Blog List

Sometime it feels like I could gently lower the needle on a broken record, raise the volume so that the sound pervades the entire house and slip furtively from my home without any of my family members even noticing. Until they need clean underwear, that is. Being a mum can be a repetitive process and you often find yourself repeating the same phrases, orders and rebukes until the words lose all...

Sleep. Oh, that glorious word. Why has it forsaken me? I genuinely think a person can cope with anything, provided they’ve had a decent few hours kip. My son, however has not been informed of this fact, and is proving himself to be quite the night-owl. He’s never really ever ‘slept through’ as they call it, but now that he’s almost 18 months, I feel it’s about time the memo finally got...

I’ve heard the word "fleek" twice this week. Once was in the movie Zoolander 2 (very silly, very funny), and the other time was when my 11-year-old daughter used it while talking to her brother. And he understood. I would love to say that I am completely up-to-date with modern slang and can converse with preteens and teenagers without fear of embarrassment or plain confusion, but I had no clue...

Research shows that some children with ASD present with behaviour problems. Many children also have Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) or present with some AD/HD symptoms, while some children do not. We would like to hear from parents of both children with ASD and parents of children with ASD and AD/HD who are aged between 3 to 17 years. You are still invited to participate even if...

There are few things that cause me more distress as a parent than knowing there is something bothering my child which they won't explain to me. I once came across something which resonated with me long before I ever had children, but since welcoming my four I realise how true it actually is. “You're only ever as happy as your unhappiest child,” read the open page of a magazine in a...

Every night my husband says without fail:"We are so lucky", referring to our two healthy, happy and half-the-time-crazy children. I mumble, "I know..." But sometimes, I really do need that gentle reminder. The life of an honest mum is not always fun. I feel like ometimes all I do is give out to my kids, give out about them and wish for bedtime to arrive willingly. I know I write a lot about the...

The Irish Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Research is looking for parents of typically developing children with no history of Autism to take part in a survey to help with their research. When studying Autism in children it is essential to have a group of typically developing children to use as a comparison and that is where you come in. Your answers would be extremely beneficial to our...

I am her. 1. I am that mother that you spy out in the shopping centre dragging a child kicking and screaming. 2. I am that mother that follows her son while he is running around the park or the playground; yes a helicopter mother- that’s me! 3. I am that mother that apologies after my son has pushed, kicked or hit your child. I do try to get to my son before he hits but sometimes I am simply not...

My nine-year-old daughter Ella gets incredibly homesick meaning that she misses out on everything which makes childhood so much fun; slumber parties and camping trips to name but two. We have tried everything to make a night away from home without mum and dad easier on her, but she always returns home with a “sick tummy” or “headache” before too long. From filling in her friends'...

Years ago when Rebecca was about seven-years-old, she asked for a toy kitchen for her birthday. Normally more than happy to treat my children on their birthdays, I found myself utterly conflicted on this one. You see, her older brother, Christopher, had asked for a Barbie kitchen two years previously and against my better judgement I didn't end up getting it for him. Regretfully, I listened to...