When I was little, I was almost certain my mum had a set of eyes in the back of her head as well as at the front.
She'd be telling me off for something I was doing without actually looking at me, as though she could see my every move.
I just couldn't work out how she did it; but I get it now.
You don't develop more senses, but the ones you have become way more refined when you have little ones to look out for.
I haven't just grown eyes in the back of my head; I have eyes in my ears, too.
I hear noises and can see what's happening in my head without even casting a glance in my children's direction.
My oldest prince, two years old, has a little star-shaped spray bottle he uses to saturate every inanimate and animated object within his immediate radius on hot days.
Last week I was hanging washing on the clothesline on a day not hot enough for swimming.
P1 pottered about with his outdoor toys, while 10-month-old P2 swung gently back and forth in his baby swing under the verandah.
I heard P2 giggling and instantly knew something his big brother was doing was the reason for it, so I listened more intently.
I could also hear the quiet but constant priming and misting from P1's favourite hot-day toy, and I put two and two together.
P1 was spraying his little brother's feet with water each time P2 swung toward him.
Ordinarily it would have made me happy that P1 wasn't tormenting P2 for a change, rather entertaining him.
But it was a bit chilly, so it didn't have quite that effect.
My point is, I was across the yard, with birds chirping, road traffic and neighbourhood noises prominent, but because I'm a mum my hearing is zoned in on one thing _ or two, actually.
I think my other four senses got a wake-up call once my babies arrived, too.
Sight: Well, I might wear glasses, but I quickly notice anything out of place when I look at my kids.
That red mark wasn't on his skin last time I looked; there's a stain on that new top that wasn't there before; and I'm pretty sure there were four lollies left in that bowl, not two, a minute ago.
Taste: Whether you like baby food, or foods without much flavouring, or not, you have to sample it all at some stage when your kids are babies.
Hmmm, that milk only has a day left on its use-by date; smells all right, but does it taste all right?
Mum becomes a guinea pig before the kids use any in their food or to fill their cups.
Smell: This one is not always a good one for mums themselves, but I'm pretty sure people around us are thankful it's switched on when it comes to nappy-change time . . . just to avoid certain scents staying airborne for too long.
It means you can also identify dicey food easily, and smell smoke or things burning a mile away.
Touch: This sense is dramatically intensified; no other cuddle before cuddles with my own kids ever felt quite so good.
I can feel when a rash is forming if their skin is rougher than the day before; I can feel a fever coming on as their skin grows hot.
Senses themselves are a gift, but they help you fully appreciate the gifts of your children.
I see their precious porcelain beauty, smell their fresh hair after a nice warm bath and feel their soft new skin, hear the most beautiful sound in the world their laughter and all of it has me tasting pride.
Our senses all make perfect sense.
_ Bree Almond
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