Heads and hearts are low at the moment. Everyone feeling particularly helpless while we just watch on as the devastation unfolds in Gaza. Very hard to feel like celebrating anything, never mind Christmas. In today's episode we talk about getting there for the sake of our children. Christmas magic is essential for them but so hard to conjure. Reminding them that there is always some light is flipping hard and not helped by the deadlines of the year.

Question 1- 

What do you do when your toilet training has been a total disaster. Christmas is just around the corner and your child keeps ruining their clothes, carpets and bed!! When toilet training isn’t working and is actually causing turmoil, is it okay to shelve it and start again at a later date? 

Question 2- 

While scrolling through her daughter's phone this mum finds out that her daughter has started having sex with her boyfriend. While reaching out to us for advice is the scariest question we’ve ever received our advice is unanimous. It’s time to mom up, your personal feelings need to be put to one side and you need to be there for your young woman. 

Question 3- 

Favouring one child over the other, carving out more time for some grandchildren than others? The emotional impact this leaves on our lives is sometimes too hard to bare. In this episode we try our best to help this mum navigate the emotionally exclusionary situation she finds herself in. 

If you have any parenting questions please email them over to [email protected]. Or follow us on Instagram. 

Pop on over to Patreon to hear the extra mail about a dad struggling to get his son to love sport. Jarlath Regan | creating Irishman Abroad Podcasts | Patreon