Tammin’s EVERYDAY STRUGGLES

LIFE’S NOT ALWAYS PERFECT, REVEALS THE TV STAR

She’s an actress who juggles a flourishing career, a gorgeous daughter, a fashion brand, a blog and a successful relationship – yet Tammin Sursok says her biggest challenge is managing her own expectations. The Pretty Little Liars star, who reveals she’s now ready for a second child, says the greatest thing she’s learned in the past year is to work on her ‘control issues’. ‘The biggest thing for me right now is accepting that I’m not perfect. That’s my journey right now,’ she said. So does she shout? ‘I don’t think I’ve ever screamed at my daughter, but I have at my husband.’ Tammin, whose daughter, Phoenix, with husband Sean Mcewen turns four this month, says she is very keen to add to her brood and is hoping a second child will be as adaptable as her first. ‘Phoenix comes everywhere with us,’ she says. ‘I don’t want my child to be raised by nannies, but we have to be realistic. If she has to be cared for, for a short period of time while we work, that’s fine, because in our jobs we get long periods of time together as a family.’

While Phoenix has been on 56 flights in her four years, Tammin acknowledges that having two children may make travelling together a lot more difficult.

‘Every child is different, so we’ll just deal with one obstacle at a time,’ she says.

While she sets high standards in terms of her daughter’s diet and use of technology, Tammin believes that banning anything sets a child up to rebel. To that end, Phoenix is allowed short amounts of screen time and Tammin is teaching her to read through ABC Reading Eggs Junior – an online reading program for which she is an ambassador.

‘It’s unrealistic to keep kids off screens. They live in a digital age and we need to be honest about that. I won’t let Phoenix on my iphone, but educational programs on the ipad are perfect.’

As for her own screen time, Tammin is still posting regularly on her blog Bottle & Heels about everything from travelling with kids to being sexy as a mum.

As she says: ‘When you become a mother, you don’t just dry up as a human.’

Mum-of-two and social commentator Angela Mollard guides you through the thrills and spills of parenthood