One Family believes in an Ireland where every family and child is respected and cherished equally, and is enabled to enjoy the social, financial and legal equality to create their own positive futures.
How many parents argue with their child on a daily basis? If you find yourself arguing with your children then you need to press pause and re-examine what is going wrong. Parents can get into power struggles with very young children. It can start from toddler time when parents are unable or unclear about how […]
Many parents would say that being a parent is very demanding. But have you ever monitored how many demands you make of your child every day, in an hour or even in one minute? Research shows that parents can give 20-40 commands in a 30 minute period. What must this be like for a child? How […]
In the past twenty years children’s parties have become very expensive placing parents under a lot of pressure. Some children have invitations every single week, with every child in the class invited to each party. If they are thirty children in the class this can add up as you will also have cousins, friends outside […]
As parents it can be awkward and difficult to talk to our children about our sexual expression. If we could broaden our own outlook on how we view our own sexuality it will help us to talk to our children/teenagers about what it means to be a sexual human being. Our sexuality is an essential/natural […]
With the chilly weather we find ourselves indoors more often and may have more time to spend reading with our children. Reading together is a great bonding exercise and important to make part of your daily life if possible. As part of our ’10 Ways to …’ series which offers tips for parents on a […]
As children settle back into school after the Christmas break we must think about the children who are suffering from bullying at school. It is agonising for a parent or guardian to suspect or learn that their child is being bullied. The priority if this happens is to understand and support your child, while taking […]
A new year has arrived and with it, an ideal opportunity to explore family routines. Following consistency in routines supports parenting and increases your child’s sense of well-being and security. It is as a good time as ever to continue to consider your family’s routines and any changes you would like to make. The following are our […]
This week’s ’10 Ways’ offers tips about you looking after you. Especially at Christmas time, parents can become frazzled with all the organising and preparations. It is important to try and carve out even a small bit of time for yourself to recharge the batteries and ensure you enjoy Christmas time too. Read on for […]
For a variety of reasons, challenges and difficulties, there are times for some parents when parenting can be a stressful experience which may have led to fractured parent child relationship, and we hear from, meet and support parents whose children are in care. When children go into care, there is usually supported contact of one kind […]
We all experience the consequences of our behaviours everyday in both positive and negative ways. When parenting, consequences are used to support children to learn to make the right choices, the choices that will lead them to more positive responses. At times parents can forget this and start to use consequences in their parenting as […]
Praise is a normal part of life for many but we must not take it for granted. Some children and adults are very rarely praised. Praise has a huge impact on behaviour. The more positive praise we get the more likely we are to have high self-esteem resulting in positive behaviours. Here are some pointers […]
Halloween celebrations have changed a lot in Ireland over the past ten years or so. What once was a simple celebration (when a black plastic bin liner served perfectly well as a costume!) has now become much more expensive, especially at a time of year when parents are just recovering from back to school expenses and […]
Relationships can become very negative within families. This is often due to the many layers of challenges parents are faced with on a daily basis. At times we wonder what we got ourselves into and how we are going to cope. It is never too late to review your relationships and make positive changes. If […]
Many parents dread the teenage years. Drinking alcohol, smoking, sex and many other issues come up when our children reach this age. Many of them are normal for this stage of development. At times we can worry too much about what the teenage years will bring so we ban everything, thinking if we take full […]
Often parents will say they had a great relationship with their child until they became a teenager. Many of us will know every move our child makes up to the end of primary school and then suddenly they begin second level. There are many changes that you could be facing – you may no longer […]
Settling back into the school routine can be very challenging. When you are parenting school age children, the best way to make a plan is to do it together with your children. Whether is it September or another time of the year, here are some tips to support you. Call a family meeting. If you […]
As summer winds down, we are thinking about school again. For parents with young children, this means looking into preschools for your children. Sending your child to preschool for the first time is a big step in both your and your child’s life, and it is important to make sure both of you are prepared to […]
How do you know what is best for your child when you are sharing parenting? One Family supports children to have contact with both of their parents if it is safe for them to do so. We know it can be very challenging but often for children it can benefit them greatly to know they […]
A toddler’s life is full of wonder and awe. Many toddlers are fearless explorers and just want freedom to do things for themselves. For someone so young they can be very sure of what they want and making plans on how to get it. For parents the wonder is usually how they are still alive […]
Leaving Certificate results day … It is a day that parents and teenagers have anticipated for many months, or possibly even years. So many feelings have been generated while waiting on these results, a summer spent wondering what the future holds. For many students, they will also soon be receiving their offers of college places […]
At some point, a child will ask questions about their other parent that you might be unsure how to answer. Socialising with other children and become exposed to a variety of family types, starting pre-school or primary school, or being asked to complete a school activity such as creating a family tree, can all prompt […]
Finding the right books to support your child during a time of family transition, or to help answer questions that can be challenging, can be difficult. One Family has compiled a list of children’s books which may help your child to better understand their unique family and all kinds of families. This extensive list includes […]
Children who are feeling very angry on a regular basis usually have some underlying problem that they need help in expressing. Having to punish a child for the same repeated behaviour is telling you that there is something else going on, and it is time now to make a new plan to deal with it. […]
It is easy to trudge through the summer months wishing they were over, especially when we may not have the money for a holiday at a time when it seems that everyone is going away. However, you can still have fun over the summer months without it costing money. Try to make a conscious effort […]
