Danielle Frank – Wine, Wisdom, and the Art of Parenting

In this episode of Mostly Me, Occasionally Wise, I sit down with author Danielle Frank to talk about her unique journey from the world of Miramax and Hollywood storytelling to writing A Wine Lover's Guide to Parenting.

Danielle shares how her experiences in the entertainment industry shaped her approach to storytelling, why she decided to write a parenting-themed book despite not being a parent herself, and what she's learned from observing families, relationships, and life from a different perspective.

Along the way, expect laughs, life lessons, Hollywood stories, parenting insights, and a reminder that sometimes the best way to navigate life's challenges is with a little humor and a lot of perspective.

Thanks for listening to Mostly Me, Occasionally Wise.

If this episode meant something to you, take a second to follow the show, leave a rating, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. That’s how this podcast grows.

Join the group on Facebook by clicking the link below!

https://www.facebook.com/me/

Have a question, story, or topic idea?
 Email the show at mostlymecontact@gmail.com

(By emailing the show, you agree your message may be read on a future episode unless you request otherwise.)

Until next time — stay mostly you, and occasionally wise.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Mostly me occasionally wise, and this week we're doing something a little different. I have a guest on the show, Miss Danielle Frank. She is the author of A Wine Lover's Guide to Parenting. We talk about her book, we talk about her years in Hollywood and everything in between. I hope you enjoy the show as much as I enjoyed interviewing her. And remember to stay mostly you occasionally wise. Enjoy the show. Welcome to Mostly Me Occasionally Wise. And today I have a very special guest, Miss Danielle Franks, who is the author of A Wine Lover's Guide to Parenting. How are you doing today?

SPEAKER_00 0:41

I'm great, thank you. How are you doing? Thanks for having me on.

SPEAKER_02 0:44

Oh, I'm doing good. I'm doing good. I just celebrated Father's Day, and it was amazing as always. My kids are really good about giving me really cool gifts. So I know you've been doing a lot of traveling. Have you recovered to that from that? Are you still traveling or how's that going?

SPEAKER_00 1:00

I'm finally home for a while, which well, I say that, although I'm heading to Vegas for a quick little weekend this weekend, but then I am home for a while, which I'm very excited about.

SPEAKER_02 1:11

Yes, that's awesome. That's awesome. Well, it's cool.

SPEAKER_00 1:13

It's always nice to be home.

SPEAKER_02 1:14

Oh, yeah, definitely, definitely, especially after long trips that you've been taking. So let's get into it. So you started out at Miramax, and obviously before becoming an author, you know, how did that how did that come about? And obviously, it's just more than just handing in an application and going there. It's probably pretty extensive. So just tell me how you got on at Mirimax.

SPEAKER_00 1:37

Yeah, I mean, I was, you know, when I I grew up in New York and I'd always wanted to be in the film industry. You know, my my niece just graduated college now, and I always say now it's like, I don't know, we just I feel like there weren't as many tools as what's available to them today to like understand like what's really involved in jobs. All I knew is I wanted to work in the entertainment industry. And Mirimax was the only major studio in New York. So for me, it was Mirimax or nothing. And and this is when Mirimax was in its heyday as well. So yeah, during college, I started, I got an internship at a talent PR firm. So that kind of gave me a little bit of entertainment experience in the PR realm. And so yeah, when I graduated, it was just didn't know what I wanted to do at Miramax. I just wanted to be there. And luckily enough, there was a role that opened up in the enter in the international PR department. Somebody I went to college with, worked in the domestic PR department. So, you know, obviously it helps to have a leg, you know, a foot in the door of somebody that can pass your resume along and recommend you. And then having had that PR experience during my internships in summer, you know, certainly gave me a little leg up as well. And yeah, I got the job and it was incredible, you know, living and working in New York City in your 20s, working it, as I said, Mirimax was in its heyday. Uh, it was it was the time of my life, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_02 3:04

That's awesome. So for those that are listening who don't know a whole lot about Mirimac, because Mirimax, you you don't hear their name a lot, especially anymore, but they are an American film and television producer, a producing company, and they've done films such as the Newer Halloween franchise, Goodwill Hunting, Reservoir Dog, Pulp Fiction, just to name a few. Their list was incredibly long. I was actually impressed with some of the movies they had their hands in. So, with your role working in international PR, what was the most exciting part about that? Is there anything that just stands out or was it just all just incredible?

