goodbye to 2015 and tread hopefully into 2016, wondering what’s ahead, there’s one change on the way that we do know about – a seemingly small but nevertheless historic change for working parents: paternity leave is on the way. It doesn’t come into place until September 2016, but when it does, it’s […]

11 years ago

Playing Duplo trains with my three-year-old last week, we had a crisis. We couldn’t find the train driver. I picked up the girl who came with the set and put her in the driver’s seat. My little boy took her back out. “No, she is a girl – she can’t be the train driver. We […]

11 years ago

We want more parental leave, and we want paid parental leave. It’s very simple. It’s a win-win for parents and children, and for the adults that those children will become. For employees who are parents, there’s no downside. Or is there? Actually, in Germany, it seems there is, and it’s neatly encapsulated in one word, […]

11 years ago

November 9th was Equal Pay Day – from that point on, UK women work for free until the end of the year, at least when compared to their male counterparts. The campaign highlights the 14 per cent gender pay gap that exists in the UK, and the “working for free” concept seems, at least at first, like […]

11 years ago

Having a first child may turn out to be worse than divorce, unemployment or even the death of a partner – that’s according to a study of German parents. The purpose of the study was to find out why so many couples state that they plan to have two children but then go on to […]

11 years ago

Some months ago, my eldest child asked me if she could have pocket money. I said I’d think about it – not to fob her off, but because I wasn’t sure whether or not it was a good idea.  Instinctively, I knew two things: unless there was good reason not to give a seven-year-old pocket […]

11 years ago

Smacking children is in the news again. The Government wants the defence of “reasonable chastisement” removed from common law, which would mean parents will effectively be banned from smacking their children. This is in response to a Council of Europe ruling that “reasonable chastisement” is a violation of children’s rights. It will bring us in line […]

11 years ago

‘Passionate’ is a word that’s bandied about a lot these days, but if it means feeling so strongly about something that it makes you want to cry at times, then I’m passionate about flexible working. It seems to me that every parent I speak to has a story to tell. Like my friend who was […]

11 years ago

Much has been made of rising maternal age in this part of the world in recent times, with experts advising women to start families before turning thirty. But where are the guys in all of this? Not just in terms of decision-making, but what about rising paternal age – is it something that ever worries […]

11 years ago

Irish Mums are among the worst off in Europe when it comes to work, according to a new EU-wide study, with many gaining just €6 out of every €100 earned. The study’s authors used a “Participation Tax Rate” (PTR) to calculate how much earnings are lost through tax, loss of social welfare benefits, and childcare costs. […]

11 years ago

“Mum, I might ask Santa for a camera,” said my seven-year-old on the way to school one morning last week. She likes to be organised. “Oh – there’s a blue one and a pink one,” said my six-year-old. “But Santa will know to bring the pink one, because pink is for girls.” “Well,” I answered, “Is […]

11 years ago

How much maternity leave should you take? It’s up for discussion since Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer announced that she’s expecting twins, and will take “limited time away.” When her son was born in 2012, she took just two weeks off, so the expectation is that she is planning something similar this time around. You can […]

11 years ago

“I’m not good enough. They’ve made a mistake”

11 years ago

Quick fixes for a hangover that has nothing to do with alcohol

11 years ago

Love/Hate. Not the drama series, but the term that best describes the relationship we have with TV in our house. My kids love it. End of. There is nothing that matters more to them than TV. Last year a car crashed into the front of our house (all fine, except the house) and my eldest […]

11 years ago

“… you might just get the downtime you desperately need to get your game-face on…”

11 years ago

When we were kids, the Rose of Tralee meant only one thing – back to school. We tut-tutted for weeks every time back-to-school ads came on the radio, but the Rose of Tralee was always the final nail – no denying then that school was around the corner. As a grown-up, with two school-going kids […]

11 years ago