We have to believe she's the mother of a girl of 7 years. That's what the audition breakdown said. It always surprises me when I start to think about it, but had my life taken a very different turn, I could totally be the mother of a girl of 7 years. I'm not 20 anymore...

And yet, whenever I have to play a Mom, I always feel like a fraud. Like THEY'LL KNOW I have no idea what to do with a small child. (Isn't she the one who's in all those "dead baby" shows...) Then again, whenever I happen to be around small children, they seem to enjoy my presence. Probably because I prefer sitting on floors to chairs and love a good colouring session like nobody's business.

But back to the audition. It's for one of those typical commercials where the very happy family is enjoying a very happy time together, happy time that probably would not exist or be enjoyed without the help of *insert absolutely necessary product here*.

Though I'd heard about them before, this was the first such audition for me. You show up, they pair you off with a "Dad" and a "Kid" - in my case, since it was the end of the day, we got 2 kids. These child actors are, of course, absolutely adorable, precocious and possess a sense of maturity mixed with fun that I absolutely envy.

We all go into the audition room and we're told to just do things together: make some crafts, set the table, dance with the kids, snuggle up to "Dad".

It's important to remember in these audition situations that you are having THE GREATEST TIME IN THE WORLD! But, at the end of the day, they will cast the child first - the most adorable one who took direction the best - and then they will cast the "Parents" who look like them the most.

And although I was glad to send them home with their real parents, I still had fun with my pretend children. I guess I'm not such a fraud after all.