Asking For a Parent
Health & Wellness Podcasts
Children don’t come with an instruction manual, and the reason for this is that not all children are the same. If anyone tries to sell you a notion that there’s one way to parent, there isn’t. Good parenting involves being able to react and respond in a flexible way to the issue that your child is displaying. In light of this complexity, the ‘Asking for a parent’ podcast will describe the most common and complex child rearing challenges and provide better ways for listeners to understand a child's behaviour. One of the best predictors of child behaviour is a parent’s understanding of the meaning behind the behaviour. Therefore the discussions inform parents of why children do what they do, and how best to respond to it. Lots of parenting resources out there heap pressure on parents rather than promote reasonable expectations and understanding. This podcast is conversational, and will not be filled with jargon or unreasonable expectations. The solutions are be ‘real world’ and take into account of parental pressures of time and energy. Topics under discussion will include the severe challenges to the normative developmental issues. Ranging from a teenager who is developing eating disorder behaviours to a 5 year old who is nervous about going to birthday parties. All challenges are relative and the podcast will aim to be as comprehensive as possible. Listeners can send in their own questions or worries about their child or indeed about their own mental health concerns and these will be addressed where possible. About the author / presenter Dr Colman Noctor is a Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and has working with families with mental health difficulties for 25 years and has a wealth of international experience. Colman does not describe himself as a ‘parenting expert’ as he believes the concept doesn’t exist. Colman’s advice and suggestions are based on his knowledge of the emotional, psychological and behaviour of children and the learnings he has achieved from working with families for the last 25 years. Graphics by Matchstick Media Ltd https://www.facebook.com/mstickmedia/
Location:
Ireland
Genres:
Health & Wellness Podcasts
Description:
Children don’t come with an instruction manual, and the reason for this is that not all children are the same. If anyone tries to sell you a notion that there’s one way to parent, there isn’t. Good parenting involves being able to react and respond in a flexible way to the issue that your child is displaying. In light of this complexity, the ‘Asking for a parent’ podcast will describe the most common and complex child rearing challenges and provide better ways for listeners to understand a child's behaviour. One of the best predictors of child behaviour is a parent’s understanding of the meaning behind the behaviour. Therefore the discussions inform parents of why children do what they do, and how best to respond to it. Lots of parenting resources out there heap pressure on parents rather than promote reasonable expectations and understanding. This podcast is conversational, and will not be filled with jargon or unreasonable expectations. The solutions are be ‘real world’ and take into account of parental pressures of time and energy. Topics under discussion will include the severe challenges to the normative developmental issues. Ranging from a teenager who is developing eating disorder behaviours to a 5 year old who is nervous about going to birthday parties. All challenges are relative and the podcast will aim to be as comprehensive as possible. Listeners can send in their own questions or worries about their child or indeed about their own mental health concerns and these will be addressed where possible. About the author / presenter Dr Colman Noctor is a Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and has working with families with mental health difficulties for 25 years and has a wealth of international experience. Colman does not describe himself as a ‘parenting expert’ as he believes the concept doesn’t exist. Colman’s advice and suggestions are based on his knowledge of the emotional, psychological and behaviour of children and the learnings he has achieved from working with families for the last 25 years. Graphics by Matchstick Media Ltd https://www.facebook.com/mstickmedia/
Language:
English
Episodes
Mica Families Episode
12/1/2021
After being contacted by a member of the Mica Family Group I reached out to offer any help I could. These families have been living through a decade of uncertainty as their homes are crumbling and facing demolition due to defective blocks. I was struck by the stories of the children who have been affected by the Mica crisis. The stories of children too anxious to sleep at night for fear of their house caving in was heart wrenching. So I’m this episode I chat with parents, teachers and homeowners from the affected areas and try to offer any advice I could to help the children in these communities.
