“Is This Normal?”: The Parenting Question We All Ask

At some point, every parent looks at their child — maybe when they’ve seemingly ignored yet another request, or had a sudden burst of big emotions over something small — and wonders:
“Is this normal?”
“Am I doing this right?”
“Does my child need an assessment?”
These are the quiet questions that often go unspoken — typed into search bars late at night or shared hesitantly with a friend. We hear it every day. And that’s exactly why we created Parent Advice.

What most parents need isn’t more information — it’s clarity. Someone to say:
“Yes, that’s typical.”
“Here’s what you can try.”
“This might be worth exploring further — let’s look at what could be going on beneath the surface.”

Parent Advice is a one-on-one, online consultation with either Dr Fionna McDarby or Dr Vincent McDarby — both experienced child clinical psychologists. Since launching during the pandemic, we’ve supported
hundreds of families across Ireland and beyond. Often it’s just one conversation — but it’s with someone who really understands child development, behaviour, and emotional wellbeing.

Who we are

We’re the team behind Access Psychology, a specialist-led psychology service. We started Parent Advice to make expert support more accessible — without long waiting lists or clinic referrals. Whether you’re navigating the early years, school transitions, teen challenges or just the everyday stress of parenting — we’re here to support you. You don’t have to be the child psychologist in the house. Nor should you be doing it alone — especially not with Google as your co-pilot.

As the saying goes: it takes a village. Our role is to support yours.