LATEST ARTICLES
From my Irish Independent Column
My daughter and I are clashing about technology. Please help!
My 8-year-old daughter is growing totally out of hand, the longer this lockdown continues. I work from home and I must admit that I give her the tablet when I’m on Zoom meetings, or work calls, as I’d get no peace otherwise. But then, when I try to take it back from...
Why does my daughter keep saying that she’s ugly?
My 7-year-old has been through a difficult time over the last couple of years as her father and I have split up. There was emotional and psychological abuse in the relationship. Over the last while she has been saying that she looks ugly. I tell her what I see,...
My teenage daughter gets angry and won’t accept punishment
My daughter is 15. Her nana died unexpectedly last November. They were very close. She is a good girl but it has made her angry since. If she gives us cheek, or gets angry about some limit we set, I take her phone off her for a while, but then she erupts and there is...
How is lockdown shaping your child’s future?
We’ve locked ourselves and our children down. We’ve retreated to our homes, isolating our households from those of our friends’ and families’. In doing so we have successfully slowed the spread of Covid-19. The lockdown has been an effective public health measure for...
My toddler is hurting the new baby. How can we get her to stop?
We have a new baby and an 18-month-old girl. The 18-month-old is slapping the baby whenever we let her come close to him. We talk to her about what we are doing and say, “be gentle” and we stroke the baby softly to show her what we mean, but our toddler will quickly...
My three-year-old shows no affection and his behaviour is upsetting
I have a 3-year-old son. He shows no sign of wanting to start potty training, uses his soother all the time, and isn’t showing any affection, apart from when he wants something or is very upset, then he will come to me. He resists my hugs and the last few weeks he’s...
My son is stressed about the new LC calculated grades system
My son was due to do his Leaving Cert this year and, with all of the uncertainty until now, he found it difficult to stay focused. He is really worried too about the system that is now proposed and how the grades will actually be awarded, as there are a couple of...
My five-year-old won’t sleep unless I lie with her. How do I change this?
Every night I have to lie in beside my 5-year-old daughter when she is going to bed until she falls asleep. We know this can’t continue, so we are wondering what is the best solution? Should we just put a mattress on our bedroom floor and let her come in to us if she...
My husband and I are fighting a lot more since the virus
Myself and my husband are rowing more than ever in the last 2 months. Money has gotten very tight and neither of us knows how we’ll get things financially back on track if this virus ever goes away. With all the stress we are fighting lots, and I’m worried about the...
My 10-year-old daughter is getting more and more angry
My 10yr old daughter has always had a quick temper and used to have huge tantrums before she started in primary school but it settled a bit. Since the lockdown, though, her anger has been ever-present. It’s like we can’t look at her without her snapping at us or...
Should I pay my children for doing chores around the house?
We have three children the eldest is 12 and the other two are 7 and 5. Since we’ve all been cooped up the last few weeks, I’ve been trying to get them all to do small chores around the house – they make no shortage of mess!! I'm really struggling to get any of them to...
I can’t balance working from home and childcare
I’m trying to work from home and it is just a nightmare with my three children. They are constantly dragging out of me and I know I am responding crossly which isn’t helping. My husband at least gets to leave the house for his work and he doesn’t seem to get it when I...
My teen son is being so mean to his little sister that she is crushed
I have two children aged 14 and 7. They had their usual ups and downs together but since we have been in the house all the time I feel like their relationship has really hit rock bottom. My older boy is so cruel to little sister. She is only 7 and adores the ground he...
My four-year-old touches herself. Is this normal and what do I do?
I am concerned about my 4-year-old daughter who will lie on the floor or couch very regularly and rub herself against her hand until her face is red and she is out of breath. If I play, or do an activity, with her she won’t do this but if she is left to free-play, she...
I’m worried that lockdown is making my daughter depressed
I’m worried about my 14-year-old girl who used to be really sociable before this whole lockdown, and loved being with her friends and is missing them terribly. She has completely closed herself off in her room and only comes out for meals. I wonder if she’s depressed?...
I stopped my kids playing Playstation but my son keeps crying for it!
I’ve 4 kids aged 16, 9, 7 and 5. They are addicted to their PlayStation. Their mood and behaviour is terrible, so I removed the controllers last week. The 9 year old cries as he said it’s his only way to communicate with his friends, I offered FaceTime and he said no....
My son has recently become afraid of being attacked at night
My 8-year-old son has always been a bit anxious. His latest fear is that someone is going to come into his room at night to attack him. He wants us to sit on his bed until he falls asleep and in the night wants to come into our bed. I do not allow this. During the...
Maintaining Kids’ Emotional and Social Development during Covid-19
How are you surviving your enforced family time? I think many of us are finding it more stressful than we imagined. At first it may have seemed a bit like we needed to plan for the kids as if it were a school holiday, but the level of social distancing required has...
My preschoolers may need a Covid-19 test. How do I prepare them?
My 4-year-old has been sick the last couple of weeks with cough and high temp. I’ve been in touch with the doctor twice. They didn't test him as the criteria then was if you had been to Italy. Now my 2-year-old is coming down with similar symptoms so I called my GP...
My five-year-old asks if I was married. What should I say?
I have been separated from my husband since 2016. We have a 5-year-old son. We have a regular schedule for access. My son has been asking recently were we married. I’m wondering how to approach this. I want him to be an emotionally stable man when he grow up, not...