Fatherhood Archive

DANGERS OF LABELLING

Posted on 05 December 2011 , under Fatherhood

I wrote the very first episode of preschool show Fluffy Gardens before I had children. A simple little story about a clever cat. At one point in the story, Paolo the Cat meets Cornelius the Crab, who gives Paolo a pinch with his big pincers, as cartoon crabs do. As Cornelius scuttles off laughing, the narrator calls him a 'naughty crab'. Cornelius the Naughty Crab. That

SURVIVING CHRISTMAS

Posted on 04 December 2011 , under Fatherhood

Ah, the smell of log fires and chestnuts, too much brandy on the pudding and a couple of Aunts off their trolley next to the presents; all before the roast potatoes are even in the oven. It’s a joyful time…or is it? Christmas gets more expensive every year, the decorations are in the shop windows from about Easter (it’s a wonder they even bother

A TALE OF TWO CHRISTMASES

Posted on 04 December 2011 , under Fatherhood

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief. Dickens wasn’t talking about Christmas, but he may as well have been talking about mine. As a child, the only person that looked forward to Christmas more than me was my Dad. Back then things were tight, but good for us.

OVER THE (BABY)MOON!

Posted on 04 November 2011 , under Fatherhood

As a Doula, I am often asked for advice regarding the newborn phase, or what I like to call, The Fourth Trimester. Without fail, I tell everyone that I strongly recommend they take a Babymoon. A Babymoon is a planned period of calm spent together by a newborn baby, its parents and siblings. The objective is to keep visitors to a minimum (if at

BEREAVED DADS EVENT

Posted on 03 November 2011 , under Fatherhood

Anam Cara Bereaved Fathers Event Anam Cara is facilitating a Professional Bereavement Talk for bereaved Dads on Wednesday 16th November at The Mornington Centre in Artane. Recognising that each family member grieves in their own way this event will address some of the challenges a Dad faces after the death of his son or daughter. The guest speaker for the evening is Peter Hanlon and

BLIND SAFETY - UPDATE

Posted on 21 October 2011 , under Fatherhood

What has happened since last year? Unfortunately, another poor innocent child has died this year. Dean Patrick Regan Russell died in January after he got entangled in the chain of a roller blind. His death has highlighted the need for stricter safety regulations. It also highlighted that some retailers are passing off unsafe window blinds to unsuspecting parents, despite the fact that they are obliged

SLEEP TIPS FOR NEW DADS

Posted on 05 October 2011 , under Fatherhood

After you are handed your precious bundle of joy, the journey begins and often we know very little about how to put our babies to sleep or how to define realistic expectations about sleep and if we don’t foster good sleep habits early on it can become a real household problem. What a lot of us don’t realise is that sleep is a learned skill,

SAHD: THE HEADBANGER!

Posted on 01 September 2011 , under Fatherhood

I’ve been a father now for just under 5 years. I’ve been a stay at home dad for the same time. Like all stay at home parents I have been through too many experiences to remember. They range from the laughing and crying, the games, the fun and the discipline. We’ve endured the battlefields that were teething, tantrums, potty and toilet training. We’re veterans

SCHOOL: TELLING DAD!

Posted on 03 August 2011 , 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

SCHOOL: THE TEACHER RELATIONSHIP

Posted on 02 August 2011 , 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

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