email : askingforaparent@gmail.com
twitter : @Asking4aParent
instagram : asking_for_a_parent
Duration:01:24:47
Bonus Episode on Children‘s Sport
11/17/2021
In this episode I speak with Ciaran Fadden about his Emerald Soccer initiative which aims to support 'football for fun' and offers an alternative to the competitive streams currently available. Given the increasing problems with over-competitive nature children's sport and media stories about recent cancelations of games due to dissent from the sidelines etc. it is timely to consider different ways in which we can encourage children to continue participation in movement and activity. This episode discusses lots of interesting topics about trying to get as many as possible playing for as long as possible. Keywords: Childrens Sport, Competitiveness, Sport for Fun email : askingforaparent@gmail.com
twitter : @Asking4aParent
instagram : asking_for_a_parent
Duration:00:32:33
Listeners Questions with Shane Smith
11/10/2021
Children's Sport Episode of the Asking for a Parent Podcast with Shane Smith The topic of children in sport is always one that contains some element of debate. When should we introduce competition into children's sporting activities? How de we keep children participating in sport for longer? Does competition ruin sport for some? Is winning as important to children as some people think? How important is 'game time'? All of these questions and more are addressed in this month's episode of the Asking for a Parent Podcast, where we are joined by Shane Smith, Sports Scientist, Primary School Teacher and an Expert in Children's Sport and Coaching. This is a brilliant episode with insightful discussions and lots of practical tips for parents, coaches and teachers. Keywords Childrens Sport/ Competitive Culture/ Silent Sidelines/ Mental Health/ Participation email : askingforaparent@gmail.com
twitter : @Asking4aParent
instagram : asking_for_a_parent
Duration:01:12:11
Listeners Questions with Jen Hogan
10/6/2021
This month I am joined by Irish Times Parenting Columnist Jen Hogan to answer your questions. This month we discuss the challenges of adjusting to the new school environment and the management of anxieties that are associated with that. We also discuss the challenges of 'finding your tribe' if the school environment is not providing it. We discuss separation anxiety in younger children and ways to manage over zealous coaches in the area of childrens sport. Keywords: Anxiety, Separation Anxiety, Children's Sport, Returning to School, Friendship Issues in teenagers email : askingforaparent@gmail.com
twitter : @Asking4aParent
instagram : asking_for_a_parent
Duration:01:03:43
Listeners Questions with Allison Kacperski.
7/29/2021
In this weeks episode I chat with Allison about how things have been for her over the last number months.
We also answer some really interesting questions where we look at managing disordered eating behaviour in teenagers, supporting a young person who is experiencing suicidal ideation and how to manage when a small child is mimicking the negative actions of others.
We also discuss in detail how to help someone cope with Anxiety and provide practical tips on this topic. We also discuss the seriousness of agressive and violent bullying and how best to support a young person return to school in September following a difficult end to last term.
This is a great episode where we answer a lot of your questions Keywords: Suicidality, Eating Rituals, Panic Attack, Childhood Copying Behaviour, Anxiety and Teenagers email : askingforaparent@gmail.com
twitter : @Asking4aParent
instagram : asking_for_a_parent
Duration:01:10:18
Minister For Children Roderic OGorman
6/9/2021
In this episode we talk to Minister Roderic OGorman about his role as Minister for Children, Inclusivity, Diversity and Youth.
He discusses what it was like growing up in Mullhudart and his journey into politics.
He discusses the challenges of Ministerial duty in a Pandemic and discusses how the last 14 months have impacted Irish children.
He discusses the Summer of Play Initiative and his goals for the remainder of his term in office.
Keywords: young peoples, Minister for Children, lockdowns, pandemic and summer of play
email : askingforaparent@gmail.com
twitter : @Asking4aParent
instagram : asking_for_a_parent
Duration:00:40:22
Listeners Questions with Prof Jim Lucey
5/26/2021
In this week's episode we speak to Prof Jim Lucey about how things have been for him over the last number months. Jim is a Prof of Psychiatry in TCD, Adult Psychiatrist and the author of the new book 'A Whole New Plan for Living'. He is also a parent of six and he fills us in on how challenging it has been with working from home over the last number of months and how he has coped.
We also answer some really interesting questions where we look at managing aggressive behaviour in teenagers, supporting a child who is displaying early signs of an eating disorder, we discuss the complexity of ASD Diagnoses and how to support a teenager with a stammer.