SPEAKER_00 3:42

I mean, of course, you know, it's a job like anything else, right? So there's certainly, you know, days of paperwork and things like that. But yeah, I mean, you know, international PR, we we would take the films with the talent to all the major international film festivals. So Berlin Film Festival, Cannes, Venice, Deauville. We would do press tours. So I've been so fortunate to be able to go on so many of these press tours, go to all these film festivals, traveling with the talent, you know, seeing the world, promoting these films. I mean, there's yeah, there's there's so many amazing experiences that I got to experience for sure.

SPEAKER_02 4:21

That's cool. I I can guarantee feel that it would probably be pretty hard to narrow down one thing. So working, you know, behind the scenes and stuff, what's what's one misconception that people would be surprised to learn about the the Hollywood industry as far as behind what goes on behind the scenes?

SPEAKER_00 4:38

Well, misconception, I mean, you know, there's a couple things I'd say. It's like I said, you know, it's not all glitz and glamour, right? There's a lot of just mundane stuff that goes behind it, even just film shoots. Like I've, you know, I've I've been on set and you know, one 20-second, one or you know, minute-long scene can take hours to shoot. It can be very mundane and boring. And then I, you know, I don't know if this is necessarily a misconception, but you know, I think also, you know, I've worked with so many celebrities, and there are some people that are great and some people that are not great. And I won't say who the people that are that aren't great, but you know, I think you know, people hold celebrities to such this high regard, and I'm always like, they're they're human beings, just like you and me. Like, doesn't make them better or worse. Like we're all just human beings, you know. Of course, we we idolize them as we you know, think of them in this character, but some of them are not so great. So, you know, don't deserve to be put on a pedestal.

SPEAKER_02 5:38

Oh, it definitely won't get into that, but my it kind of leads into my next question because I mean everybody has off days, but yeah, you're right. Some people are just not nice people. So you've worked, obviously, you've seen a lot of celebrities, been around a lot of celebrities. Is there any celebrity that just stands out that you were just like, oh, this is really cool. I'm I'm having an outer body experience or I'm just nerding out because I'm finally getting to meet, you know, that one actor I've always wanted to meet.

SPEAKER_00 6:06

Well, okay, so I'll answer that twofold. That experience, like the the pinnacle of like meeting who I'm gonna meet, didn't happen when I was at Miramax. It happened just like two weeks ago.

SPEAKER_01 6:17

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 6:17

I now work in the wine and spirits industry. I'm very fortunate to work for a company called Moet Hennessy.

SPEAKER_01 6:23

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 6:24

And one of our blan brands, Glenn Maranji, is has been doing a collaboration with Harrison Ford.

SPEAKER_01 6:29

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 6:30

And so we just did a launch event the other day, and I got to meet him, and that I think was like the pent's ultimate experience. Yeah. Like, you know, Han Solo, Indiana Jones. That was very cool. So I think that was the best, and that just happened a few weeks ago. But I will say one of my favorite celebrities from my time with Merrimax was Samuel L. Jackson, just the nicest, greatest human being. That was one of my first work trips. We traveled for a Tarantino film called Jackie Brown, went to the film festival, and he was just the nicest guy, just wanted to hang out with us. And then years later, many years later, like five or so years later, I was at the Deauville Film Festival with the movie Scary Movie. Okay. And Sam was there getting a lifetime achievement award. And so, you know, we reached out to his assistant, who's also his friend, his assistant at the time. I don't know if he still is. And we are like, Leonard, we're all here, like whatever. If you guys want to come to our scary movie party. And and Sam came and just, you know, whether he did or didn't remember us all from the Jackie Brown trip, he seemed, you know, he, but he I think he really did. Like he really just takes the time to, you know, get to know and remember the people who are, you know, he's surrounded with and working with. And, you know, for somebody who's constantly on steps and meeting all new people, he's it was very gracious. And I think he's one of the greatest people to work with.

