Meet Elizabeth Pantley

Elizabeth Pantley with her family

Unless you are nowhere near wanting to have children yet, or you are still pregnant with your first child, chances are high that you have heard about Elizabeth Pantley. And if you are a mom, dad, grand parent or even work in day care, make sure you remember her name.

My first encounter with Elizabeth Pantley's books when I was on the brink of going insane from lack of sleep. Our daughter woke up every hour to breastfeed and I was exhausted beyond imagination.

That's when I found her book The No-Cry Sleep Solution and life got a lot easier. Not that my baby immediately slept through the night. But I had a plan. And ways to help my baby. And to follow her progress. On her first birthday she did sleep through the night for the first time. Happily. NO Cry-it-out, no trauma. Just a comfortably sleeping baby (and mom!)

Personally I love Elizabeth's thinking regarding raising children, and it is very close to my own beliefs and what I tend to give as advice here at Easy Baby Life too.

Want to meet the woman? Here she is - at least in writing :-)

Enjoy the interview!

1. Your first book The No-Cry Sleep Solution was published in 2002 and has since then been a major best seller and been translated to many languages. How has your life changed since you became a best-selling author?

There is definitely a great amount of responsibility that comes along with this job. As an example, I receive several hundred reader emails each and every month and feel a responsibility to answer these questions and help these parents. Obviously that takes a great amount of time! Yet I feel tremendous joy with every reader who writes me with thanks and a success story.

2. You have published 9 books so far, offering valuable advice to parents. Which of your own advice do you find the hardest to follow when you are tired, stressed out, angry et cetera?

This section from The No-Cry Discipline Solution really explains how I sometimes feel - which I understand is common for anyone who carries a label as a parenting "expert":

"The last are of skewed expectations has to do with our vision of how we should be as a parent. We often set high goals for ourselves without even being aware that we are doing so. These goals are created based on our views of our own parents and of our education through observation of other parents plus studies through reading or classes. We might wholeheartedly agree with the fundamentals of positive parenting techniques, for example, and plan to use rational, well-intentioned parenting skills to raise our children. Yet, there are times when we end up begging, threatening, or bribing and failing at the techniques we so believe in."

Of course I tell parents that you could be totally committed to your child from the moment of birth and be a truly magnificent, spectacular, utterly faultless saint, and your child would still misbehave. The truth is: ALL children misbehave. ALL children make mistakes. ALL children will have temper tantrums, whine and fuss. Because ALL children are human beings, and to be human is to be fallible - to make mistakes. I know that when a child fails to behave, is not a reflection of a parent's lack of commitment or skill, and it's not an indication that the child is lacking in any way. It is simply a facet of our humanness. Yet, it's still hard to deal with this in my own household!

3. How would your children describe you as a mother?

As requested by a bunch of people... I "interviewed" my 9-year-old son, Coleton, using the popular group of questions that are circulating on the internet.

So, in his own words:

1. What is something mom always says to you?
I love you.

2. What makes mom happy?
Chores being done, and birthdays and Christmas and hugs.

3. What makes mom sad?
Chores not being done. 4. How does your mom make you laugh?
Says funny things and when she laughs at my jokes.

5. What was your mom like as a child?
Slightly mischievous and really happy.

6. How old is your mom?
50

7. How tall is your mom?
Not much taller than me.

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Read.

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Work.

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Being an author and helping parents.

11. What is your mom really good at?
Writing books and telling her kids that she loves them.

12. What is your mom NOT very good at?
Riding a scooter.

13. What does your mom do for her job?
Write books that help parents.

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
Lobster.

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
Her care.

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Sponge Bob's Grandma.

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Ride bikes and pick apples and play.

18. How are you and your mom the same?
We both like bike riding and we both care about our friends and we are both happy virtually all the time.

19. How are you and your mom different?
She's short for her age and I'm tall for my age.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Because she says it and because she takes care of me.

4. Which is the biggest success in your life so far?

Definitely watching my children grow into such amazing people. It has been the most fulfilling and empowering feeling as they all make such a positive impact on this world.

5. What are you the most proud of about yourself?

I'm most proud of the ten books I have written for parents. With every letter I receive from a reader it fills me with an amazing feeling of joy that my work can improve the lives of families all over the world.
6. If you would have to pick a completely different profession, what would it be?

I believe I'm doing exactly what I was meant to do and can't imagine myself in any other place!
7. What is your motto in life?

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change those things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

8. I know you have ideas for several more books. Will we ever see the "No-Fighting Marriage Solution" or the "No-Fuss-Doing-The-Housework-Hubby Solution"? That is, have you considered writing about any other relationships than between parents and children?

Those ideas definitely come up many times! Whenever I am ready to write a new book I always survey my readers and ask what they would like, so I suspect these are possibilities!
9. And last, what exciting new projects are you working on right now? Anything that will be official soon?

My newest book is available from March 2010: The No-Cry Separation Anxiety Solution - Gentle Ways to Make Good-bye Easy from Six Months to Six Years.

Almost every child suffers some sort of anxiety during their first six years of life. Babies cry when grandparents hold them, toddlers cling to mommy's leg, children weep when their parent leaves them at daycare, at school, or to go to work. This can cause frustration and stress in an already too-busy day and can break a parent's heart. In this book I help parents to identify the source of anxiety and offer simple but proven solutions.

In this exciting addition to the No-Cry series, we even include a free "magic" bracelet inside the book as a special tool for children to feel close to their parents-even when they're not together. This successful method gives anxious children something to remind them their parents aren't too far away-instantly providing them with the comfort and reassurance they need.

Now, anyone got inspired check out Elizabeth's books? You can read my personal review of the No-Cry Sleep Solution here.

Or check out all of her books here:

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