This is a great episode where we answer a lot of your questions Keywords: Eating Disorders, ASD, Stammer and Agressive Behavour email : askingforaparent@gmail.com
twitter : @Asking4aParent
instagram : asking_for_a_parent
Duration:01:18:43
Young People’s Voices 18-25
5/19/2021
In this 3rd of three episodes we interview young adults about their experiences of the last 12 months and what it has been like for them.
The most effective way to improve your parenting approach is to better understand the world your young persons eyes.
These three episodes are edits from a series of interviews with young people who honestly and insightfully share their experiences of living in a pandemic, first year in college, social isolation, dating and much much more.
The young people also provide a report card on how the adults in their lives have done over the last year, identifying what worked well, and not so well.
They provide insights into what they miss the most, what they’re looking forward to post Covid and how it has impacted on them.
This first episode has many voices of young adults aged 20-25
So don’t miss this one it’s a cracker!
Keywords: young peoples voices, young adult perspectives, lockdowns, pandemic and dating
email : askingforaparent@gmail.com
twitter : @Asking4aParent
instagram : asking_for_a_parent
Duration:01:01:08
Listeners Questions with Mary O'Kane
5/12/2021
In this weeks episode we speak to Dr Mary O Kane about how things have been for her over the last number months. Mary is a lecturer in Early Childhood studies and author of the new parenting book 'Perfectly Imperfect'. She is also a parent of three and she fills us in on how challenging it has been with the school closures, college from home and job losses over the last number of months and how she has coped.
We also answer some really interesting questions where we look at managing obsessional behaviour in children, supporting a child who wants to become more independent and how to manage communicating the importance of the public health restrictions to a teenager who wants to mix with their friends.
We also discuss in detail how to help someone cope with Panic Attacks and provide practical tips on this topic.
This is a great episode where we answer a lot of your questions Keywords: OCD, Obsessionality, Rituals, Panic Attack, Childhood Independence, Parental Control and Public Health Guidelines and Teenagers. email : askingforaparent@gmail.com
twitter : @Asking4aParent
instagram : asking_for_a_parent
Duration:01:16:04
Second Young Person's Voices
5/5/2021
In this second of three episodes we interview young people about their experiences of the last 12 months and what it has been like for them.
The most effective way to improve your parenting approach is to better understand the world your child lives in, through their eyes.
These three episodes are a edits from a series of interviews with young people who honestly and insightfully share their experiences of living in a pandemic, school closures, social isolation and much much more.
The children also provide a report card on how the adults in their lives have done over the last year, identifying what worked well, and not so well.
They provide insights into what they miss the most, what they’re looking forward to post Covid and how it has impacted on them.
This second episode has many voices of secondary school young people who describe the challenges of leaving cert, school closures and social isolation.
email : askingforaparent@gmail.com
twitter : @Asking4aParent
instagram : asking_for_a_parent
Duration:01:22:27
Listeners Questions with Eleanor Bermingham
4/28/2021
In this weeks episode we speak to Eleanor Bermingham about how things have been for her over the last number months. Eleanor is a single parent of two children with autism and additional educational needs and she fills us in on how challenging it has been with the school closures over the last number of months and how she has coped.
We also answer some really interesting questions where we look at managing bereavement in children, supporting a child with Dyspraxia and how to manage communicating those needs to the affected child. The pros and cons of labels are discussed and how we can help parents where sibling rivalry becomes an unmanageable issue.
We also discuss in detail how to help someone cope with Panic Attacks and provide practical tips on this topic.
Keywords: Autism. ASD. Additional Educational Needs. School Closures. Bereavement. Dyspraxia. Sibling Rivalry and Panic Attacks
email : askingforaparent@gmail.com
twitter : @Asking4aParent
instagram : asking_for_a_parent
Duration:01:11:40
Young People’s Voices
4/21/2021
In this first of three episodes we interview young people about their experiences of the last 12 months and what it has been like for them.
The most effective way to improve your parenting approach is to better understand the world your child lives in, through their eyes.