SPEAKER_02 7:54

Oh man, I am super jealous. Like, I love Harrison Ford, just about anything I've seen him in. And obviously, you know, when you think Harrison Ford, you think of Indiana Jones and Han Solo, and it's just that's just so cool to me. That's just awesome. So looking back, you know, with all your experiences at Miramax, how does that how did that help shape who you are today as far as an author and working in the line and and Brits and everything like that?

SPEAKER_00 8:22

Yeah, I mean, I think it's you know, I've I've learned I learned early on with Miramax that everything is about essentially about storytelling, right? Like, you know, in film you're telling a story. Even when, you know, I was thinking about this, I you know, when you asked the question about misconception, I don't know if there's a misconception, but you know, what we did was we were an international PR. So a lot of these festivals that we'd go to, like Cannes, they're also film markets. So Mirimax Films doesn't distribute internationally. So our head of international, he would go to these film markets and that's where he would meet with all of our international distributors and sell them our project, right? So you know, is uh what I find the most interesting is, you know, when you see a movie trailer, I think that's some of the hardest work that there is that people don't realize, the people that put together the trailers. Because, you know, it can be the worst movie in the world, but when they put together this trailer, you know, this minute-long, two-minute long trailer, it can look like the greatest thing on the planet. And so, you know, the key for our international team was to sell like to sell the movie before it came out, right? If it came out in the States in a bond, then it was a lot harder to sell the international rights for it. But at these film markets, they would put together the most unbelievable trailers and the international distributors would see this and think it's gonna be great and you know, buy the film. And yeah, I think the people that work on the trailers are the the most incredible because they really sell the story, you know. But so that's what I learned early on. It's about storytelling, it's about selling the image of what you want them to believe the film is. When we're promoting it, it's you know, you know, the actors are storytelling, right? They're they're they're selling an image of the character that they're embodying. And then when I moved into Wine and Spirits, you know, I kind of transitioned rather quickly. I I moved to LA. There were no studio jobs, so I was working for a personal PR firm. And I quickly realized that's not for me. No disrespect to people that do it. I'm not a yes man or a babysitter. And this company that I worked for was just a little bit of a toxic environment. So I quit without having another job, which is also very, it's very unlike man, very type A. And so I fell into this role in wine and spirits, and I thought it'd be temporary. Um, now here I am 22 years later. Um, but I remember my interview with Bacardi, a USA, where I first worked for 10 years in the industry. They, my boss was like, You came from film, you know, like you're not in wine and spirits, you know, in sales and marketing, things like that. And I just remember saying, like, everything is storytelling, everything is sales, right? Before I was telling a story of, you know, believing in the character and the film. And now it's storytelling about, you know, our brands and the history and the romanticism of it all. And then, you know, leading into writing, which I've I've always loved doing, you know, sort of on the side and finally brought one of my projects to fruition. Um, it's all about storytelling, right? Engaging with consumers in a way that, you know, that resonates with what they want to hear, what they want to see, what they want to believe. Yeah, everything in life is a story.

SPEAKER_02 11:41

Oh, that you know, that's a very good point you brought up about the movie trailers. You don't ever think about how much work really goes into it and how, you know, there have been some movies that I saw, you know, the trailer, and I'm like, oh, this is gonna be the greatest movie ever. And then of course, you know, you go see the movie and you're like, you know, how what was the disconnect from what I saw from the trailer to the movie? And it's really, you know, you don't really think about that very often. How you're sold before you even go see the movies, just by the trailer alone.

SPEAKER_00 12:10

Uh oh, yeah, they do they do the hardest work. And I mean, they should almost like that should be a new category in the in the awards. You know, I think they added stunts recently. It should be the people that do the trailers because they're really dissecting down into you know a two-minute story and you know, creating the desire to go see this film and mixing it with some you know, music. Like I find it fascinating. I think it's phenomenal.

SPEAKER_02 12:34

Yeah. Oh, that's so cool. Yeah, awesome that you brought that up. So let's talk about the book. So, first things first, what inspired you to write a wine wine lover's guide to parenting?

