Cindy Pearlman - What They Know About...PARENTING!: Celebrity Moms and Dads Give Us Their Take on Having Kids

Hay House Titles of Related Interest

Baby Sign Language Basics:Early Communication for Hearing
Babies and Toddlers, by Monta Z. Briant

The Blokes Guide to Pregnancy, by Jon Smith

The Crystal Children:A Guide to the Newest Generation
of Psychic and Sensitive Children, by Doreen Virtue, Ph.D.

The Indigo Children:The New Kids Have Arrived,
by Lee Carroll and Jan Tober

The Mommy Chronicles:Conversations Sharing the Comedy
and Drama of Pregnancy and New Motherhood,
by Sara Ellington and Stephanie Triplett

What to Do When You Dont Know What to Do:
Common Horse Sense, by Wyatt Webb

Parents Nutrition Bible:A Guide to Raising Healthy Children,
by Earl Mindell, R.Ph., Ph.D.

Practical Parenting, by Montel Williams and
Jeffrey Gardre, Ph.D.

All of the above are available at your
local bookstore, or may be ordered by visiting:

Hay House USA: www.hayhouse.com
Hay House Australia: www.hayhouse.com.au
Hay House UK: www.hayhouse.co.uk
Hay House South Africa: www.hayhouse.co.za
Hay House India: www.hayhouse.co.in

Copyright 2007 by Cindy Pearlman and Jill Kramer

Published and distributed in the United States by: Hay House, Inc.: www.hayhouse.com Published and distributed in Australia by: Hay House Australia Pty. Ltd.: www.hayhouse.com.au Published and distributed in the United Kingdom by: Hay House UK, Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.uk Published and distributed in the Republic of South Africa by: Hay House SA (Pty), Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.za Distributed in Canada by: Raincoast: www.raincoast.com Published in India by: Hay House Publishers India: www.hayhouse.co.in

Editorial supervision: Jill Kramer Design: Tricia Breidenthal

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private useother than for fair use as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviewswithout prior written permission of the publisher.

The authors of this book do not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the authors is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the authors and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Pearlman, Cindy.
What they know aboutparenting! : celebrity moms and dads give us their take on
having kids / interviews by Cindy Pearlman ; edited by Jill Kramer.1st ed.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-4019-0898-0 (tradepaper)
1. Parenting. 2. Child rearing. 3. CelebritiesMiscellanea. I. Kramer, Jill, II. Title.

HQ755.8.P418 2007
649.1dc22

2006101619

ISBN: 978-1-4019-0898-0

10 09 08 07 5 4 3 2
1st edition, June 2007
2nd edition, August 2007

Printed in the United States of America

Contents

T here is child support in the form of a monthly check, and then there is another kind of child support that lasts a lifetime. Its a sprinkling of wise ingredients, a few helpful suggestions, or a nudge in the right direction. Who wouldnt like a little sit-down, magic words, or a special secret to help with the most important role of your lifetimebeing a mom or dad?

Kids dont come with directions at least the ones weve run into werent sporting manuals attached to their iPod and Rollerblade sneakers. Can you imagine if your baby came with a little instruction booklet tied to the umbilical cord called HOW NOT TO MESS ME UP BEFORE I TURN 18. NO FURTHER ASSEMBLY REQUIRED? (Hey, we want one of those in the waterproof, indestructible version.) If only it were that easy. Life would be pretty simple, and so would parenting.

Wake up for a moment, because that was just a pipe dream. Now its time to return to the real world where your toddler Cade wont go to sleep, little Wilmer just whacked his younger sister Scout for the third time, and even the dog Sam (only dogs have normal names these days) has gone AWOL to avoid being blamed for eating that bag of rock salt in the garage. (By the way, this did happen to one parent who was told in the emergency room that her son wouldnt get sick but would have the purest urine in the Midwest for the next month. The five-year-olds reasoning: Just cause. Translation: Just because [insert silent scream from his mother here].)

When you become a parent, its safe to say that your child isnt the only one doing the growing up. Part of the process is realizing your shortcomings as a parent, including the fact that you dont have all the answers. But the happy news is that most parents have some of them, and darn good ones which is how this book was born.

Just as you tell your kid that its good to share, the parents in this book are happy to share their approaches to raising small, medium, and large children. (The truth is, your job is never really done even when the kids are parents themselves.)

Its funny that the advice givers in this book simply arent the kind of people you might expect to find offering up tidbits of wisdom on raising kids. These are powerful, respected, world-famous people whose public roles arent always connected to wiping tiny noses and potty training. These individuals are known for playing other roles in public as actors, actresses, directors, news anchors, media celebrities, business tycoons, top editors, journalists, authors, and activists.

These are people you might think dont have to worry about raising their own kids because they could have someone such as a high-priced nanny do it for them. Our star voices dont cop to that one. They consider parenting to be their number one reason for being on this earththeir calling, their sacred responsibility, and the reason why they wake up happy (although sometimes yawning) each morning. They have the same parental dilemmas as anyone else out there, including little Johnny catching five minutes of Bad Santa on HBO and now perhaps being scarred for life.

Like most (if not all) parents, nobody here possesses all of the answers, but each mom and dad seems to have perfected a way of getting through a few of the universal rough spots, and they want to pass on what they know and what works for them.

This book is about more than what to put in the diaper bag or when to send someone to bed. It also offers emotional support for those moments of overwhelming guilt or mindboggling exhaustion. We thought that it would help if you heard someone else you might admire say, Ive also been pulling my hair out.

When asked for tips about juggling work and family life, even the beautiful Catherine Zeta-Jones sighs and says shes not Wonder Woman when it comes to working and raising her children, Dylan and Carys. People ask me how I juggle a career with motherhood. I dont juggle well at all. Its called scheduling. You have to look forward to the chaos and plan the logistics of it all. My life is about: Where do I find a sandbox to entertain my son after I do a scene?