Thank you for opting to send your answers through this form.

For each of the questions below – all of which are optional to reply to – you can feel free to be as long or short in your replies as you please.

You can answer any or all 32 (yes, 32!) questions that inspire and resonate with you. Some parents have been replying to all the questions, and others to less. Obviously, the more replies the better, but I also want to respect your time. Your response length can range from a few sentences to a few paragraphs to the next great American novel. Your choice.

Bonus points for any very specific stories, memories, or anecdotes that will truly touch the hearts of or serve as quite illustrative examples for the reader.

Your spouse can of course join you to answer any questions, and I encourage that.

In addition, sometimes our children see blind spots we have that we didn’t realize existed, or have interesting and helpful perspectives on these matters, so I am totally cool with you including your child/childrens’ perspective in your replies, meaning that if you want to run any of these questions by your child/children to see what they would also throw in, you can totally feel free to do that. Hey, it’s an extra excuse to engage in meaningful conversation with your offspring, right?

IMPORTANT: This form is a bit long, so if at any time you want to stop, just scroll down to the bottom and click on the “save and continue later” button. A link to the form will be sent to your email, and when you are ready to resume, you can simply click on that link.

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The following question is your humble-brag moment to establish credibility and fill the reader in your own history as a parent, along with explaining why you think your kids are pretty darn special.

1. How many children do you have, how old are they, what is their profession or passion, and why, in particular, are you proud of them?

The next set of questions will allow you to describe your basic parenting approach, especially anything outside-the-box (be as specific as you’d like) or that you think may be lesser-known parenting principles or tactics you have incorporated as a parent, especially including those that may be unique or, at least, less mainstream.

2. Were there any elements of your parenting approach that you would consider to be particularly unique?

3. What books, systems, models, or resources did you rely heavily upon or consider to be indispensable in your own parenting?

4. What traditions, habits, routines, or rituals were most important, memorable or formative for your family?

5. What rites of passage or significant moments of maturation to adolescence or adulthood did your children experience, if any?

6. Who did you look up to as parenting mentors?

7. What did you teach your children about raising their own children?

8. Did or do you have any philosophies or strategies for educating your children outside of traditional school, such as homeschooling, unschooling, self-directed education or other alternative, creative or outside-the-box forms of education?

9. What was your proudest moment as a parent, and why?

The next set of questions are meant to allow you to express angst, frustration, warning or caution - not in a negative or depressing manner per se, but rather with grateful reflection.

10. What do you wish you had known before you first became a parent?

11. Did you ever have imposter syndrome as a parent, and if so, how did you cope with that?

12. How did you tackle mentorship and passing on wisdom with not "living vicariously" through your children?

13. Did you ever have any big parenting decisions that kept you awake at night worrying or that you were afraid you would mess up on as a parent?

14. What do you regret, if anything, from your experience as a parent?

15. What was the biggest mistake you think you may have made as a parent?

16. What, if anything, from your parenting experience would you go back and change or improve?

17. If you had multiple children, what did you think was right at the time with one child that you then went back and changed with the next child or future children?

18. Did you sense or fear that, based on any outside-the-box approaches you used as a parent, that your children would grow up too different or weird? How did you deal with that?

18. Did you ever differ with your spouse on parenting principles, techniques or approaches, and if so, how did you manage that?

20. Warning: this question is a long one, but - as you will see - interesting/important: As a parent, have you ever ever experienced angst, frustration or impatience when you discovered a new and important book, teaching, resource, method, etc. and wanted to share it with your children so they could learn that same wisdom or skill early in their life for their future impact and success, but at the same time, you knew or sensed it could threaten to “overload” them with too much, especially at their age? For example, did you ever wrestle with the notion that introducing your child to cryptocurrency investing, breathwork, those three great philosophy books you read last month, the new recipe you’ve just discovered, etc. could distract your child from enjoying just “being a kid” and, say, building a tree fort in the backyard, throwing snowballs, or reading a comic book? If so, how do you deal with the balance of passing valuable knowledge and wisdom onto your child while at the same time not creating a scenario in which that child is worried too much about or distracted too much by a constant stream of “information” and “adulting”? How do or did you decide when to just “let a kid be a kid” versus nudging them towards responsible adulthood and the attainment of valuable wisdom?

The next set of questions are based upon time management and/or incorporation of activities or priorities outside of parenting.

21. How did you find enough time to balance being a present and engaged parent with time for your own self-care, career or other interests that, frankly, may not have included your children?

22. How did you engage in one-on-one time or create space for dedicated, present time with your child, especially if you had more than one child?

23. If your children have grown up and moved out of your house, what strategies have you found most helpful to maintain and grow your relationship with them?

24. If your children have grown up and moved out of your house, do you often miss them, fear for them, or think of them, and, if so, how have you coped with any loneliness or desire you may have for their presence?

The next set of questions tackle more of the boots-on-the-ground, nitty-gritty, practical aspects of being a parent.

25. Did you have non-negotiable rules for your children?

26. Did you discipline your children, and if so, how?

27. How did you handle helping your child establish responsible, moderated or conscientious consumption or use of books, media, entertainment, screen time and social media? (yes, yes, that’s not my favorite question but it seems to be a question that many, many parents ask these days, so I’d be remiss not to include it)

28. Did you emphasize or encourage any health, fitness or healthy eating principles with your children, and if so, what seemed to work well?

The next set of hypothesizing and dreaming questions are questions that you are free to run by your children and report back their replies, or simply for you to use your own imagination to reply to.

29. If your child or children could inscribe anything on your gravestone, what would you wish and hope that they would write, particularly what you’d want to them to most remember about you or remember you for?

30. What do you most want to be remembered for as a parent?

31. What do you think your child or children say is their fondest memory of being raised by you?

Oh yes, and one final fun question:

32. What one message for parents would you put on a billboard?

Anything else you want to share - particularly information, wisdom, insight or thoughts you'd like to express within the pages of the parenting book?

If available, please upload your bio here.

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Or you can just send me a link to your best bio.

And lastly, please upload your high resolution headshot photo here, or you can opt to send me via e-mail.

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Parenting Book Interview Questions

Thank you for opting to send your answers through this form.

For each of the questions below – all of which are optional to reply to – you can feel free to be as long or short in your replies as you please.

Bonus points for any very specific stories, memories, or anecdotes that will truly touch the hearts of or serve as quite illustrative examples for the reader.

Your spouse can of course join you to answer any questions, and I encourage that.

IMPORTANT: This form is a bit long, so if at any time you want to stop, just scroll down to the bottom and click on the “save and continue later” button. A link to the form will be sent to your email, and when you are ready to resume, you can simply click on that link.

Thank you!