Putting family first: how the pandemic changed us for the better 

Amidst the stress and slog, some family dynamics have changed for the better during the last six months 

Nessa and Denis Hurley with their daughter Emie-Rose at home in  Cork. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

There can be no doubt that from when the schools closed last March until now, life has changed completely. For a lot of families, no more school didn’t mean glorious time spent together as a unit, but stressful days balancing work and homeschooling, with no childcare and no family support. We became master jugglers as we tried to cope with mornings spent doing homework and afternoons baking pandemic banana bread, all while keeping one eye on work emails and trying to keep little faces out of important Zoom meetings.

For Nessa Hurley, things started out quite stressful, with both herself and husband Denis working from home while looking after their four-year-old daughter Emie-Rose.