Family

Advice, tips and lifetsyle features aimed at parents, children and families.

Should I try and contact the son I gave up for adoption?

The problem…

“Four months ago, my daughter, who’s only 16, had a pregnancy scare. Thankfully, it was just a false alarm, but the whole incident has left me depressed and feeling guilty. It brought back memories of when I was her age and had an unwanted pregnancy. Largely due to pressure from my parents, the baby was adopted, and I don’t think I have ever forgiven them or myself for...

Five signs your belongings might be ruining your relationship

Clutter means many things to many people. And what might be one person’s clean and tidy could be someone else’s super-messy.

But whatever side of the clutter fence you sit on, one thing’s for sure – we all own stuff that’s sentimental to us.

“The average home is a sea of memories,” says Suzanne Roynon, interiors therapist and author of Welcome Home: How Stuff Makes Or Breaks...

How can I ease my child’s incessant anxiety about coronavirus

Since the coronavirus pandemic started, my eight-year-old daughter has been very anxious about catching the virus and is nervous about people coming near her or touching anything at all outside. How can I stop her being so anxious, as it’s really having a negative effect on her life?

Clinical psychologist Dr Malie Coyne, a lecturer at the National University of Ireland Galway and...

Study shows you are more likely to become pregnant if your colleagues are

Pregnancies are contagious between colleagues in the workplace and between siblings in the family, reveals new research by the University of Cologne.

The study, conducted by Zafer Büyükkeçeci, Thomas Leopold, Henriette Engelhardt, and Ruben van Gaalen , found that if a colleague becomes a mother, the chances of further pregnancies in the workplace increases – and the same effect can...

Five ways to start enjoying your family time again

One of the benefits of lockdown is that families have been able to spend much more time together – but that doesn’t mean it’s always been quality time.

Many families will have been together alone, spending time on devices in different rooms, and keeping any interaction to a minimum.

Sid Madge, the founder of Meee (meee.global) (My Education Employment Enterprise), an...

Six reasons why lockdown might have actually improved your relationship

When the world went into lockdown there were many uncertainties and one might have been: how will my relationship fare? Will being cooped up together 24/7 be too intense? Will we fight more?

Well, a few months on, you’re still together, and – perhaps surprisingly – even happier and stronger than before.

Maybe there’s even a part of you that’s dreading the end of lockdown...