SPEAKER_00 12:46

So, this all came about rather uh well, with a bunch of reasons. So I one, I love writing. I have like this creative outlet. I've always been working on lots of projects, you know, and I just I've always had this maternal instinct and I care about the way kids are raised and who they become. And unfortunately, as we see, especially as social media has become more prevalent, we see, you know, a lot of negative things going on, you know, kids bullying each other, kids at a young age, like taking their own lives. I mean, that's the most disconcerting thing to me. I don't know. When I was 11, 12, you didn't hear about kids taking their own lives. Like it's it's awful. And you know, the bullying has gotten out of hand. And so I initially started with a project that a children's book series that's made for kids. I love to rhyme, I'm good at it. So this series was all about like each book, the character goes off to another country and meets a kid his age, and it all rhymes and he's learning about their culture. And at the end of every book, it talks about, you know, like little Johnny Zach backed into his bed, and he realizes, you know, we all we all sleep under the same star skies. We may look different, we may talk different, we may eat different foods, dress differently, but we're all human beings and it doesn't make one person right. So my goal with that is really trying to reach kids at a young age to learn, you know, you know, not to discriminate and so forth. So I'd been working on that uh on this side, and but at about 14 years ago or 15 years ago, a book came out called Go the F to Sleep. If you're a parent, you might be familiar with it. So it it went viral, right? And it opened the door for this new genre of adult children's book. And so at this time, one I broke off an engagement. My fiance has two kids from his first marriage, and ultimately I realized he really didn't want more kids, even though he said he would have a kid. I really wanted to be a mom. And so I realized he didn't want more kids, and so I broke it off. So, you know, at this point, I'm feeling, you know, like this path of motherhood might not happen for me, but that doesn't mean the nurturing or the desire to nurture goes away.

SPEAKER_01 15:00

Right.

SPEAKER_00 15:00

Also at this time, my niece and nephew were very young. I was watching them, I'm very close with them, and even though they're great kids, of course, every kid has the propensity to whine a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 15:09

Right, right.

SPEAKER_00 15:10

So I they were whining about something, and I said, Aunt Danielle drinks wine, she doesn't listen to wine. And so it all kind of clicked together. Like I said, you know, Go The After Sleep just came out. I was like, you know what? You know, instead of maybe creating this project of the children's book series, which that was very time consuming, right? It's like each book is a different culture, and I wanted to try and package up 10 books. I was like, how, you know, I thought it would be so fun to do an adult children's book aimed at, you know, reaching the new parent or the young parent before the kid may even be born or when they're young, just relating wine terminology to human behavior and how to raise your kids, all related to wine terminology. And then also, you know, in the book, every time I used wine terminology, it gives the definition. So it, you know, became my homage to parents, to wanting to uh have a seat at the table to how kids are raised well, but also educate consumers on wine. As as we said, I work in the wine and spirits industry. I love making wine knowledge accessible and easy and fun. So this kind of put it all together to make it a one-stop shop of a humor book, but also, you know, a poignance, you know, uh guide to raising your kid well. And and, you know, it's it's not about you know, a parenting manual, right? You know, some people say, you know, I'm not actually a parent, but you don't need to be a parent in a human behavior. It's just a human, humorous look at human behavior at relationships, the lessons we learn from watching families, children, adults interact. So whether you're a parent, an aunt, an uncle, a bonus parent as I was for many years, or simply someone who's ever dealt with, you know, another human being, you can see yourself and others in in all these situations.

SPEAKER_02 16:58

Right. So it's it's just awesome. So when writing this book, and being that you're not a parent yourself, obviously, was there any hesitation with writing it, or was this clearly obviously something you've always just wanted to do? Like, you know, because I know there's a lot of outside noise from sort of some parents that are like, well, you're not a parent, you can't relate to these kind of things. Was there any of that noise? And did it interfere with the writing of this book?

SPEAKER_00 17:25

No, because I think, you know, because it's a humor book, it's written like a children's book, it's illustrated, right? I'm not, I'm not claiming to be, you know, Dr. Danielle Frank. I it's like it's it's a humor book. And also, you know, as I said, like I was a bonus mom for many years to my ex's kids. I'm just engaged with my niece and nephews' lives. I'm Aunt Danielle to so many friends' kids.

