I was in a bit of a panic the other day when I realised how close it was to Christmas. While my children love counting how many sleeps until the big celebration, these festive countdowns make me break out in a cold sweat. Christmas expectations and the pressures to please everyone seem to banish any…
Maria Byrne
Building a domestic Church
Since early childhood, I always associated November and its darker days with the Holy Souls in Purgatory. My parents put a lot of emphasis on praying for the dead with specific mention of loved ones who’d passed on to the next life. While they carefully explained the finer points of how to gain indulgences, I…
Seeing parents enjoying life without alcohol is the strongest lesson
I was strolling through Dublin city centre recently, enjoying the warm balmy afternoon and dying for something to quench my thirst. It occurred to me that things had changed a lot since I had worked there many years earlier. Outside restaurants, brightly coloured tablecloths bedecked the tables and attractive young men and women rushed forward…
Children need our support to meet life’s challenges
Mother Teresa was once asked how she ever thought she could succeed in her mission when millions of people are starving and she was only giving food and assistance to a few thousand. Her calm response was, “God did not call me to be successful, but to be faithful”. It’s a message that all of…
Children experience grief differently to adults
My dear father, Joseph Louis Conroy, Joe to most of his family and friends, died a month ago. No matter what age a parent is or how long they’ve been battling illness, whether sudden or unexpected, nothing prepares you for that final farewell. Although my father had been diagnosed with cancer some years ago, had…
Raising children as concerned citizens
A Parent’s Perspective I have a great interest in politics, political programmes and all the discussion and debate that surrounds it. Much to my children’s dismay, I’m monopolising the television in the run up to the general election and the minute yet another debate begins, they beat a hasty retreat. My 15-year-old, who often joins…
We need to develop independence in our children
My 14-year-old daughter wants to learn to cook. Being obsessed with all things Japanese, she ambitiously picked an exotic recipe for her first attempt at producing a family dinner. Onigiri consists of rice balls filled with tuna or salmon but my daughter decided that beef was a better option. I was impressed with her efforts…
When facing bad news, involve the whole family
A Parent’s Perspective
Strong families are a formidable force for good
I was fortunate enough to win a trip for two to Lithuania recently, the beautiful city of Vilnius to be exact. I was thrilled that my obsessive liking and sharing of Facebook competitions had finally paid off. Apart from an odd weekend away in Ireland, it had been several years since my husband and I had…
Long summer holidays are an opportunity for family bonding
The summer stretches out like a golden path of possibilities