Wendy Wilson of Wilson Phillips
On Supernanny, breastfeeding and her Beach Boy father.
by Ada Calhoun
February 20, 2008
Do you have any favorite parenting books?
Well, we have that Sears book, we really like that. I like that What to Expect the First Year one. There's a book called The Toddler Years that I like. There are so many books, and I leaf through them, but I don't live by the books.
Did you watch Supernanny before you were on it?
Yeah, I did. I watched it a few times and I really liked it. I was really a fan.
Did anything get cut out of the show that you kind of missed or were surprised by, or anything about the way that it was put together?
I have no idea, because we haven't seen it.
Really? It's great. You seem like you don't need much help at all.
Thank you very much. I'm glad we came off well. I was more concerned that our parents were going to be portrayed in the right light, than us.
So are you concerned what your father might think because you talk about your experience growing up with him?
Yeah, I was concerned about that as well as my mother. Sometimes things get twisted around in the editing and that's my fear that it's going to look like they were bad parents and I don't want them to have any negative light on them.
What kind of relationship do you have with your parents right now?
I have a good relationship.
"My mother and I are extremely close. We talk about ten times a day on the phone!"
My mother and I are extremely close. We talk about ten times a day on the phone! We're actually co-dependent. My father, we're just getting a relationship back, you know. We went to his house on Christmas Eve, and it's good. Everything's good. We're at peace.
Is he a good grandfather?
He's not a hands-on grandfather, like he wasn't a hands-on dad, but he loves them. He just doesn't know how to express it yet, so you know, I don't know exactly how to put that.
That makes sense. It seems really mature to say it that way, like you did on the show: he meant well, but just didn't necessarily know what to do.
Yeah, exactly, what else are you going to say?
Well, usually people get really emotional about what their parents did or didn't so, and they aren't able to forgive and see that they just had certain limitations.
Oh the funny thing is, on the limitations board — did she show that in the show?
Yes, Jo had you and Dan list your limitations as parents on a board.
Well, when she left, she said, "Pull them off when you're ready. In time, you can pull them all off." And I still have it up there. It's all still up there.
You haven't taken anything down?
No!
That's funny. Do you still have the daily schedule up on the wall too?
We do, but it's now in the office instead of over our living room fireplace.
Are you still following it pretty closely?
Not really, because the babies' eating times have really changed, so we had to really adjust our schedule. I will say that I still cannot be completely, one hundred percent regimented. I guess it's just not in my blood or something, but I love having that as a guide. Whenever I feel frazzled, I try to go back to it. It's something to work toward.
©2008 Ada Calhoun and Nerve Media
About the Author
|
|
Related Articles
|
|
Babble editor-in-chief
Ada Calhoun is also a blogger for AOL News, a consulting editor at Nerve.com, and a frequent contributor to the New York Times Book Review. Her writing has appeared in Time magazine, New York magazine, Salon.com and the anthology One of the Guys. |
|
|
-
by Sarah Hepola
On why his son won't eat meat or be a child actor.
-
by Aaron Burgess
The rock icon and dad on his newest baby: Kidzapalooza.
-
by Justin Clark
"I don't have a mental manual of how I'm raising my kids."
|
