Tammin Sursok Talks about Motherhood, Life Lessons and Reading Eggs Junior

Tell us a little bit about yourself and life in LA now.

So I’m 34, I’m an actress and producer. Some of the shows I’ve been on include Home and Away, Hannah Montana, The Young and the Restless and Pretty Little Liars. I’m married to my wonderful hubby Sean. We’ve been together for over 10 years which is like 55 years in Hollywood terms! We’re parents to our gorgeous daughter Phoenix who’s four and live in a beautiful art-deco home in LA’s Hollywood Hills area.

Has becoming a mother changed you, and if so how?

My life has always been dominated by work so to suddenly stop that and become a mum was a hard transition at first. I felt like I lost a little bit of my identity for a while. However now four years later I feel like more of a real mum. I think I know what I’m doing a bit more now! I reckon I’m now about 50 per cent of the same person I was before I had Phoenix.

How do you find motherhood when you’re in the public eye, and how does your gorgeous daughter Phoenix deal with the attention?

I don’t think she gets the concept of fame just yet but we don’t put a lot of emphasis on that. I have never felt like a celebrity or famous at all! I always felt like acting was my job. I don’t seek out celebrity – it’s what I do not who I am.

Tell us about your involvement with Reading Eggs Junior and how your three-year-old daughter Phoenix is finding it.

When I first heard about Reading Eggs Junior I really wanted to be involved because I think education is so important from a very young age, especially when it comes to reading. I wanted to make sure that reading was also fun and exciting, so Reading Eggs Junior was the perfect fit for Phoenix as it’s specifically for kids aged two to four. She just loves the animations, games and e-books. She’s learning so much about letters, sounds and phonics and it’s really helped spark her interest even more in books. Her favourites are The Giving Tree, The Cat and the Caterpillar and The Airport Book.

How does your typical day start?

We’re all up at six o’clock and have breakfast. We usually get everything organized in okay time. Then Sean my husband drops Phoenix off at pre-school and I begin work – whether it’s going to an audition, working on my blog or clothing line Stella Phoenix.

Toddlers can say some interesting things sometimes. What is the most memorable thing Phoenix has said?

The other day she said, “Mum why did you choose me?” That made me want to cry!

What do you find most challenging about being somebody's parent?

The juggle of motherhood and work. My mantra for myself and other mothers is this: you can have it all, you just can’t have it all at the same time. The minute I accepted that my whole life changed. I spent a lot of time in the beginning as a new mum feeling so guilty that I would leave Phoenix to work…and then feeling equally guilty that I wanted to work when Phoenix was around. You just have to be present in the moment and be grateful and not expect everything to be perfect all at once.

If you have an active Reading Eggs trial or subscription, you can enjoy Reading Eggs Junior for free! New Reading Eggs customers can sign up for a free trial here.