Parenting - Teens - Irish Examiner

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PARENTING - TEENS

Helping teenagers navigate difficult years and coping as you do so is never easy. Hopefully these articles will help.

<p>Taking part in organised voluntary work gives children a first-hand experience of giving back — like joining a beach clean-up, above, or collecting for a local food bank. They are not just acts of kindness — they are ways to build identity. <span class="contextmenu emphasis CaptionCredit"> Picture: iStock</span>
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parenting

Colman Noctor: Teaching children to choose kindness in a 'me first' world

If we want a society that bands together, we need to teach children to help others so that when they grow up they will know they are not alone, and that no one else should be either, writes Dr Colman Noctor

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Dr Phil Kieran: I'm worried about my teenager's stress fracture

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Dr Phil Kieran: What can my teen do about his flaking scalp?

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Joanna Fortune: My teenage daughters have started to argue

Cute little girl standing in front of kids programming electric toys and robots at robotics classroom

parenting

Colman Noctor: Afterschool clubs need to open their doors to all children

Cute little preschool girl in safety helmet riding bicycle. School kid boy, brother teaching happy healthy sister child cycling

parenting

The kindness we seek in strangers starts in our own homes

Young mother hugs daughter in pajamas holding her in her arms.

Colman Noctor: Finding moments of comfort and joy this Christmas after experiencing loss

Grief doesn’t pause for Christmas. If anything, the contrast between the festive atmosphere and a young person’s internal reality can make this time of year especially distressing

Tue, 25 Nov, 2025

New programme aims to increase eating disorder awareness in teens

New programme aims to increase eating disorder awareness in teens

Inside Out, a new programme for secondary schools, educates teens about the links between dieting, body image, and self-esteem

Tue, 25 Nov, 2025

Tots to Teens: Post Santa letters and explore Christmas markets at Waterford's Winterval festival

Tots to Teens: Post Santa letters and explore Christmas markets at Waterford's Winterval festival

Waterford is celebrating Winterval, its annual Christmas festival that will run from Thursday to Sunday every week from now until December 23

Tue, 25 Nov, 2025

Dear Dáithí: I get on better with one of my children. Am I in danger of making the others feel left out?

Dear Dáithí: I get on better with one of my children. Am I in danger of making the others feel left out?

With my younger two, I find that they are constantly texting friends and only take a break to ask me for money or permission to go somewhere else

Sun, 23 Nov, 2025

Unahppy girl writes help on the ground

Teenagers cared for by relatives have fewer friends, research suggests

Newly-published research examines patterns of afterschool care as well as outcomes for children at age nine and 13 in Ireland over a 10-year period

Thu, 20 Nov, 2025

Girl looking in car rear view mirror

Joanna Fortune: My teen wants to learn how to drive but I think it's a bad idea

Knowing when to step back and let our teens be more independent is not always an easy call to make

Tue, 18 Nov, 2025

Young female primary school teacher and schoolboy sitting at a table working one on one, looking down, front view, close up

Colman Noctor: How small shifts in schools can do much to support children with dyspraxia

Dyspraxia is a persistent difficulty with motor co-ordination and it interferes with daily life and cannot be explained by another neurological condition

Tue, 18 Nov, 2025

Students Listening To Female Teacher In Classroom

Colman Noctor: Do secondary school merit points favour girls over boys?

"A 2024 review found that girls receive better classroom grades, despite achieving comparable standardised scores, mainly because teachers value non-cognitive skills — such as organisation, neatness, and cooperation — that girls are socialised to develop."

Tue, 11 Nov, 2025

Specsavers nationwide children's short story competition

Tots to Teens: Open a new chapter for storytellers

Specsavers wants to hear from little ones who enjoy telling tall tales. The company has just launched its annual short story competition, calling on budding authors to submit their most creative compositions.

Tue, 11 Nov, 2025

Group of teenage friends sitting on bench using their mobile phones

Richard Hogan: We've a beautiful country but what do we have to offer bored teenagers?

There are very limited options for families and children to connect and enjoy themselves outside of technology. I think we need more investment in the Arts and in family events

Wed, 05 Nov, 2025

School boy and his father hiking together and exploring nature with magnifying glass. Little boy and dad spend quality family ti

Colman Noctor: Understanding science starts with moments of wonder, not in our genes

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard parents say, “She’s just not a maths person”. We don’t say, “He’s not a reading person”, yet it’s somehow acceptable to suggest a child’s brain just doesn’t “do numbers”.

