In this episode we talk to comedienne, Presenter on Corks Red Fm and former member of the comedy trio CCCahoots. Laura is a mother of two small children and in this episode we discuss parenting in Lockdown. The challenges of homeschooling are also discussed. Laura is a uniquely funny person and this interview has some really useful parenting tips alongside some very entertaining humour. We discuss the importance of maintaining our ability to laugh and smile when things are so challenging just now. 

This is an entertaining and insightful episode, packed with helpful tips and insights.

Keywords: Parenting. Working from Home. Managing Covid 19 lockdowns. Creativity and Humour. Resilience and Coping

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In this episode we talk to Author, Columnist, Ex Army Captain, campaigner and father of a child with additional needs Dr Tom Clonan. Tom generously shares his story about how he has managed periods of extreme stress in his life by engaging in resilience, grit and determination. Being a father of children across the age ranges Tom gives us insights into the complex world of parenting across the child and adolescent phases of life and caring and campaigning for the rights of people with additional needs. 

In this episode, Tom shares his experience of surviving war zones and peace keeping missions and he discusses how these experiences compare to surviving in the Covid world. Tom also discusses his own experience of fighting for truth as he recalls his role as a whistleblower for the mistreatment of female soldiers in the Irish Armed Forces. 

This is an entertaining and insightful episode, packed with helpful tips and insights.

Keywords: Parenting. Additional Needs. Children’s Rights. Working from Home. Managing Covid 19 lockdowns. Resilience and Coping.email : [email protected] 

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In this episode we talk to Irish Times Columnist and mother of 7 children Jen Hogan about being a parent during Lockdown 3.  Jen generously shares her story about being a mother of 7 children across the age ranges and gives us insights into the complex world of parenting across the child and adolescent phases of life.  

In this Listeners Questions episode, Jen and I discuss the questions, dilemmas and tribulations that have come into the emails this week which are very topical. We discuss the challenge of HomeSchooling, the issues around working from home. Supporting children with Covid anxiety, supporting Leaving Cert students through this uncertain times and the issues of school closures. 

This is an entertaining and insightful discussion packed with helpful tips and some laughs thrown in too.

Keywords: Parenting. Large Families. Working from Home. Managing Covid 19 lockdowns with older children. Home Schooling. School closures.

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In this episode we talk to Scott Casson-Rennie about being a same sex parent. Scott generously shares his story about growing up in Scotland as a gay man and gives us insights into the complex world of adoption and more specifically the adoption process for same sex couples. Scott is the host of the “Fostering and Adoption Podcast” and is a long time advocate for same sex parents.

In this episode, Scott discusses the dilemmas and tribulations that he and his partner experienced over the course of becoming parents and he also describes his own ways of surviving lockdowns for children  with additional and complex needs. 

Scott discusses his experience of being a same sex parent in Ireland as he and his family negotiate the school and social system. 

This is an excellent and insightful discussion packed with helpful tips and entertaining topics.

Keywords: Same sex parents. Adoption and Fostering. Managing Covid 19 lockdowns with older children. Home schooling in a pandemic. Supporting children with additional needs 

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We kick off this season with an interview with Irish Sporting Icon and Olympian Derval O’Rourke. In this episode Derval discusses what it was like for her growing up in Cork as an elite athlete. She gives us insights into the competitive world of elite sports and her parents approach to managing her expectations and emotional well-being.

Derval discusses the dilemma of surviving lockdowns with small children and the complexities of homeschooling and managing home and work. She also poses an interesting question about whether parents should post pictures of their children on social media. 

Derval also discusses how we can work with competitive temperament in children especially when both parents are natural competitors. 

Finally we discuss the management of the pandemic narrative with small children. How much should they know, how best can we keep them informed and safe.

This is an excellent and insightful discussion packed with helpful tips and entertaining topics.

Keywords: Children in Elite Sport. Sharenting / Posting pictures of your children on social media. Managing Covid 19 lockdowns. Home schooling in a pandemic. Supporting children with Covid anxiety.

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In light of the developments this week and today’s announcements, we are expecting that a challenging Christmas has just gotten quite a bit more difficult. 

In response to this and to reward our loyal listeners we have decided to record an extra bonus episode that will offer some practical advice around surviving uncertainty and maintaining mental fitness through the daunting weeks ahead. 

This episode focuses on exploring the 4-7 principle as a means of developing strong coping strategies to negotiate challenging times. This episode focuses on how we can engage in practical self-help strategies to maintain our emotional wellbeing and Colman shares the nuggets of his 25 years of experience in the mental health field. 

This episode teaches us the importance of self compassion, giving ourselves a break, managing expectations and staying balanced in a time of turbulence. 

We would like to sign off the series by wishing listeners a happy Christmas and we will see you all again in January 2021

Keywords: coping skills, balance, uncertainty, anxiety, equilibrium, self care

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In this weeks episode I am joined by my sister Eleanor Bermingham. Eleanor has an interesting story to tell. As a parent of two children with Autism she has a lived experience of ASD, and her story is one of resilience, grit and perseverance. 

Eleanor will help me to answer many of the questions which have come in about ASD and other different challenges. As the last episode of the series, we will recap on Series One and share the plan for season Two. And as our last episode before Christmas we will finish out with a song from an Irish Artist Ro Malone called ‘Home’.

Keywords: Autism, ASD, Asperger Syndrome, Anxiety, Precocious Puberty, ADHD, Coping with Lockdown, Parental Self Care 

In this weeks episode I am joined by Shane Smith. Shane has over 10,000 Twitter followers because he is a Dad, a sports scientist, a Primary School Teacher and an Elite Sports Coach. Shane has a wealth of professional and life experience thats spans over the last few decades and in this episode he shares his wisdom with the Asking for a Parent Podcast.

Shane has some wonderful insights into children’s sport and talks extensively about the drive for elitism, the exclusivity of some sports and the dangers of early specialisation. If you have only a vague interest in children’s sport, I strongly you recommend you listen to this episode. Here Shane explains some of the errors of the past when it comes to promoting participation and how we can better help children to stay enjoying sport for longer. 

Shane also discussed his own journey through life where setbacks only made him more resilient and focussed in his pursuit of his dreams. This final Parenting Interview is yet another episode that features a Dad’s perspective but where there is something in this conversation for everyone.  

Keywords: Participation and Fun in children’s sport. Managing a child with sporting skills. Supporting a less skilled child to stay involved. Keeping children’s sport child focused and not coach perspective

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In this weeks episode I am joined by my Big Year in Big School co-anchor Dr Malie Coyne. Malie is a Clinical Psychologist, lecturer in NUIG, author of Love In, Love Out and mother of two daughters. In this episode we discuss the parenting dynamics involved in preparing for a Christmas in a Pandemic. Managing a child who is under eating and over exercising. Understanding Eating Disorders and control. We also discuss managing the transition to adolescence when your child becomes more hostile and distant. We also discuss Tic Disorders and seeking help with these challenges and supporting a child with ASD in the online world.  

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