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…
Medical Matters Falls and fractures are common in older adults and contribute to a significant morbidity and mortality. Falls are associated with social isolation and depression due to fear of further falls and indeed recurrent falls is one of the leading reasons for nursing home admission. One third of those aged over 65 fall…
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…
Children’s Corner If you venture into the woods this time of the year, you’ll find the forest floor scattered with pine cones. So, bring a big bag with you to collect them for making some pine cone-based crafts this month. Don’t worry if your pine cones haven’t fully opened, as you can open them…
Wild Lights at Dublin Zoo Dublin Zoo is launching an after-dark event tomorrow (November 3) which will run until January 7, 2018. Wild Lights is a trail around illuminated animal sculptures including a pride of lions, orangutans, tigers, giraffes and monkeys. Other highlights include a 16-metre high porcelain elephant tower and a 30-metre long Chinese dragon. Visitors…
Splashtastic events for little swimmers The first-ever National Baby Swimming Week organised by Water Babies will run from next Monday, October 31. The goal is to encouraging mums and dads across Ireland to take their little ones to their nearest swimming pool or swimming class for some fun family time, while gaining a host of…
We all make mistakes and we all experience failure. Failure is a painful experience and the conventional psychological advice is that we should not dwell on failure and we should try not to feel bad. However, new research just published by Noelle Nelson and others in the Journal of Behavioural Decision Making found that, when…
Dorcas Lane was the village postmistress in a TV series called Lark Rise to Candleford which we used to watch on a Sunday evening when our children were younger. Any time that Dorcas was caught doing something she felt she shouldn’t be doing, like eating a cream cake, buying another new hat or reading a…
Maria Byrne
Dr Kevin McCarroll
Bairbre Cahill
Erin Fox
William Reville