I can feel the Christmas crazy beginning to descend. I have had great plans about being organised. I actually bought a couple of presents about six weeks ago – but then it all went pear-shaped again and I find myself with a list of things to do and a shorter Advent to do them in. Advent…

Children’s Corner   Advent begins this weekend and it’s officially time to embrace the Christmas spirit, starting by donning your Christmas jumper. Each year, Christmas jumpers get wackier and more distinctive. Yet sometimes it’s still hard to find the perfect jumper of your dreams. It’s very easy to upcycle an old plain jumper and decorate…

Q: My two sons have had a falling out and are no longer talking. They usually both bring their families to our house for Christmas Day dinner. This year my wife and I are facing the devastating prospect of having no grandchildren here for Christmas day. We have already tried to get them talking, as…

I believe that viruses are the most powerful non-human creatures on the planet. I’ve never had to take a day off work in order to recover from an attack by a bear, shark, lion or wolf. Only viruses have the power to so casually disrupt our lives. Any large, fang-toothed creature you might think of has…

Science of life   Motherhood should be a very special time filled with joy and love but many new mothers can labour under such a burden of expectations and pressure to perform to certain standards that they end up feeling bad about perceived underperformance or failure. This phenomenon is very marked in America and is…

November is not my favourite month. I don’t mind the darker evenings so much but the prospect of walking the dog on cold, dark mornings does little to cheer me. The new year will be well on its way before I find myself walking in the light again. That is not a great prospect but…

One eccentric feature of parenthood is that your holiday dates are chosen for you by the Department of Education. Left to their own devices, few parents would spontaneously elect upon the dreary weeks of late October as the ideal season for a family holiday. Yet we must make the most of what we are given,…

A Parent’s Perspective   My 11 year old daughter has been using pester power for several years now to encourage me to get her a pet. My 16-year-old was also on the case, presenting me with appealing Facebook pictures of cute, furry kittens and crazy cat antics on YouTube. My husband and I discussed it…

Bracelet can tell if a woman is pregnant Traditional home pregnancy tests could soon be a thing of the past, with scientists announcing a new smartwatch system that alerts women when they have conceived. Swiss researchers, presenting research in Texas at the annual congress of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, said that conception leads…

I have been doing some evenings with parents whose children are preparing for the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Eucharist and Confirmation. I was struck last night by one mum who talked about the importance of praying with her children. She spoke of the strength and security it gave her children. Cuddling up to pray with children…