Conversations with Parents

Dec 02 2024 11 ep. 28 mins 32

Conversations with Parents Podcast artwork

Conversations with Parents is a new podcast from The Irish Times. Host Jen Hogan talks to interesting people about being parents. What are the hardest parts? What have they learned about raising kids? What are their parenting strategies - or are they making it up as they go along?
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Conversations with Parents - the debrief

Dec 02 2024 39 mins

Does parenting with the seemingly never-ending juggle of work, home-life, and trying to be everything to everyone, actually get any easier? What about if you have a child struggling with anxiety, where do you begin in the search for meaningful support? Siblings; ready-made friends, or sworn enemies - how do you manage sibling conflict? And does it really matter if parents share pic

Séamas O'Reilly: 'My son is the same age I was when my mum died'

Nov 25 2024 39 mins

Séamas O'Reilly is an award-winning writer who shot to fame for his story of accidentally serving drinks to former president Mary McAleese while high on ketamine. He went on to pen his memoir "Did Ye Hear Mammy Died?" which netted him an Irish Book Award, and a place in the Irish annals of meme fame; after rugby icon and TV presenter, Tommy Bowe, was inadvertently light-hearted ab

Black Paddy: 'I want to teach my children to love the colour of their skin'

Nov 18 2024 27 mins

Black Paddy wants to teach his children self-acceptance; to love their bodies and their skin colour. The comedian and social media star is best known for his viral videos which gently poke fun at the culture shock of moving to Ireland from Africa. But he won't be including his children in his antics, preferring that they grow up with a 'strong mind' before they're ever exposed to t

Terry Prone on allowing son Anton Savage to be in her publicity as a child: ‘I think it was the wrong thing to do’

Nov 11 2024 37 mins

Author, broadcaster and chairman of The Communications Clinic, Terry Prone, may live a quiet life now but she's faced the kind of challenges you could expect to see in a Netflix drama. From an against-all-odds love story (she met her husband Tom Savage while he was still a priest), living on the breadline, raising their son Anton Savage while they worked, to surviving a catastrophi

Ivan Yates: 'My children struggle with what I do'

Nov 04 2024 27 mins

Ivan Yates is known for his controversial views on all manner of issues, and parenting is no different. The broadcaster admits the number of nappies he has changed in his time are in single digits and that 'learned helplessness' served him well. But Yates shares a more thoughtful side to him in this conversation with Jen Hogan. He speaks about how a lack of emotional warmth in his

Victoria Smurfit: 'Micromanaging your kids makes them useless. Same for men.'

Oct 28 2024 40 mins

Victoria Smurfit believes to get by in life, "you need kindness, comedy and grit." The Hollywood actor, writer and producer has three children and tells them they must lead with kindness, find the funny in every situation and be prepared to work hard. She tells host Jen Hogan about the huge challenges that have come her way on her parenting journey including; her eldest daughter Ev

Maïa Dunphy: 'I was terrified of becoming a single parent'

Oct 21 2024 35 mins

Maïa Dunphy had never thought it was the right time to have a baby until, she jokes, her ex-husband told her at nearly 40 "it was time to 'do something' or get off the pot." The writer and TV star speaks to host Jen Hogan about becoming a mum later in life, fearing lone parenthood upon the break-up of her marriage and the conundrum of letting her son Tom make his holy communion, w

Tony Cantwell: 'Since my ADHD diagnosis I’m a more patient dad’

Oct 14 2024 33 mins

Having a son and a daughter has given comedian, Tony Cantwell, the opportunity to explore some of life’s big questions. Things like, is gender just a social construct? What’s it like raising children when you're neurodivergent? How do you gentle parent? And how much time spent pooing is deemed acceptable in the quest for me-time? Host, Jen Hogan, sits down with Cantwell who cre

Brendan O'Connor: 'I keep annoying my kids with teachable moments'

Oct 07 2024 32 mins

Brendan O’Connor is used to being the one who asks the questions on his radio show. But in the very first episode of Conversations with Parents, the tables are turned on the RTÉ broadcaster, as host Jen Hogan queries him on all things parenting and discovers he is suffering with a touch of Imposter Syndrome. He's the proud father of Anna and Mary and husband to journalist, Sarah

Conversations with Parents: Guest preview

Conversations with Parents is coming next week and Jen Hogan has some information about her first few guests. Conversations with Parents is a new podcast from The Irish Times. Host Jen Hogan talks to interesting people about the biggest challenge of their lives: parenthood. What have they learned about how to raise kids and how have they grown themselves from doing it? What are the