SPEAKER_01 17:48

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:49

And, you know, I you know, I always say I see parents, you know, being on the sidelines, I sort of get the best seat in the house, right? I get to witness the triumphs, the chaos, the tantrums, you know, all without the 3 a.m. wake-up calls and the carpool duty. And and I've seen parents trade war stories like battle-hardened soldiers on the battlefield. And and sometimes when you're in it, it's not so easy to see, you know, what's right in front of you.

SPEAKER_01 18:13

Right.

SPEAKER_00 18:13

And, you know, my friends, I was even out with my friends last night, who their son Hudson, I'm Aunt Danielle too. And and they was, you know, they say it's like it's the village around you. And and sometimes when you're when when you're deep in it, you know, it it helps to have the village perspective on things. And it's not from a judgmental place, it comes from a place of love and wanting, you know, wanting the best for for their kid. And, you know, again, it's you know, I'm it's not everything in the book is like teach your kids manners, uh, and teach them about not bullying. So you don't need to be a parent to know basic human, you know, decency and behavior.

unknown 18:50

Right.

SPEAKER_02 18:50

It's a good point you bring up the village because a lot of parents don't realize how important perspective is, and you bring that up in your book. Like for in my example, you know, we have three kids in different phases of life, having a four, thirteen, and nineteen-year-old. And, you know, having everyone, we do a church small group every Wednesday night, and having everyone bring their kids, and it just you you realize your kids are like sponges at certain ages, at all ages, to be honest with you. And just having something or someone say something that, oh, I may have not thought about that, or why don't I approach it the way they suggest it? It really is important to have a really good and I'm trying to think of the word, just motivational and just be there for you type of village. And that's very, very good point that you brought up. So I have to ask, which lesson in the book is your personal favorite?

SPEAKER_00 19:44

Well, you know, choosing a lesson that's my favorites, that's like choosing your favorite child. So I don't have an I don't have an absolute favorite. One, but one I do love, one of my favorites that I get a good response to is there's a chapter called about is your kid a mold wine? And I've gotten some great responses from that. Because a mold wine, if you're familiar with it, it's heated, you add spices to it, it's sometimes served in a punch bowl. So it's, you know, so this relates to you don't want your kids to be heated, spiced, packing a punch. You don't want them to be a bully. And as we said before, you know, it's just bullying has gotten out of hand. And that's, you know, it's just so disheartening to see what's going on out there. And so many moms have said to me that I've I've done some podcasts with some moms, and I remember one of the first podcasts I did, she said that resonated with her the most because, you know, it I saw this with my stepmother and her son that she had with my father. It was always like, not my kid, not my kid. But you know, and I and I get it, right? You don't want to believe it's your kid, but you know, this this first podcast I did, she said, you know, that resonated with her because she did get some feedback that her son was, you know, being a little aggressive at school. And you don't want to believe it, but it makes you just think a little bit like, huh, maybe it is my kid. And if so, then I need to nip it in the bud now. And so I love that. I love that feedback because, you know, of course we want to, you know, believe our kids are great, but you know, that's the whole idea of this is like do it while it's young, nip the bad behaviors while it's while they're young so they grow up to be, you know, a beautiful woman, a beautiful bottle of wine, you know. So yeah, I you know, I I like the messaging with that for sure.

SPEAKER_02 21:29

Okay. So with everything that you you put in this book, one thing that a lot of parents do is put a lot of pressure on themselves. Why do you think that is? Why do you think that parents, especially in this day and age, just feel like they have to put so much pressure and have so many, you know, so many high expectations as far as when it comes to raising kids?

SPEAKER_00 21:50

Of course. I mean, parents, you have the hardest job in the world, right? You know, it's you're balancing parenting, your own life. You know, many people are balancing work as Well, it's, you know, and you have this job to create this human being and shape who they become, the future, future generations, right? And that is a lot of pressure. You know, it's a lot of pressure to get it right or seemingly get it right. You know, it's it's the hardest job. But I think that's why, you know, you know, for me, I at least that's why I put together this book is I think humor is sometimes a bridge. You know, it's it's my homage to, you know, telling parents they're seen and you know, have a little laugh and levity in it because it is. It's a hard, heavy job, but obviously it's the most rewarding job, especially, you know, to say you, you know, you shape these human beings that grow up to, you know, be future contributors to our society.

