PARENTING - TEENS

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

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Dr Phil Kieran: Daughter is tired all the time since starting college
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Colman Noctor: Boredom is the playground of developing minds 
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Colman Noctor: Time is of the essence in exams for neurodivergent students
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

Cute girl using tablet with virtual assistant hologram
Colman Noctor: Raising children in the age of artificial intelligence
With AI, we are not merely competing with entertainment, we are also competing with another type of AI — artificial intimacy

Tue, 16 Sep, 2025

Little boy swimming crawl in pool
How to help your child stick with a new hobby or skill
Most children are excited to learn a skill or hobby, but some will struggle to stay the course. It’s all part of the learning process

Sun, 14 Sep, 2025

Lonely girl in bedroom
Dr Phil Kieran: My anxious Leaving Cert child is already struggling with sleep 
Life is stressful for many of us, and during the two years of the Leaving Cert cycle, that pressure builds and builds and can be difficult to manage.

Tue, 09 Sep, 2025

Redhead Male on Phone
Colman Noctor: Why many young people do not recognise they have been bullied
Research shows that, while bullying remains a widespread experience for children, many choose not to tell an adult. It’s particularly likely to happen with 13-year-olds, with one in four of them staying silent

Tue, 02 Sep, 2025

Sad little boy in red soccer jersey seated on bench
Joanna Fortune: My son is being left on the bench during matches
You could talk to the coach about your concerns in a calm way, without venting. The coach could clarify the club’s structure, focus, and goals for the team, enabling you to make an informed decision about whether your son should stay.

Tue, 26 Aug, 2025

Hearing a father's advice
Colman Noctor: Supporting your child during the limbo days between results and CAO offers 
For parents, too, these days can be a test of patience and perspective.

Tue, 26 Aug, 2025

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Dr Phil Kieran: Could stabbing pain in her heels be plantar fasciitis?  
"Foot pain is a problem we often see in general practice and can be due to a wide array of causes. Plantar fasciitis is a fairly common condition, which is why people often hear about it."

Tue, 26 Aug, 2025

Teen boy wipes his nose with a napkin
Dr Phil Kieran: Should we worry about my teen's nosebleeds? 
Anything that irritates the inside of the nose can cause bleeding. The most common of these is direct trauma from itching or picking (which is much more common than most people think, with a study showing that 91% of us do so).

Tue, 19 Aug, 2025

Starting secondary school: How to cope with a steep learning curve
Starting secondary school: How to cope with a steep learning curve
On the cusp of adolescence, we leave behind the familiarity of one teacher to join ‘big school’. We ask prominent people how they coped

Sun, 17 Aug, 2025

Hearing a father's advice
Colman Noctor: Strategies for supporting teens anxious about returning to school 
A 2020 study in the Journal of Adolescence found that school-year transitions significantly affect adolescents’ mood and behaviour, especially after long breaks.

Tue, 12 Aug, 2025

woman shaving her armpit with red shaver
Dr Phil Kieran: How can we stop our daughter’s painful skin infections?
Hidradenitis suppurativa is also known as acne inversa and is a recurring condition 

Tue, 12 Aug, 2025

Parenting teenagers: When to choose a conflict — and when to let it go
Parenting teenagers: When to choose a conflict — and when to let it go
Everything from the clothes your children wear to the state of their bedroom can bother you but there is a time to get tough and there's a time to look the other way the experts tell Helen O'Callaghan.

Sun, 10 Aug, 2025

Playing on a Video Game
Joanna Fortune: My son lost contact with his pals when he quit the local football team
I've suggested taking up a new sport, but he says he's not interested. What would you suggest?

Tue, 05 Aug, 2025

Depressed teenager on his phone in the dark.
Colman Noctor: New, strict online age verification will keep Ireland’s children safer
Ireland is among the first EU countries to implement legally-binding age verification

Tue, 29 Jul, 2025

Depressed young woman looks at her skin and touches it. She has disease there. Woman is worried. She almost cries.
Dr Phil Kieran: It can be hard to figure out exact cause of eczema flare-ups
One thing we commonly see at this time of year is a photo-irritation response. This can look like eczema and can be identified by appearing on an area where sunscreen, perfume or other skin products are applied and then exposed to the sun. I have seen this happen even with perfumes a patient has used extensively in the past without issue

Tue, 29 Jul, 2025

Portrait of sad offended teen boy having offended facial expression, isolated on gray background, wearing in casual clothes
Joanna Fortune: My son was spoiled while on holidays with a friend's well-off family 
"You probably know that feeling when you come home from a brilliant holiday and everything at home feels anti-climactic and dull in comparison to the experiences you’ve had on holiday. It’s often referred to as “post-holiday blues”."

Tue, 22 Jul, 2025

Left foot with bruised big toe
Dr Phil Kieran: Is there anything we can do to save my son's injured toenail?
"If your son’s bruise is large enough, it can cause the nail to separate from the underlying nail bed. This is what causes the nail to fall off."

Tue, 22 Jul, 2025

Depressed teenager sitting lonely
Richard Hogan: Teenage girls are the loneliest group in the world — how can we solve this?
When parents sit down with me and ask 'how do we get her off the phone?', the question I have for them is 'if she wasn’t on the phone what would she be doing?'

Thu, 17 Jul, 2025

Happy friends with skateboard and roller-skates on the sports ramp playground
Colman Noctor: Should parents allow kids to take more risks from a young age?
By providing developmentally appropriate opportunities for independence, children can build confidence, resilience, decision-making skills, and a sense of responsibility — critical attributes for successful adulthood

Tue, 15 Jul, 2025

Watching movies is a family activity
Colman Noctor: Watching TV with your child can be educational for you both
"Research from the American Academy of Paediatrics (2020) supports joint media engagement with television shows. The researchers found that when parents watch and discuss content with their children, it improves comprehension, critical thinking, and emotional understanding"

Tue, 08 Jul, 2025

Group of friends jumping into the lake
How to plan the perfect teen holiday: Real stories and expert tips for family travel
Most of us remember a pivotal trip with our family or school friends during adolescence, when we had exciting new experiences

Sun, 06 Jul, 2025

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