Julie Jay

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50 Irish people on their top tip for happiness in 2023

#Julie Jay

Comedian and parenting columnist

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

<p>'I wish I had had a bit of warning that this would be my most humbling experience of 2026 thus far. I could have booked in a curly blow-dry or a quick Botox appointment.' Picture: iStock </p>

parenting

Julie Jay: I’d have booked a Botox appointment had I known who I would meet at the school gate

When it comes to trying new things, it is never easy no matter what age you are. Especially when you are surrounded by the ghosts of Christmas past and the last time you brushed your hair, Michael D Higgins was still president

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Julie Jay: I won’t sugarcoat it — my children eat far too many sweet treats

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Julie Jay: Head lice or an extra-marital affair? I know which one I would pick

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Julie Jay: Sometimes you really should talk to strangers

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Julie Jay: A hotel break can feel more like a breakdown when you have a toddler

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Julie Jay: Dunnes wellies are cheaper than a work visa for Australia

Toy gun in hand on a white background, isolate.

Julie Jay: Son of a gun — why everyone in our house is suddenly ducking for cover

My husband took our son for a haircut and came home with an army regulated crew cut and the gun to match

Tue, 24 Feb, 2026

Close up of mother and a child hands at the sunset.

Julie Jay: Lessons in resilience from my personal parenting guru

My 'paediatrician' — aka a friend with four children — told me that as much as my children will have to become resilient in the face of rejection by their peers, I need to be resilient for them too

Tue, 17 Feb, 2026

Busy mother working from home

Julie Jay: I used to be sound, but now I am officially a bad mammy

After a few weeks of being a cranky old wench, I am convinced I am giving even Medea a run for her money in the bad mammy stakes

Tue, 10 Feb, 2026

Mikey Geaney celebrates kicking the winning point 18/1/2026

Julie Jay: My five-year-old’s first trip to Croke Park was a cracker

When a town wins the All-Ireland final, it’s not just the players at the pitch who win, but everyone, whether its the child blowing his horn or the 40-something-year-old woman like me who’s never kicked a ball in her life

Tue, 27 Jan, 2026

Child, cute boy, playing with toys in a playroom, focus on his feet

Julie Jay: My toddler believes the word ‘no’ is an invitation to start negotiating

With missiles flying around my kitchen left right and centre, I feel like Packie Bonner in Italia 90

Tue, 20 Jan, 2026

Little doctor using stethoscope on teddy bear at home

Julie Jay: Making a doctor’s appointment is up there with getting a bikini wax in January

Despite both being on antibiotics, I am still chasing my children around shops, because even when fuelled by penicillin, they have yet to meet an automatic door they haven't wanted to run through

Wed, 14 Jan, 2026

Box of Xmas decorations

Julie Jay: Why I'm thrilled to finally say goodbye to Christmas

I used to feel melancholic putting away the decorations, now I am craving beige interior, floor space, and a life that is tinsel-free

Tue, 06 Jan, 2026

Multitasking mother cooks food, holds baby on hands and talks on the phone. Mom with kid cooking meal on gas stove, does housewo

Julie Jay: Like oil and water, rest and motherhood simply don’t mix

I used to be great at napping during the day, but now I am as much a stranger to an afternoon siesta as I am to brushing my hair

Tue, 30 Dec, 2025

Woman is sitting on sofa near christmas tree and is sad because of loneliness and lack of friends

Julie Jay: Having kids doesn’t make grief easier, but it helps keep you grounded

It is nearly impossible to believe my dad has been gone a year, but as much as the kids have kept me moving forward, they've kept me grounded in the present, too

Tue, 23 Dec, 2025

Santa Claus

Julie Jay: The Big Man always comes up trumps despite his workload

Bringing the children to see Santa was a truly magical experience, and the fact we managed to get through a family afternoon without killing each other proves miracles can happen

Tue, 16 Dec, 2025

Teacher Spelled in children’s blocks

Julie Jay: I survived my first parent teacher meeting... just about

Listening to the teacher talk made me realise how much of my parenting anxiety isn’t really about my child - it’s about me

Tue, 09 Dec, 2025

The boy eats jelly beans or takes vitamins

Julie Jay: Sharing is caring — unless you’re giving away your five-year-old’s jellies

As much as we would all love to live in a socilaist utopia, the reality it is it is every man for himself out here, especially when it relates to jellies

Tue, 02 Dec, 2025

Cars in rush hour at sunset with city traffic abstract watercolor painting

Julie Jay: Dublin's traffic comes as a shock to this West Coast hipster

Despite getting a lot of flak, the capital city is a great spot for an afternoon filled with Lego mosh-pits, fake martinis and untouched lunches

