Interview With Walker Lamond, Author of 'Rules for My Newborn Daughter'

Walker Lamond’s first book, Rules for My Unborn Son was based on his blog of a similar name. He recently released a follow-up, Rules for My Newborn Daughter, in which he shares hilarious “pearls of wisdom” such as, “Don’t pawn your grandmother’s jewelry” and “Practice safe selfies.”

Do you have a favorite rule or piece of parenting advice? For you? Your kids? I think I come from the paint-inside-the-lines school of parenting. I tell my kids that if you’re the kind of person that respects dress codes and knows what the little fork is for, you’ll be given more liberty to be the life of the party. As a parent I just have to remind myself every day to be patient, kind, and silly. And not throw shoes. 

Do your kids follow these rules? I’m lucky if they leave the house with shoes.

Have you experienced a difference in parenting boys vs. girls? Universally? No, I don’t think so. Kids learn from your example. Which is why I probably use these books more as manuals for being a better dad than I do as rulebooks for raising better kids. That being said, my son is way more susceptible to bribes.

Do you think parents should collect their own sets of rules for their kids? Absolutely! These books were imagined as conversations with my own kids and are specific to my own experiences growing up. There’s plenty in there that some parents will disagree with, and I love it when readers give the rules their own spin or take to Twitter to tell me how wrong I am. I think writing down your own rules for your kids is a great way not just to keep your little angels in line, but also to pass down your own experiences and institutional knowledge about how to live a fun, fulfilling life.