This is a question we may find ourselves asking frequently. Or indeed, another way of approaching it is - am I an easy person to be around? Because let’s face it, upbeat and optimistic people are easier to be around.

How easy is it to parent calmly? If I had a penny for every time I lost the head with my children I would be filthy rich. Parenting is tough!

But when I talk about culture here, I’m referring to the beliefs and attitudes that permeate our homes - our own unique family culture that sets us apart and binds our family together. Here are 3 ways to begin building the culture in your family.

Although logistics and romance don’t seem at first glance to be a pleasant pairing, every married couple will inevitably have to try to accommodate both. Relationships at the outset tend to be all fun and flowers; however as time moves on and a couple get married, finances, shopping, house maintenance etc need to be considered. This becomes even more onerous when a couple have children, leaving little time for much needed shared fun and frolics.

I think there are only a small number of people who can embrace conflict and welcome it with open arms. Instead, most of us want to run at the first hint of a conflict. Conflict however is an integral part of everyday relations. It is endemic in every society and like everything else in life has a good and a bad side to it. However, conflict, when used wisely, can provide a huge opportunity for change and development.

Show up for the kids. Show up for one another. Show up for your friends. Show up because it’s worthwhile - even though you may not see the results of your ‘showing up’ right now. Sooner or later the outcome of all this will reveal itself in a life that is positive, inspiring and that will undoubtedly bear fruit in the lives of the people around you.

I think it’s fair to say that over time we have grown apart from nature and what we sometimes forget is, we are part of it. Nature is not a place we visit or something we look at from afar: it is home. And with Spring edging closer, now is a perfect time to think about how we can connect to nature.

Following on in our series on Lewis and the four loves, this time the focus turns to the storge form of love which is often the affectionate love we experience within the family.

The idea that the purpose of education is not to gather up bits and pieces of knowledge in a bucket to carry around, but rather should be gathering the wood for the fire and playing with matches, in the hope that the sparks develop into flames of real interest, is a noble and honourable ambition.

In its proper place, eros is a beautiful and true expression of a special type of love. It draws two human beings together in a deep bond that unites them and out of this unity, this ‘oneness’ comes the possibility of ‘another’.

What is love? In our modern word one could easily be forgiven by answering the above question with a simple answer: Love is a feeling. Is it though?

Feedback plays a crucial role in developing talent, improving morale, aligning teams, solving problems, and boosting the bottom line. But when people are asked to list their most difficult conversations, feedback always comes up.

There is still an important space and role for you and your family in the education of your child which no one else can undertake. So what are some of the things that modern families can do to support their children through education?

“If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.” - Chinese Proverb

I often feel that I’ve nothing to say. There was a time when this niggled at me, forcing me to wrack my brains as to why? What was wrong with me?  And how should I fix this?

One interesting question I have heard recently is whether 'working from home' has affected your relationships at work? For many people the option to work from home was unavailable, or simply impossible - until of course the pandemic. Then there was no option but to work from home.

Maybe because the world I inhabit seems to be very far removed from the policy of honesty. The reason for this is perhaps that we find it so hard to take the truth about ourselves. 

How can we make this year’s Christmas special with all the various things we have going on? This looks like focusing on the real meaning of this season and allowing ourselves to enjoy this time with family and friends in whatever way this looks like this year!

In their media interviews after a match, the Munster rugby team nearly always mention the power and energy of the crowd. The crowd kicked the ball over the barrier. The crowd helped them win the match. The dynamism of crowds, their hypnotic effects are undisputed.

Every parent wants to help their child develop some level of resilience so that when those curveballs arrive they will be able to manage a bit better.