Tue, 18 Nov, 2025

Adorable black smoke Siberian cat kitten sitting side ways looking up with bright yellow eyes, isolated on white background

Julie Jay: Pets add an entire extra dimension to a child’s life

Our impossibly tiny cat may be in the winter years, but living with two tiny people keeps her young at heart

Tue, 11 Nov, 2025

Jack O'Lantern And Witch's Hat On An Orange Background

Julie Jay: I'm already quizzing my son about next year’s Halloween outfit

This year, I made up for my son’s insistence on reusing last year’s Halloween costume by getting creative with my own outfit, and by creative, I mean donning a bin bag and a Post-it note

Tue, 04 Nov, 2025

Two Caucasian Boys Walking Down a Country Road

Julie Jay: Boys are an enigma to me, so how can I be expected to raise good ones?

Members of the opposite sex are still a complete and utter enigma to me, so it is ironic that I, of all people, should be charged with raising two of them

Tue, 21 Oct, 2025

break dance kids. little break dancer showing his skills in dance studio. Hip hop dancer boy in headphones with smartphone again

Julie Jay: Nothing beats a bop when it comes to letting off steam with your kids

It would appear that my kids have taken after their dad in the dance department - and that is no bad thing

Tue, 14 Oct, 2025

First aid, twisted leg.

Julie Jay: Parents, like doctors, should take blood in their stride

A catalogue of recent calamities has left me feeling like I am a card-carrying member of the Royal College of Surgeons

Tue, 07 Oct, 2025

girl wearing white t-shirt holding paper card bubble with question mark isolated over orange background

Julie Jay: My IQ has most definitely plummeted since having kids

As I feel myself needing to phone a friend more and more when it comes to general knowledge questions, I can't be the only one who feels a bit of a silly goose since becoming a parent?

Tue, 30 Sep, 2025

Count Dracula wearing black and red cape. Cute cartoon vampire character with fangs. Happy Halloween. Flat design. Violet backgr

Julie Jay: Bambi Fury isn’t the only baby vampire in town

A clip of Molly-Mae Hague’s and Tommy Fury’s daughter talking about her love of biting has gone viral, but the reality is biting is totally normal for toddlers

Tue, 23 Sep, 2025

Birthday cake

Julie Jay: When birthday celebrations become a week-long jubilee

We all want to mark these milestones, but even by my Kardashian standards this birthday has gone completely out of control

Tue, 16 Sep, 2025

Coming Home from School

Julie Jay: Forget their first day of school, the second day is the real test of fortitude

Whilst I was all tough talk on the first day of school, the second day was for me, the moment when I seriously considered scooping up my newly initiated junior infant and making a break for it

Tue, 02 Sep, 2025

adorable child playing with tennis racket and ball

Julie Jay: A tennis match is no place for a crying baby who is making a racket

The controversy surrounding a crying baby at the Cinncinati Tennis Open has once again ignited a debate around how far we should go to include parents and children at major sporting events

Tue, 26 Aug, 2025

Kids height chart, ruler to measure growth of child with raccoon, rabbit and bear

Julie Jay: Public nurse check-ups, like NCT tests, will always have me sweating

Despite never having anything less than an entirely pleasant experience with public health nurses over the years, I always fret that I will be outted as the fraud that I am when appointment time approaches

Tue, 19 Aug, 2025

plastic model of a human jaw with white teeth and a brown teddy bear with a wooden toothbrush

Julie Jay: Trips to the dentist can often be a kick in the teeth

"Our new dentist’s reception area is so instantly soothing, I was almost envious of the patients waiting for a root canal. The sparkling floors scream, ‘We don’t reuse toothpicks here,’ while the funny ornaments, depicting old-school dentists, complete with monocles, tell us this dentist also knew how to have fun."

Tue, 12 Aug, 2025

Father and son recycling together in the backyard

Julie Jay: It’s hard to think of anything more harmful to the planet than being a parent

Before having kids, I was all about saving the planet, but now as a parent my eco-warrior approach has become a little more compromised

Tue, 05 Aug, 2025

cute child taking a bath.Little child boy character take a shower. Daily routine. Bathroom interior background. Vector cartoon i

Julie Jay: Four bathrooms, two small boys, and an inflatable bath — what could possibly go wrong?

