Parenting School Children - Irish Examiner

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PARENTING - SCHOOL CHILDREN

A collection of the latest articles relating to the world of parenting and its unique challenges in the school going years. Enjoy.

<p>Fintan McCarthy: 'Rowing gave me a sense of purpose. It became my thing and helped me believe it was OK to be myself.' Picture: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo</p>

parenting

Looking back: Family provides a safety net for Irish Olympic rower Fintan McCarthy

The world champion lightweight rower talks about dealing with moving with his family to Skibbereen from London when he was six and how having a solid base of family support helped him as an athlete

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Colman Noctor: Teen boys in a bind, caught between old and new views of masculinity

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Dr Phil Kieran: What can my teen do about her repeat sinus infections?

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Joanna Fortune: My teenage son and husband seem to be drifting apart

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

School stock

comment-analysis

Convention can be cornerstone for teachers shaping future generations

Red paper Valentines Day heart

Julie Jay: Sometimes you really should talk to strangers

On the hard days, it is often strangers who offer you the most unexpected but necessary support. A passing word from a passerby can make or break you on a morning where everything has gone awry

Tue, 17 Mar, 2026

Taking Notes in Class

When tech does the thinking, our children miss the real lesson

Children are ‘borrowing’ comprehension rather than developing it — it’s like sending a robot to the gym on your behalf: the weight gets lifted, but no muscle growth occurs

Tue, 17 Mar, 2026

‘My son has Down syndrome and he's the light of our whole world’

‘My son has Down syndrome and he's the light of our whole world’

Two mums whose sons have Down syndrome say their children have changed their outlook on life and want to celebrate and advocate for children like them

Tue, 17 Mar, 2026

Tots to Teens: Nourishing little bowls with big hugs

Tots to Teens: Nourishing little bowls with big hugs

Wicklow-based company creates fresh, preservative-free, ready-made meals for babies and toddlers

Tue, 17 Mar, 2026

Cropped shot of young woman with white stretch marks from a weight loss or weight gain on her thigh

Dr Phil Kieran: Is there a treatment for my teen's stretch marks?

Stretch marks occur in up to 70% of adolescent girls - there is nothing to feel embarrassed about them

Tue, 17 Mar, 2026

Teenage girl is applying make-up in her room

Joanna Fortune: My teen daughter wears high heels and makeup. Why does she try so hard?

Because this is not a shared interest for you, be careful you are not projecting your opinions about women who dress up or wear makeup onto her. She sounds like a happy, healthy, typically developing teenager

Tue, 10 Mar, 2026

High School Tutor Giving Male Student Wearing Uniform One To One Tuition At Desk

Colman Noctor: Relationship between teacher and student is key to unlocking academic success

Children and teenagers are motivated more by positive relationships with their teachers than by algebra or formulas

Tue, 10 Mar, 2026

Child is climbing up the tall bed, there's a risk of him falling down. Kid aged two years (two-year-old boy)

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

Anyone with small children knows a weekend away with small children is basically a hostage situation, only with nicer tea and coffee facilities

Tue, 10 Mar, 2026

Tots to Teens: Lap and Chat campaign is back on track

Tots to Teens: Lap and Chat campaign is back on track

Workshops aim to help young people to look after their mental health

Tue, 10 Mar, 2026

Girl Drinking Water

Dr Phil Kieran: My daughter gets constipated when she's stressed

Treating constipation is a marathon, not a sprint, but helping your daughter to manage it by herself will be a life-long skill that will help her in the future

Tue, 10 Mar, 2026

Cork special school closure leaves parents worried as students prepare to return next week

Cork special school closure leaves parents worried as students prepare to return next week

Families say lack of therapy supports and staff resources remain unresolved as Carrigaline Community Special School prepares to reopen

Sat, 07 Mar, 2026

Young happy family with one parent woman mother with two children girls eating cookies on bed room at home

Joanna Fortune: What is the best way to introduce a new partner to my children?

Don’t just focus on what you will say to your children, focus on listening to them and allowing them to share and express their thoughts, worries, or excitement

Tue, 03 Mar, 2026

Happy elementary school girl with healthy food in cafeteria

Aoife Hearne: My children have lost interest in the free school meals. What do you suggest?

A good place to start with your daughters is to understand why they have lost interest in the school meals — are they fed up with the menu options or has the quality deteriorated?

Tue, 03 Mar, 2026

Teen girl enjoying evening solitude in her cozy, modern apartment living space

Schools seeing ‘alarming rates of absences’ in post-pandemic years

Schoolchildren often struggle to verbalise the anxiety behind their school-avoidant behaviour, leaving parents torn between getting them to school and being there for them

Tue, 03 Mar, 2026

Loneliness concept. Sad teenage boy on windowsill indoors

Joanna Fortune: My teenage son is missing his big brother

Child psychotherapist Dr Joanna Fortune gives advice about an evolving relationship between two brothers

Tue, 24 Feb, 2026

Tots to Teens: Raise a cup for children’s ambulance

Tots to Teens: Raise a cup for children’s ambulance

Brew for BUMBLEance is asking people in communities, workplaces, coffee shops, and schools all over Ireland to put the kettle on to help pay for the cost of operating Ireland’s only children’s ambulance service

Tue, 24 Feb, 2026

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

Little boy reading a book in green armchair

Richard Hogan: Tell your children — life is an open book

After years of avoiding them, Richard Hogan eventually fell under the spell of books and says Ireland Reads Day this month is a great opportunity to captivate the next generation

Thu, 19 Feb, 2026

Little Girl Struggling With School Work

Joanna Fortune: My child says she is stupid because she finds school difficult

I’ve told her she’s smart almost since the day she was born, but nothing I say seems to make a difference

Tue, 17 Feb, 2026

Technology addict.

Colman Noctor: Growing up in a flatscreen world can flatline social skills

Time is finite and not renewable. Every hour spent online is an hour not spent doing something else, so when children spend large parts of their day online, something else gets sacrificed

Tue, 17 Feb, 2026

Tots to Teens: A Wilde reading adventure for children

Tots to Teens: A Wilde reading adventure for children

Plus activities and clothing for rainy days

Tue, 17 Feb, 2026

Pensive sad boy teenager

Dr Phil Kieran: My son's mood has dipped since getting an injury

For people with an injury, it can be easy to focus on what they can’t do rather than what they can

Tue, 17 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

Annoyed father back to back with son ignoring each other after argue

Colman Noctor: F**k Around and Find Out — What is fafo parenting?

If Fafo parenting helps some parents loosen their grip and trust their children a little more, it may have value. If it becomes an excuse to disengage or harden our approach, it risks missing the very thing children need most

Tue, 10 Feb, 2026

Tired student trying to study in the night

Dr Phil Kieran: My teenage daughter is listless after antibiotic

Post-infection fatigue syndromes are a complex and variable group of conditions which are still poorly understood

Tue, 10 Feb, 2026

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