Tue, 04 Nov, 2025

A sleepy teenager lazily eats porridge early in the morning

Aoife Hearne: My teen won’t eat unless I put food in front of him

The teenage years are a time of exponential growth, and more often than not, they are accompanied by a strong appetite. While appetite fluctuations are normal, especially as exercise levels reduce, a sudden and abrupt drop off in appetite is unusual and warrants further investigation.

Tue, 04 Nov, 2025

Funny happy Dog

Joanna Fortune: My family want to get a puppy but I'm not so sure

You all need to be in the right place to welcome a new family member and it is OK if you don’t feel that you have the capacity to take on any more right now

Tue, 28 Oct, 2025

School children running together outdoors

Colman Noctor: Do 'brain-rot' chants actually aid cognitive development?

Children spend so much of their lives under the authority of adults (teachers, parents, and caregivers) that they enjoy discovering or inventing phrases that give them a sense of independence.

Tue, 28 Oct, 2025

School girl with eyewear rubbing her eyes

Dr Phil Kieran: My Junior Cert child is suffering from eye strain — what could be the cause?

As we spend more time on screens, eye strain is becoming increasingly common

Tue, 28 Oct, 2025

Redhead teenage boy playing video games, celebrating win in the game

Joanna Fortune: My quiet teenager swears when gaming with friends — is this normal behaviour?

As best you can, set limits and hold boundaries with him in a collaborative, rather than combative, way

Tue, 21 Oct, 2025

Young woman with headache

Dr Phil Kieran: Daughter is tired all the time since starting college

"Medically, fatigue is a very common symptom, with infinite causes. She may well be fatigued as her body adapts to a new routine of early morning travel, commuting, and the intensive setting of college."

Tue, 21 Oct, 2025

creative activity

Colman Noctor: Boredom is the playground of developing minds

For younger children, free, unstructured play, often sparked by boredom, creates an environment where they set their own rules, explore, experiment, sometimes fail, and hopefully try again.

Tue, 21 Oct, 2025

Student on the highway with question mark

Career guidance: Helping your child get on the right career path

Even very young children give their parents hints and indications about their future career hopes

Sun, 19 Oct, 2025

Learning Disability Concept

Colman Noctor: Time is of the essence in exams for neurodivergent students

"For a student with dyslexia or dyspraxia, time can be crucial. They may understand the material and have the correct answer in their mind, but struggle to transfer it onto paper before the timer runs out."

Tue, 14 Oct, 2025

Tots to Teens: A healthy Halloween alternative and a spooktacular screening

Tots to Teens: A healthy Halloween alternative and a spooktacular screening

Irish fruit growers Keelings have teamed up with dietitian Orla Walsh to create spooky snack ideas for families to tuck into this Halloween

Tue, 14 Oct, 2025

portrait of young casual man or student isolated on color background

Dr Phil Kieran: What is the best treatment for a teen with a hacking cough?

"Respiratory infections are arguably the most common infections, and most, if not all, will include some degree of coughing. It is common for children to get over six viral respiratory infections per year."

Tue, 14 Oct, 2025

Student

Joanna Fortune: My 13-year-old is struggling to make friends in secondary school

"The transition from primary to secondary school can be particularly challenging for children. Many are still in transition mode because we are only a few weeks back at school, everything is new, and a period of adjustment is needed."

Tue, 30 Sep, 2025

Poster trend sketch template 3D photo collage of college knowledge education back to school two young girl chatting smartphone s

Colman Noctor: Why are voluntary smartphone codes not working in all schools?

"A phone offers a parent peace of mind in an uncertain world. However, that argument needs to be balanced against social pressure, safetyism, and an increasing body of research suggesting that early smartphone ownership poses risks to children’s mental health."

Tue, 30 Sep, 2025

Student connecting online using his laptop

Colman Noctor: Sport and study are not opposites but partners in academic success

From 8.50am until 4pm, they are expected to sit at desks, listen, absorb, and produce work. By the time they get home, they’ve already spent six or seven hours in a sedentary mode.

Tue, 23 Sep, 2025

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