Anne Cassin has opened up about a new "phase" of parenthood as her children are now all grown up.
The RTE broadcaster shares three children, Ellen (26), Joe (24) and Heather, who is almost 20, with her husband Donagh McGrath.
Ellen is just back at home after living in Edinburgh for three years, while Joe has just moved out and Heather is gearing up to jet off on Erasmus soon - it is "bittersweet" to see them become independent and fly the nest.
"That takes you by surprise in a way that you don't expect," Anne said. "Each phase has different aspects to it. It's a different dynamic when they're young adults, you have to try not to be such a mammy, she laughs. "It goes by so quickly, that's the bit you can't fathom. It all feels like just yesterday. It's a different phase now, there's boyfriends and girlfriends, and that's nice, much more grown up."
Speaking to the RTE Guide, the Nationwide presenter said that when her children were younger, she struggled with "working mum guilt".
"I was torn a lot of the time," she said. "You'd be getting into the car to go to West Cork and you don't see them from one end of the day to the next. Working mother's guilt; what's new? We all have it and it's real. I was torn for a long time, and I blamed myself a lot.
"But the job was great; they've a great dad and I was well supported in terms of childcare. We had au pairs in the house for 12 years. When Heather was a week old, we had a French girl who came, and I was bringing her around Dublin, showing her the sights with a tiny baby. We had people in the house until Heather finished primary school, and some of them I'm still in touch with. We spent all our money on childcare, trying to make it work."
While she remained mysterious on the subject of retirement, she admits that she goes back on forth on whether she is excited for that day or not.
"My peers are retiring and members of my own family too, but I suppose I still have this fear of 'what am I going to do?'" said Anne. "The priority for me and Donagh would be to see the world a bit more."
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