These three episodes are a edits from a series of interviews with young people who honestly and insightfully share their experiences of living in a pandemic, school closures, social isolation and much much more.
The children also provide a report card on how the adults in their lives have done over the last year, identifying what worked well, and not so well.
They provide insights into what they miss the most, what they’re looking forward to post Covid and how it has impacted on them.
This first episode has many voices of primary school children and some secondary school young people too. The following 2 episodes will focus more on teens and young adults.
So don’t miss this one it’s a cracker!
Keywords: young peoples voices, child perspectives, lockdowns, pandemic and school closures
email : askingforaparent@gmail.com
twitter : @Asking4aParent
instagram : asking_for_a_parent
Duration:01:08:33
Anna Daly
4/14/2021
In this episode we welcome Ireland AM’s very own Anna Daly to the podcast.
In this episode Anna talks about her experience of growing up in Dublin and her experiences of being parented. Anna talks is through her journey into broadcasting and becoming a parent.
We also discuss parenting in a pandemic solutions to social interaction problems in childhood and managing playground politics. We discuss emotional dysregulation and supporting children with emotional development.
We discuss the impact of school closures and lockdowns on children’s social and emotional development and how they are learning social nuance in an abnormal world.
Keywords: Parenting. Social Friendships. Resilience. Lockdown Parenting
email : askingforaparent@gmail.com
twitter : @Asking4aParent
instagram : asking_for_a_parent
Duration:01:09:21
Listeners Questions with Sarah Courtney
4/7/2021
In this episode we welcome Sarah Courtney Workplace Well-being Parent Coach.
In this episode we discuss solutions to childhood anxiety, social interaction problems, emotional dysregulation and supporting children with irrational fears.
We discuss the impact of school closures and lockdowns on children’s social and emotional development and how they are learning social nuance in an abnormal world.
We also discuss supporting a child with ASD to manage friendships.
Keywords: Parenting. Social development. Friendships. Resilience. ASD, Lockdown Effects.
email : askingforaparent@gmail.com
twitter : @Asking4aParent
instagram : asking_for_a_parent
Duration:01:25:30
Senator Lynn Ruane
3/31/2021
In this episode we welcome Senator Lynn Ruane to the podcast. In this episode Lynn discusses growing up in Tallaght and her childhood experiences of taking drugs and getting into trouble in her early teens. She discusses how she became pregnant at 15 years old and how becoming a mother in her teens impacted her life. She describes you she became involved in the addiction services and how this was a turning point in her life.
Lynn discusses the important role her parents had in her life and trajectory. Later becoming the student union president and ending up in the Senate.
Lynn is keen to identify the important role others played in her success and the vital support she received.
Lynn talks about her question about encouraging her two girls to be independent thinkers, and the challenge that poses as a parent. She also discusses the concept of stepping back as a parent and creating an identity as a person again.
Keywords: Single Parenting. Addiction. Moderation. Resilience. Managing child independence
email : askingforaparent@gmail.com
twitter : @Asking4aParent
instagram : asking_for_a_parent
Duration:01:00:59
Benji Bennett
3/24/2021
This week's guest on the podcast is Benji Bennett who is the author of the Children's Literary Series 'Adam'sCloud'. These books were inspired by Benji's son Adam who tragically passed away in 2007 at the tender age of 4 years old. In this episode Benji tells us about the experience of losing Adam and the impact that the death of a child can have on families and communities. He talks honestly about the struggles and the things that helped him and his family get through it. We discuss the importance of loss in terms of the last year and how we can all relate to the grief experienced through limited relationships and distance from loved ones and the inability to grieve as we normally would. Benji's story is one of hope, and his philosophy of walk, read and love is really inspirational. We discuss the importance of the early years and the preciousness of time with our families. A really insightful episode not to be missed Keywords: Loss , grief, bereavement, hope, resilience, early years email : askingforaparent@gmail.com
twitter : @Asking4aParent
instagram : asking_for_a_parent
Duration:00:58:08
Listeners Questions with Allison Kacperski
3/18/2021
In this week’s Listeners Questions I am joined by Allison Kasperski, who is the mother of a 4 year old and a colleague of mine in UCD. As we had no Listeners Questions Episode last week, this episode is jam packed with excellent questions and some really helpful discussions. In this episode we discuss how to support a child who is anxious and unable to sleep due to fears of catching Covid 19. Given recent high profile media stories, we discuss how to keep children safe, without overly worrying them.
