Children learn through experience, both bad and good. They learn to be careful when up high because of lessons learned through falling, they learn that their gorgeous smile will earn them one back (and may just get them out of trouble) and they learn about textures and taste by putting every single thing that comes across their paths in their mouths. What’s hard for us parents is letting them take those minor tumbles when all our instincts tell us to grab them and hold them tight to protect them from the world.

My almost 11 month old is starting to get a confident—a little too confident if you ask me. She’s a climber, washing baskets, toys, chairs and worst of all the stairs. I’m the kind of mum who doesn’t “baby proof” with the exception of things that could seriously hurt my children I try to allow my kids to learn through experience. Something I’m learning through this process is that this type of parenting is so much easier with a cautious child.

Erin, my first child was a very sedate, wary child where as Abi is much more adventurous. Where Erin would sit back and avoid a particular situation Abi’s very gung-ho. Without a word of a lie I could leave Erin on our bed for her afternoon sleep without fear of her falling, in fact she didn’t fall out of bed until she was about two and excited about somersaults!

On the other hand, Abi’s a livewire. Even before she could roll she could cover distance just by thrashing about. There’s no way I could ever leave her on something like a bed unattended. This is something of a disappointment for me because one of the things I enjoyed most was being able to co-sleep with Erin at nap time.

I guess I could say that parents also learn through experience and boy what an experience this parenting thing has been! I had so many preconceived notions about parenthood before I had kids. There were so many things I was never going to do, now I look back and realise how naive I was. My illusions have been further shattered since Abi’s birth because I’ve suddenly realised how different one child is from another.

Has parenting been a wakeup call for like or has it been more or less what you’ve expected?

A former web-designer Bec is now a stay-at-home-mum to two wee girls trying to wrap her head around the idea of “domestic bliss” while jotting it all down in her mummy blog.

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I’ve had her for four years, this child of mine. My first born, my special girl, my precious and she really is. We very nearly didn’t have her at all, but that’s another story…which may explain a lot of this one. Two weeks ago I let her go, not entirely of course, but I did let go. I sent her out into the world to learn from someone who isn’t me, to make friends with children I don’t know and have experiences beyond what I’ve provided.

As melodramatic as that may sound—and it is, I know it is—this is a big thing for me. I’m the person who told the world she was considering homeschooling because she could give her children a better, more personalised education than they would receive in a mainstream school when the truth was she just couldn’t let go. The idea that my little girl would be out in the world without maternal protection was too much. She’s too little, too sensitive, too sweet. She’s always had me or someone I implicitly trust to care for and shield her; I couldn’t dream of a world where that sensitive soul of hers would be subject to the elements and the cruelty the world can provide—there I go with the melodrama again.

Yes so, two weeks ago I let her go out into the big wide world of daycare. I watched her walk away from me without a backwards glance let alone a tear, to play with other children her age under the less than keen—as far as I’m concerned—observation of her teacher. A woman I’d met five minutes earlier.

There I stood for a moment longer than strictly necessary watching her head towards the sandpit—most of which came home in her hair—before I turned to leave with an ache in my heart and a tear stinging my eye. I didn’t cry though, I just pulled up my big girl undies and headed for the door. Of course I spent the rest of the day resisting the urge to call and ask how she was fairing, but that’s beside the point.

I had it all worked out in my head. She’d cry—just a little—at drop off and plead with me to stay and I would, for a little while so she could get settled in before sneaking off to start my day. At pick up she’d rush into my arms, pleasure at my presents evident in her smiling face, but it wasn’t to be. Instead, she had had such a good day that she was a little disappointed to be going home and was keen to come back.

My mum said to me before that first day, “pretty soon she won’t need you and I at all” and that’s how I felt—a little redundant, a little pointless. She’s moving forward in her life to a place where I don’t belong. That’s the way it should be, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt, just a little.

A former web-designer Bec is now a stay-at-home-mum to two wee girls trying to wrap her head around the idea of “domestic bliss” while jotting it all down in her mummy blog.

Find her on Twitter or Facebook

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Something I often wonder is, who’s reading? Followed by, what is it that they’d really like to read about? So that’s what I’m asking you today. What would you like to read about on the Kids in Australia blog?

Are you the kind of person who enjoys reading reviews? Or do you prefer a more personal touch, with a more “bloggish” style so you can learn more about the authors life? Maybe you come here looking for information to make your life easier? Anyway, complete the following poll so I can get to know you a little better!

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There’s another first in our family this week end, Abi’s first easter. Though I doubt she’ll eat it, she has her very own bunny and, before Erin bowls everyone over in a bid to get to the chocolate first I wanted to take a moment and wish you all a happy and safe easter!

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Before my girls were born I used to think things would be easy. Well not simple-easy, but not particularly hard. TV made it look effortless, at least the shows I was watching did. Here I am though, four years into this bizarre experiment and I still haven’t found my feet.

Amid the constant mistakes and criticism—sometimes even from my four year old—one thing that I have learned is, despite being tired to the point of exhaustion and having no time, if you keep putting off your career you’ll never get back to it. I’ve also learned that two kids is a hell of a lot harder than just having one, especially when that one was an easy baby, but that’s a whole other story.

So here I am, back on the career path, but a different one than before. One that I’ve always imagined myself doing but was never game enough to try—maybe that was simply because I didn’t know where to start? My new career, that brings me to my point, more or less.

Over the next couple of weeks I’ll be setting off on my new career path and you guys will be coming along with me. You see my new career path is that of a writer, like I said before, this is something I’ve aspired to since I was a child sitting in my bedroom bashing away on my prize possession, a beige and red child size typewriter, creating stories about giants which I’d self publish with the stapler I’d promised to be trustworthy with. Alas, then there was the unfortunate incident when, somehow, a staple become lodged in my thumb, but we don’t talk about that.

All that’s history now, and here I sit before a laptop rather than a typewriter writing for a big Australian parenting website. How cool is that?

Just so you know what you’re getting yourself into here’s a bit about me.

Before my girls were born I worked as a freelance web designer which was something I enjoyed in the beginning but found it had run its course. I still do the occasional job on the side of parenting two gorgeous girls, Erin who is 4 years old and Abi who’s nearly a year old. My main claim to infamy is my personal blog Bad Mummy which I have been tending to for almost four years. I’m “big on Twitter” and some of you might know me as @badmummy but if you don’t know me never fear you will soon—assuming you hang around.

I’m really looking forward to getting to know you guys so drop by and say hi!

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