Family

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

Lady focussing on computer

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...

Lady at home with hands on her head

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...

Comforting anxious child

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...

pregnant lady

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...

Mum and Daughter hugging

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...

Couple together looking out window

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...

Teenager on laptop

Top ten things for teens to do when bored

I have never really liked staying at home and not having anything to do, especially with younger brothers running around driving me crazy! So, during my time in lockdown I started to find new and interesting ways to keep me occupied.

Even though lockdown is easing, we still aren’t back to where we were before, going shopping with friends, going out for lunch and other exciting things...

Golf for fathers day

Five socially-distanced ideas for celebrating Father’s Day

Father’s Day is a special time of year. Not only is it an opportunity to say thanks to someone who raised you, it’s also usually a great opportunity to gather the whole family together.

Obviously, this year is different, and we won’t be able to treat dad to a pint at the local pub and a Sunday lunch with all the trimmings. With social distancing rules still in place, many of us won’t...

woman shopping

Eight out of ten people will continue to shop locally more often

Eight out of ten consumers who shopped locally during the coronavirus lockdown intend to continue their new habit once the crisis is over, a new co-op study shows.

One in three (30 per cent) say they have used local retailers more since the pandemic struck and 80 per cent of them aim to carry on shopping this way in the future, according to a YouGov poll released today (18 June 2020...

Shoppers queuing outside Primark

As shops reopen, why are people so desperate to queue?

Judging by the enormous queues snaking around the block, shoppers in England are very excited about the reopening of thousands of non-essential shops after three months.

Some of the longest lines were seen outside Primark branches in Birmingham, Derby, Liverpool and Nottingham today. The budget fashion store is one of the few stores to have no e-commerce whatsoever, so its clothes...

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