My six-year-old city niece Olivia is quite dramatic, no surprise if you know her mother and her auntie Yolande.

Olivia was in drenching floods of tears before she arrived on Tuesday, all because she knew she had to leave on Thursday.  

We took her mind off her departure on arrival with waffles and lashings of maple syrup, a quick board game, a small fire down the back and a walk along the dry creek bed.

This seemed to work.

Although, and quite fairly I thought, she also cried when the Jamaican-me-crazy chicken curry was too hot on Tuesday night and when a made up game became too difficult for her to play with the big kids on Wednesday morning.  

When Olivia couldn’t achieve her complicated costume change fast enough between act one and act two of the mermaid production the children were performing for the adults, her sobs echoed through the house, but we all know how upsetting the occasional costume malfunction can be.    

In between her arriving in tears and her tearful parting though, Olivia - along with big brother Connor and biggest sister Abbey - enjoyed some very quiet country fun.

Our biggest outing was to the wood heap – just joking – we did actually make it to the supermarket… and the art gallery – which was fantastic.

My girls are so grown up now, that I am not struggling with the same set of difficult little trials that face the mum’s of younger children.

While I am still working hard to get kids to bed on time, the time is much later, because they are just getting home from dancing, volleyball or work.  

Never do I have to think about who has brushed their teeth or been through the shower or eaten dinner – all these things just happen.

Sticky hands are washed without discussion, drinks poured unassisted and clothes selected, worn and thrown in the wash without consultation. 

It’s so lovely to be around delightful energetic younger children to recognise and celebrate all those incremental achievements along life’s fairly rocky road to independence.