We debate the pros and cons of choosing a school for your child and what are the important things to consider.
We also discuss managing childhood tantrums and discuss in detail how to support a young person who is losing their motivation and enthusiasm for school work when they are engaging in remote learning.
We talk about supporting Leaving Cert students as they prepare for their written and oral exams, supporting teenagers who have experienced major disappointment through the cancelation of events in the last year and finally we discuss the challenges of engaging a child in homework who is struggling to self-motivate.
This week’s episode is packed with sensible advice and practical tips to support you with the current parenting challenges.
email : askingforaparent@gmail.com
twitter : @Asking4aParent
instagram : asking_for_a_parent
Duration:01:04:59
Louise McSharry
3/10/2021
In this episode we welcome 2FM DJ and author Louise McSharry to the podcast. In this episode Louise discusses growing up in Ireland and later moving to the USA after the death of her father. She discusses how her childhood was impacted by addiction and how at age 7 she went to live with her adoptive parents.
Louise then describes how she battled cancer in her 20s and how this impacted on her hopes of becoming a parent. She talks openly about the challenges of parenting and how being a mother to her two boys changed her outlook on life.
Louise speaks candidly about the impact of Covid 19, Lockdowns and School Closures on her family and how she has coped as well as discussing appropriate ways of managing misbehaviour in small children. This honest interview illustrates the challenges of family life and growing up in complex circumstances.
Keywords: Parenting. Addiction. Attachment. Cancer survivor. Managing Covid lockdowns. Resilience. Managing child behaviour. email : askingforaparent@gmail.com
twitter : @Asking4aParent
instagram : asking_for_a_parent
Duration:00:55:04
Niall Muldoon - Ombudsman for Children
3/3/2021
In this episode we welcome The Ombudsman for Children in Ireland Niall Muldoon to the podcast. In this episode Niall discusses growing up in Donegal and later moving to the UK to fit infrastructure for piped television. He discusses how he gravitated to the world of Psychology and began working with Perpetrators of Sexual Abuse.
He then describes how he applied and was successful in securing the role of Ombudsman for Children and how he began his second term just as Covid 19 struck.
Niall speaks candidly about the impact of Covid 19, Lockdowns and School Closures on Children and this is illustrated in the amount of cases passing through his office. He speaks about the impact of the last year on children with additional needs, special educational needs, children in poverty and those in disadvantaged areas.
Niall discusses how we need to progress into the future by listening to the voice of children and how his office is striving to provide better circumstances for Irish children post Covid.
Keywords: Parenting. Children with additional needs. Managing Covid 19 lockdowns. Children’s Rights. Educational provision, school closures and the voice of the child.
email : askingforaparent@gmail.com
twitter : @Asking4aParent
instagram : asking_for_a_parent
Duration:01:00:11
Listeners Questions with Aoife Lee
2/24/2021
In this episode we welcome Parent Coach Aoife Lee to answer your questions. In this episode we discuss supporting siblings of a child with additional needs and how to make them feel less forgotten about. We also discuss managing children’s relationship with technology and television and share helpful tips to regulate their use of technology. We also discuss the issues of restricting food intake and over exercising over lockdown. There’s been a lot of queries about this topic over recent weeks and we delve into this topic in this episode.
Aoife offers practical tips and advice to manage common parenting problems and lots of supportive guidance around understanding children’s behaviour.
Keywords: Parenting. Children with additional needs. Managing Covid 19 lockdowns. Eating Disorder. Regulating children’s relationships with technology.
email : askingforaparent@gmail.com
twitter : @Asking4aParent
instagram : asking_for_a_parent
Duration:00:59:57