Not on purpose, one day two weeks ago, I had a test run of what’s ahead as a work-at-home freelancer self-employed type person. And it left me pretty worried. By 10.30am, I was phoning my husband to tell him it wasn’t going to work, and that I needed to start talking to
I saw a little boy in a restaurant today. He was in his mother’s arms as she tried to order bagels at the till. He wanted cake, and tried squirming out of her arms to get it. When she said no, he shrieked and howled. She was embarrassed, but ploughed firmly
I asked my three-year-old recently how he would do things if he ruled the world. Because he can’t fully articulate this just yet, I observed him in everyday life and wrote it down for him – I think this is pretty much what he’d decree if he was in charge: Playtime at 5am is permitted
We’re in a coffee shop, I’m talking to a friend. Another friend across the table catches my eye and nods towards you. You’re perched on my knee, engrossed in something. I look down. You’ve unscrewed the pepper lid and tipped the contents onto the table. That’s the signal – coffee
1. Look out the window, see that it’s raining, and announce a cinema trip. 2. Consider spending two minutes booking online, but decide to wing it instead. Who’d want to forfeit the adrenaline buzz that goes with rushing in to the cinema at the last minute, risking that it’s booked
I’m afraid to say it out loud, so I’ll whisper it: My baby is sleeping through the night. It’s been happening for a few months now, but saying it, or even thinking it, could tempt fate, so I’ve told myself it’s just a phase. But this morning I realised that I couldn’t
Down you come, bump, bump, bump, step by step, laughing hysterically each time you crash into me. Then back up the stairs to do it again. I make a slight move towards leaving my half-way-down-step, and am told “No mummy! You stay!” Then down you come again, stair by stair.
Throwing my hands up in despair, I asked my four-year-old daughter what I could possibly do to get her to eat dinner. It was a general question – not specifically related to the meal we’d had (or not had, in her case) that evening. I figured she might have the
My third child is experiencing quite a relaxed toddlerhood, compared to that of my second and especially my first. He has fewer toys, fewer clothes, and hand-me-down everything possible – so a lot of pink. But he’s the happiest, most chilled out kid of our bunch, so we must be
I’m writing this intro from the floor of my toddler’s bedroom. He’s sort of asleep, but not quite. I’m safe to have my phone switched on, but it’s not yet time to sneak out of the room. I know this because I have been doing it every night for the
So. Baby. It’s time to chat. Well, you’re not a baby, and that’s sort of the point. You’re two years, one month and one week old, and it’s two years, one month and one week since I last had proper sleep. Yes, yes, I know there was that month before
You burst into our lives two years ago, a much anticipated early Christmas present, a much hoped for healthy baby. And a boy! It was as though we didn’t know you could be a boy. Two big sisters – just two, but it could have been a dozen for how
As I checked on my almost-two-year old last night, I covered him with a very specific blanket and placed a spare soother right beside his hand. I closed the door rather than leaving it ajar as we usually do. He was wearing two-piece-pyjamas instead of a one-piece sleepsuit, and he had
My baby is not so much a teether, more of a biter. Happily for him and for me, he hasn’t ever gone through a really painful teething period, but he does love a good bite. Of anything. My shoulder. My handbag strap. His sister’s leg. Dolls’ legs. Blankets. My husband’s
Two weeks ago, the toddler discovered television. And I am so happy. I know it’s not good for him, I know at twenty months he is too young for TV, but my happiness outweighs any anxiety or guilt I might have about this. For the first time in six years,
Do you ever do something because it’s the right thing to do, and afterwards wish you’d taken an easier, less selfless route, as your well-intentioned plans backfire all around you? I don’t mean big life choices like whether or not to take a year out to work for Doctors without
As a mother to three children under six, most of my adult conversations every day are with other parents, most of whom have kids in childcare. Over the last few days, a recurring topic is the news story about RTE’s Prime Time sending undercover researchers into two Dublin creches, and gathering video footage