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>Parents often prioritise being able to contact their children via smartphone over internet access concerns. Picture: iStock</p>

parenting

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."

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

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

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Colman Noctor: Raising children in the age of artificial intelligence

Little boy swimming crawl in pool

parenting

How to help your child stick with a new hobby or skill

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Dr Phil Kieran: My anxious Leaving Cert child is already struggling with sleep

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

Closeup beautiful young asian woman applying cream and lotion onto foot dry on bed, beauty asia girl moisturizer and treatment c

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

Head And Shoulders Portrait Of Serious Teenage Boy

Joanna Fortune: My teenager doesn't want to get a summer job

"When talking with our teenagers, try to follow the mantra ‘your toes follow your nose’. Ensure that you turn fully to face them when speaking, giving them your full attention for a few moments."

Tue, 01 Jul, 2025

Young teenage female using laptop, ai, chatbot assistant

Colman Noctor: Helping young people find meaningful work in the age of AI

"I have observed a lack of direction among young people as they near the end of secondary school. While I recognise that most 18-year- olds are not ‘sure’ about what they want to do with the rest of their lives, there has been a noticeable decline in clarity."

Tue, 01 Jul, 2025

mean glare

Joanna Fortune: My daughters are constantly arguing with each other

Around adolescence, children increasingly pull away from their family as their primary hub of emotional and social development, and lean more on peers. This phase does not mean parents should also pull back — we need to be visible and available to our teenage children

Tue, 24 Jun, 2025

Happy Diverse Kids Jumping Posing Over Different Colorful Backgrounds, Collage

Puberty can start as young as eight — here's what you need to know

Parents tend to focus on the teenage years as a time of transition, but it's easy to overlook the profound changes children undergo in middle childhood as they begin puberty, now occurring earlier than in the past

Tue, 24 Jun, 2025

Engaged mom showing cute child girl how to use application

Colman Noctor: Digital safety needs a village, not an app

Parents need a balanced view between good and bad in tech

Tue, 24 Jun, 2025

Unhappy teenage girl with head in hand

Dr Phil Kieran: What can my teen do to avoid getting swimmer's ear?

My 13-year-old daughter developed painful swimmer’s ear while we were on holiday last summer. Can she prevent it this year?

Tue, 24 Jun, 2025

Tots to Teens: Kaleidoscope is a festival of family fun

Tots to Teens: Kaleidoscope is a festival of family fun

"Kaleidoscope, which takes place at Wicklow’s Russborough House from July 4 to 6, promises a star-studded lineup of young Irish talent alongside international music headliners."

Tue, 24 Jun, 2025

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