The Australia Day weekend signals the end of the holidays and although I breathed a sigh of relief when they arrived in December, I am now equally keen to get back into the school routine and return to the grown up world of my workplace. Our holidays had their share of drama, my son Cristian 14 fell off his bike (the new Christmas one) and knocked himself out. I let my guard down for a moment and he slipped out without the bike helmet.. lesson learnt, always check they have the helmet on! Two bites of Peking Duck and Emily 7 puffed up like a balloon and was rushed to hospital with anaphalactic shock.. an MSG allergy was discovered.

Perfectly healthy kids can be OK one moment and in hospital the next, the incidents made me grateful for the noise, mess, sibling bickering, dibber dobbing and everything else I have ever complained about. With gratitude I will find the school uniforms, wash, iron and label each item, queue up at the shoe shop, cover piles of books in contact, volunteer for the tuck shop and welcome the daily argument of ‘who’s turn it is to sit in the front'!

Jane King
Mother of Cristian, 14 and Emily, 7
Founder of Parenting Australia

I found an ID Charm, a brilliant product consisting of a small ‘capsule’ containing a rolled-up paper insert to display her allergy and my personal details. The ID Charm company has given us 8 x $14 charm packs to be won. Go to www.parentingaustralia.com.au and post in a forum telling us what you’re up to with your children on Australia Day and why you would like to win the ID 4 ME charm pack. *winners will be notified Jan 29th, judges decision final, prizes cannot be redeemed for cash.

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