#MomCrush Monday: Meet Bonnie Wallace, Author of We Can Books 

1.)   You are the mother of Emmy Award winning actress and Columbia recording artist Dove Cameron and top Hollywood singing coach Claire Hosterman. How did you help your children to navigate safe, successful careers in Hollywood? 

I think we as parents need to accept that our children’s lives are shaped in large part by their own actions, and some amount of luck… you can be a “good parent” and things may not always work out. Equally, some “bad parents” may have wonderful, successful children. It’s just not entirely down to us as parents. But I personally believe we must do our best with our kids, to give them the very best chance in life. That’s our real responsibility.

I’ve always tried to model the value of integrity for my kids. Talent may be your ticket in the door, but once you’re in, your character becomes a large part of whether you succeed over time. This is true for most careers of course, but in Hollywood, where everyone is basically one degree of separation away from everyone else, your integrity and work ethic are especially critical. In terms of safety, I’ve always counselled my daughters to trust their gut instincts. Our subconscious is tracking a lot more information than our conscious minds, and usually has the bigger picture. Listen to your gut, it’s rarely wrong.

2.)  What advice can you give other parents with children aspiring to break into the business?

Make sure it’s something they consistently want, and for the right reasons. They need to LOVE performing, so much that all the rejection and heartbreak is worth it. If they just want to be famous, gently guide them in a different direction. Start where you are now; get them involved in the school play, local community theatre, or acting classes. Go as far as you can locally before you contemplate making a move to Los Angeles. Finally, learn everything you can about how the business really works so you can be a true advocate for your child, and make good choices on their behalf. My book The Hollywood Parents Guide is an excellent resource for parents of young actors.

3.) You’re in the process of launching your new phonics-based book series app for kids, We Can Books, a must-have for parents who are helping their kids learn to read. What made you decide to bring something like this to market?  

I’ve always been passionate about reading, and it is clear that being a strong reader has made a huge difference in the course of my life, as well as my children’s lives. Learning how to read early and well can set you on the path of success for both school and for life. Sadly, the reverse can be equally true; struggling with reading leads to trouble with school, which leads to a whole host of difficulties in life. This is why teaching kids to read is so critical. 

We Can Books uniquely combines phonics word sets with family photos uploaded from your phone, to create a one-of-a-kind hardcover book your child will want to open again and again. The combination of familiar images with phonics creates an emotional connection that engages kids, and captures their imagination, helping to fuse their recall of the sounds and letters. It’s fun, intuitive, and powerful. My girls learned how to read with this same approach, and they loved it. They wouldn’t possibly have the success they have now without being excellent readers. I want every kid to have the same opportunity.

4.) Not only are you bringing awareness to child literacy, but you’ll be donating 10% of your annual profits to support Children’s Literacy Programs. Can you share with us your motivation behind this and why it’s so important for you to give back to the community?

We Can Books is born out of a deep desire to make the world a better place. And while I wish every family might have the resources to create a set of custom phonics books to get their child off to a great start, I realize that we can’t reach everyone. So we hope to reach some of those kids another way, through sharing 10% of our profits with nonprofit groups who have a great track record in supporting children’s literacy, such as Room to Read, Reading is Fundamental, and The World Literacy Foundation.

5.) What is your favorite song lyric? Why?

That’s so tough!! Maybe a lyric from Joni Mitchell’s Amelia:

People will tell you where they’ve gone
They’ll tell you where to go
But till you get there yourself you never really know

Amelia is a beautiful, haunting song about love, loss, and Amelia Earhart. This lyric is resonant for me in many ways, but especially as I get older. It’s just true. Whatever life looks like from the outside—or is reported to be—it will be different for you. It will be its own thing. And whatever that is, it can’t be what you imagined, it’s singular. You can hold that idea all kinds of different ways, but I find it comforting.