LATEST ARTICLES
From my Irish Independent Column
My son has dyslexia & I’m afraid he will give up on school if it’s too tough
I have a 13-year-old boy who has always hated school. He’s dyslexic and I think he is self-conscious about this. He has just started in first year now. How do I train him or teach him not to see everything as a catastrophe, if something goes wrong or is not going the...
My son is hand-washing a lot. Do you think he has OCD?
I’m getting worried about my 13 year old. He was always fussy enough, but now he’s washing his hands A LOT and he’s trying to avoid touching things, even in his own room. He has been very stressed about going back to school and I think it is because he is freaked out...
Our son is rude and dismissive. How do we bring him in line?
Our son turned 13 at Christmas, but you’d swear he was 18 by the way he thinks he should be let do whatever he wants. He accepts none of our rules and can be so rude and dismissive to both of us. His mum tells me I am too hard on him, but she never challenges him at...
My son sees TY as a doss year – I’m worried he will lose focus
My son is starting back into TY and his attitude seems to be that it doesn’t count as a school year. He has refused to get back into a routine and still stays up half the night on his x-box and phone. I’m now afraid that if he gets out of the habit of school, he might...
My daughter’s new teacher has a fearsome reputation
My eldest daughter is just turning 9 and has been having panic attacks since she found out who her new class teacher is. The woman in question has a fearsome reputation in the school and sounds like she is very strict and very cross. My daughter is prone to anxiety...
My three-year-old only settles in our bed. Is it bad to let her sleep with us?
My 3-year-old started back at creche lately and ever since her sleep has been a disaster. We can’t get her to settle in her own room anymore and have taken her into our bed, which works like a dream, until we have to lift her back to her own. Sometimes she wakes...
My 11-year-old daughter is very anxious about returning to school
As the date for starting back to school approaches, my 11-year-old daughter is getting more and more anxious. She has noticed the rise in Coronavirus cases over the last few weeks and is asking me constantly if she will be safe in school. I tell her that the teachers...
My son has a secret second phone that he uses at night
I’ve discovered that my 13-year-old son has a second phone that he was using late into the night, watching YouTube and snap chatting his friends (we take his normal phone at 10pm each night). I can’t believe he was so deceitful. We’ve taken this other phone now, but...
Since lockdown, it feels like we are all living separate lives
Have you any tips for getting our family life back to normal? All the way through the lockdown we seem to have slipped more and more into separate lives. Our children are in their teens and they are staying in bed late and then going to bed later, and seem only...
My nine-year-old son daydreams a lot. Is this a problem?
My eldest son is 9. For the last couple of months I noticed that he daydreams. While doing so, he kind of skips up and down the kitchen while he is in his own thoughts. He might do this 10 times a day, taking a break from other activities to come into the kitchen. He...
Helping sixth class pupils take the next step of their journey
Whenever we think about change, it is helpful to recognise that ending, or finishing, one stage is often a necessary precursor to moving to a new stage. That is why most primary schools use occasions like Confirmation, School Sports Days, School Tours or Graduation...
A September like no other: How to help your kids settle back in to life at school
From anxiety and depression to losing a loved one, there are many issues facing the class of 2020. Parents may be eager for schools to throw open their doors, but how will children adapt to new practices? Clinical psychologist David Coleman has expert advice for...
How do I stop my 18-month-old grandson from hitting out?
How can I stop my 18-month-old grandson from slapping his mum, dad and his grandmother when he does not get his own way? Other times, for no apparent reason, he slaps and kicks them even when he does not appear to be upset. He also has a habit of throwing things. Any...
Should we talk to our son’s teacher about past bullying?
Our 11-year-old son has been bullied in school for over two years by another boy in his class. He was called names, daily, and made of fun in front of other children. Our son never said a word, and we hadn’t a clue this was going on. He says it has all stopped now. He...
My granddaughter is mean to her brother. What can we do?
I have two grandchildren, a girl aged 9 and her brother aged 5. My granddaughter is always complaining about her brother. If he brushes against her accidently she says he pushed her and runs off crying to tell her mammy. She constantly watches in case he gets...
My daughter has retreated to her room. How can I get her out?
I have a 15-year-old daughter and my heart is broken with her. Since the lockdown she has almost completely retreated to her room. I worry about her mental health up there all day, but she just screams at me to “f**k off” if I try to get her to join the family for...
My daughter is anxious about activities re-starting
My 12 year old daughter is struggling with anxiety at the moment. She is nervous of going to friends’ houses, and of activities starting back up. When we are in the car on the way to something and she is upset or is begging me not to leave what's the best course of...
How can I get my daughter toilet- trained in time for Montessori?
My daughter is two-and-a-half and after crèche closures in the pandemic we re-evaluated and decided that I would work less and she would attend a Montessori school instead, in September. However, she must be toilet trained before she starts - no nappies or pull-ups,...
How can I persuade my son to move up to the attic room?
We are hoping to convert our attic later this summer. The plan always was to move our 10-year-old son up there, so that he and his younger brother can have a room each. He’ll even get an ensuite! When we mentioned recently that we might be able to get a builder now,...
My son is sending and receiving naked pictures. What should I do?
I just discovered that my 15-year-old son has been sending and receiving naked pictures with his girlfriend. I’m horrified. I can’t quite believe he’d do this. I’ve said to him over and over again not to be watching porn and then he goes and does this. I’ve taken his...