Welcoming a new baby into the world is a wonderful and exciting time. However, the challenges of impending parenthood can turn the lives couples lead upside down, especially first-time parents who don’t really know what to expect. The good news is that you have nine months to read, research, make decisions, prepare and stock up…

A Parent’s Perspective Last week my family and I attended the fifth session of the annual Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Every week, there’s a different guest speaker and, on this evening, it was Kathleen Chada, the mother of Eoghan and Ruairi Chada, whose husband received two life sentences for the murder of…

After the Manchester terror attack, our screens had an endless loop of images of panic, followed by heartrending images of parents frantically searching for their children. Some will never see them again. Even though some of the children killed are a similar age to ours, our children have no idea the attack happened. We are…

Mark was preparing for his First Reconciliation and First Communion. These are important days for any child and a lot of work goes in to being ready to receive these sacraments. For Mark, there was even more work because Mark is autistic. His parents and his teacher had put a lot of thought into how…

We are on the cusp of summer. Tender leaves are unfurling on the trees, joyfully compelled by the spring sunshine. I let the children scamper happily ahead on the way to school. We prefer to take the long way, which is a path by the brook, filled with bluebells and birdsong. It is for this…

I’m doing some work at the moment tutoring students who are training to be catechists. As a result, I have been re-reading The General Directory for Catechesis and Share the Good News which explores what that means in an Irish context. In the past when people talked about catechesis they often thought of the Catechism…

May is the start of the summer and with it comes longer evenings and warmer weather. It seems every time you look at the garden, something new is in flower. Buds are bursting open to soak up the sun’s energy. Prune spring-flowering shrubs such as ribes and forsythia now that they have finished flowering. Both…

My 17-year-old daughter got her first part time job recently and will be 18 years old soon. In many ways I’m still back a decade ago remembering a daughter who followed me everywhere, thought her mother was the best thing since sliced bread and loved jumping into my bed for a chat and cuddle. Before…

A succession of buses, ferries, trains and planes had led us to the promised land of Cork. At last, we had arrived home from England for the Easter holidays. A blast of unmistakably brisk Atlantic air greeted us as we stepped off the airplane. The breeze that comes in off the English channel at our…

Dr Louise Jane Clarke As a psychologist, I encourage all parents to be mindful of their health to prevent stress and burnout. Although being a new parent is a wonderful experience for many, it can leave some parents vulnerable to exhaustion and feeling overwhelmed. However, finding time to take care of yourself is crucial to preventing parental burnout as…