Fatherhood Archive

VALUING SELF-ESTEEM

Posted on 15 October 2012 , under Fatherhood

A frequent concern for the many parents I work with is their children’s self esteem. Parents frequently worry that their children have low confidence or feel self-critical or negative about themselves. Sometimes their concerns are localised to a particular area such as a child being shy or having trouble making friends or feeling disconnected or struggling at school. In many cases and especially with

FIRST DAY TIPS FOR DADS

Posted on 14 August 2012 , under Fatherhood

Beads of sweat form on the forehead, blood is squeezed slowly away from the right hand on every step taken towards that door ahead, the heart thumps faster anxiously, the weird feeling in the stomach, the smell in the air seems to close in, and then the lump in the throat as that hand that squeezed yours so hard for reassurance lets go and

SCHOOL: THE TEACHER RELATIONSHIP

Posted on 13 August 2012 , under Fatherhood

We often tend to take school for granted if our children are happy there, and the school is happy with our children’s behaviour and progress. But when things go wrong, it can be really distressing for you and even more so for your child. A good relationship with your child’s teacher is the key to preventing problems and to solving problems if they do

SCHOOL: TELLING DAD!

Posted on 13 August 2012 , under Fatherhood

KEEP THEM TALKING "I'm going to make you dead with my lightsaber!" Really? Dead? Where would my four year old daughter get this from? She's never seen Star Wars - I've been saving that one for when she's older (that will be a special day). Right now, I'm very careful about making sure everything she watches is age-appropriate. So I asked her, where did you hear

SPEECH MATTERS

Posted on 19 July 2012 , under Fatherhood

Developing Speech and Language Skills in Young Children Here are some tips on how you can help with your child’s speech and language development. Our practical video offers examples and ways to help your child at home. We really enjoyed making it and it shows that learning language shouldn’t be a chore; you can have some fun and games too. 1. Be sure to make good eye

HARRY'S STORY - PART 1

Posted on 11 June 2012 , under Fatherhood

Irish Premature Babies: My Story Part 1 Written by Ronan Halpenny, father of Harry This is a long story, perhaps you should get a cup of tea, or four... I imagine that for most people, when they think about the phrase “putting your feet up”, it invokes images of relaxation, comfort and rest. Almost four years after the birth of my son (and hero) Harry, I am

HARRY'S STORY - PART 2

Posted on 11 June 2012 , under Fatherhood

Irish Premature Babies: My Story - Part 2 Written by Ronan Halpenny, father of Harry We finished getting changed. I sat dazed in the hall listening to the sound of the automatic doors opening and closing as various people moved around in preparation for the surgery. I couldn’t see Lisa but I could hear her talking in the theatre, only ten feet away, and there was

LIFE & LOSS

Posted on 23 April 2012 , under Fatherhood

Something I will never forget - the news that you are not having one, but two babies. Twins. Especially as our first two scans seemingly showed just one little chap in there, it was certainly a shock. When I would tell friends that I was going to be a dad to twins they would gasp at the seemingly monumental task of having two babies.

A CLASSICAL TALE

Posted on 15 March 2012 , under Fatherhood

I am all about reading to the troopers, but does it matter what we read to them? Do we have an obligation to read them ‘the classics’ from our own childhood? Enid Blyton, E Nesbit, CS Lewis....? I am all in favour of reading the classics out loud – but only the ones that I actually know. I think you need to have an understanding,

SAFER INTERNET DAY

Posted on 06 February 2012 , under Fatherhood

Safer Internet Day 2012 will be celebrated in Ireland on the 7th February 2012. Safer Internet Day is part of a global drive to promote a safer Internet for all users, especially young people. Like most online activity there are risks to the users. In the case of social networking websites the risks include the unintentional disclosure of personal information, bullying or harassment, and