I choose to rejoice in my child's achievements.

When I announced recently that Maya had finally said 'Mum' for the very first time (something I have been waiting for since other babies seem to have mastered this word a very long time ago) a friend and fellow parent said "You will start to regret she can say Mum, when she gets old enough to whinge."

When I told someone that I cannot wait for Maya to start talking so that she can actually tell me what's wrong or what she wants, a friend and fellow parent said "You will regret when she starts talking because she will then talk back to you."

And a few people I've mentioned to that I am looking forward to Maya learning to walk have told me "Oh but then you'll have to run after her all day". I also got this same comment when Maya learnt to crawl for this first time.

Seriously what's up with the negative replies? And I can't believe that some of these comments are from parents.

First of all, every stage is going to have positives and negatives. Every stage! I know that but I would like to focus on the positives.

Yeah sure when Maya was a newborn she lay still and I didn't have to run after her, she slept longer hours and she didn't talk back to me. But I don't miss the newborn stage AT ALL. I don't miss the utter lack of sleep, being woken several times at night, all the crying that newborns do and constantly trying to guess what was wrong. I was happy when Maya started sleeping more at night and when she was able to sit and then crawl. She was then able to occupy herself more and was much happier.

I also love that Maya can express herself a bit more through pointing and grunting. I don't always understand what she wants but sometimes I do get it right. Which is why I do actually want my little girl to talk one day so she can tell me when her tummy is sore or say "Mum I want some milk", rather than me guessing all the time. Sure I probably won't enjoy hearing "Mum you're a poopy head" but I reckon it's better than the tears or screams of frustration as she desperately tries to communicate her wants and needs. And how about the heart-warming words of "I love you Mum". I reckon they'll be pretty special words to hear.

I also want to see her walking. At the moment Maya loves walking and it's all she wants to do all day. However, she cannot walk on her own. She needs someone to hold her hands. And who's the person who spends most of their time with Maya. Yes me. So I spend a lot of time bent over helping her to walk, which leads to a sore back. I can't wait for her to walk on her own so that I can save my back.

Secondly, I am a parent who actually wants to see her child succeed and develop. Yes sure, as I already said, each stage brings negative things but she needs to go through each stage in order to progress and develop. She needs to learn to talk. She needs to learn to walk. And I choose to rejoice in her achievements and deal with the new challenges they bring.