We have had to endure the absolute carnage of inflatable baths up to this point — and carnage it is. You would be forgiven for thinking we have been subjected to a flash flood, such is the level of saturation

Tue, 29 Jul, 2025

Beach toys

Julie Jay: My stomach sinks at the prospect of fun in the sun

More rain, less pain I say, at least when it comes to entertaining children over these summer months

Tue, 22 Jul, 2025

Children's dependence on electronic products

Julie Jay: Want to finish your dinner when eating out with kids? Screens are often the answer

After attempting everything - colouring, cars, and conversation, I have accepted that the only thing that will get my kids to stay at the table long enough for Mammy to eat her dinner is an iPad

Tue, 15 Jul, 2025

kids play materials on the beach

Julie Jay: I’d choose Bundoran over Benidorm, even on days when rain is biblical

After a lovely week spent on the North West coast, I am not sure we will ever be in need of our passports again

Tue, 08 Jul, 2025

Grandmother playing with her grandson

Julie Jay: Declaring you have ‘no Nannies’ is not the flex celebrities think it is

Celebrities might love to tell us that they do it all on their own, but the reality is nobody can do parenting without help

Tue, 01 Jul, 2025

Broken eggs - accident at kitchen, mess. Legs on background

Julie Jay: The years go fast, but some days I can't help but wish they hurried up a bit

As much as we love our kids, we all have days which have us pushed to the brink of sanity. Today was one of those days

Tue, 17 Jun, 2025

Students Taking Exam in Classroom Setting. Students in uniforms are seated in a classroom, writing answers during an exam, highl

Julie Jay: We must teach children that nothing in life is guaranteed

Junior Cert controversies have reminded me this week how important it is to teach our children resilience, and to model it too

Tue, 10 Jun, 2025

View from behind of a boy and girl run with bucket to ocean

Julie Jay: Give parents a break and let them take children on holiday in term time

If covid taught us anything, it is that learning doesn’t stop and start at the school gate

Tue, 03 Jun, 2025

The father holds the tiny legs of a newborn baby in his palms.

Julie Jay: Can the 'just you wait' brigade please stop raining on our parenting parade?

Because there will, of course, come a time when the baby who leans into you becomes their own person, a person with the power to refuse your request to stop at the chipper on the way, and insist on playing their own music in the car because ‘they’re driving’. Just you wait? I can’t wait, and that’s the real joy of it

Tue, 27 May, 2025

A little boy is watching football on TV at home

Julie Jay: My stubborn determination for my son to play GAA is paying off

Like all sports autobiographies, our football journey has so far been one of dizzying heights and terrifying lows

Tue, 20 May, 2025

Child holding placard with pensive emoticon, question marks doodle

Julie Jay: My preschooler is a walking, talking, information-gathering machine

My four year old’s insatiable curiosity is a reminder that the older that we need to ask more questions, not less

Tue, 13 May, 2025

Julie Jay: Is there ever a good time to have kids?

Julie Jay: Is there ever a good time to have kids?

If we waited for the perfect time to have kids, we’d never have them

Tue, 06 May, 2025

Grandmother is hugging a grandson

Julie Jay: Nana’s visit has relegated me to second place in my children’s eyes

I am the fossil fuel to my mother’s renewable energy source, the sod of turf to her wind turbine, the briquette to her solar panel

Tue, 29 Apr, 2025

Group of people roasting marshmallows over a campfire, holding sticks with marshmallows near bright flames. Hot drinks with mars

Julie Jay: My son is going to camp, but it’s not like an 1980s American movie

Camps are bigger than ever, but bear little resemblance to their American counterpart in that there are fewer grizzly bears and a lot more central heating

Tue, 22 Apr, 2025

Confident about the Answer

Julie Jay: Teaching your little ones the delicate dance between being truthful and being popular

When it comes to keeping friends and not making enemies I have to remind my four-year-old that it is a delicate dance between being truthful and being popular.

Tue, 15 Apr, 2025

Child drawings hanging on the wall, preschool child painting, kids room, Children's creativity, empty space

Julie Jay: Nothing cures sentimentality like being a parent

As a first-time parent, everything was treasured. But the second time around, I have my kids’ art binned at the first opportunity.

Tue, 08 Apr, 2025

Two cute little sisters having fun together with modeling clay at a daycare. Creative kids molding at home. Children play with p

Julie Jay: The science doesn’t lie - girls are easier to raise

They were basically the equivalent of feng-shui, but with less lower back pain from moving couches

Tue, 01 Apr, 2025

What to do if you think your child is being bullied

It is never easy to navigate friendship breakups, especially when it involves your kids

Dealing with your kids falling out with friends is one of the parts of parenting I most dread, because, even now, I haven’t quite learned how to navigate the heartbreak of losing friends just yet

Tue, 25 Mar, 2025