SPEAKER_02 22:44

Very much so. So, with obviously the pressure and everything that parents put on themselves, what's something that you feel that parents don't celebrate enough as far as the stress of being a parent?

SPEAKER_00 22:57

You know, they they probably don't celebrate the small wins, right? You know, it's they put so much pressure on themselves to, you know, to gotta get my kid in college or this. But it's just the little things too, right? Like I don't know. I mean, hopefully, hopefully parents are celebrating this. Like hopefully they're celebrating when they see their son, you know, open the door for an old lady or or son or daughter when they're holding the door open or just just exhibiting everyday manners. I think, I think that's the most important thing. But it's, you know, celebrating the little things, not only just about their their kids that they're raising, but about the parents that they've become too.

SPEAKER_02 23:38

Right, right. So one of my favorite topics you really touch is the releasing perfectionism. You talk about, you know, things don't go as planned when it comes to parenthood, unrealistic expectations think can create stress, flexibility, or leads to greater joy. I obviously can relate because I have a 13-year-old who has ADHD or ADHD, and when it came to understanding him, obviously had all these unrealistic expectations because I was uneducated when it came to you know his diagnosis. So that that one really stood out to me and it means a lot to me. So appreciate you. Of course, everything in this book is great. So now I have some fun questions. Sure. So if parenting were a wine, what would the tasting notes say? And I'm curious about this one.

SPEAKER_00 24:30

The tasting notes, well, you know, I I would say like parenting with wine turn, you know, it's tannins, terror, structure, balance. It all contributes to you know, to raising kids as well. It takes structure and it's balance, right? Letting your kids breathe, having a long finish, right? You know, these are all things that relate to to wine growing, wine terminology in kids as well. But real quick, I just wanted to say one thing that you were saying about like what you appreciated about, you know, it doesn't always go your way.

SPEAKER_01 25:08

Right, right.

SPEAKER_00 25:08

I just want to say, like, what I've learned is just just in life, I've gone through so many transitions of, you know, trading in switching industries, you know, breaking off an engagement, not becoming a parent when I thought that's the path that would happen for me. So I think that's the whole point is we all need to fall to learn to get back up, no matter what that is. You know, it's it's every transition has taught me discernment, self-trust, patience. And, you know, I don't know about you, but I, you know, uh there there isn't one. I always say there's not one yellow brick road that leads to us. There's lots lots of paths along the way. And the most important thing is is that every is knowing that every transition gives you information. And what matters most is whether you use it. So as you said, like there, you know, there wasn't a rule book to how to deal with, you know, kids with ADHD or things like that is, you know, but you learned along the way, and as long as you're taking the lesson forward, you know, nothing's wasted. Everything is, you know, every every pivot, every transition, every new chapter is the curriculum, right? It's giving you information for your future.

SPEAKER_02 26:16

So wow, it's just awesome. So the parenting, what parenting stage would be considered a fine vintage wine?

SPEAKER_00 26:26

Fine vintage, probably when they're out of the house.

SPEAKER_02 26:29

Yes, yes, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 26:30

I knew that was gonna be the answer, but I was just they've aged well, like a fine wine, they've aged well, and now they are out.

SPEAKER_02 26:38

All right, all right. And I oftentimes joke with my wife because uh, you know, we're we're about 20 20 years away from retirement, but it's fun to think about because I just enjoy spending so much time with my wife. And I'm like, man, I'm so ready for them to get out of the house. She's like, you know, she's like, babe, we've got a four-year-old, we've got a while. But you know, it's just it's fun to dream. It's fun to dream. So of course. So with being around friends and family that have kids of their own, what's the funniest parenting moment you've ever witnessed?

SPEAKER_00 27:09

Well, this was uh this was, I remember my my niece and I, my sister and I took my niece to Disneyland. They came to visit me in California and we went to Disneyland. And we were waiting, you know, we had all this stuff. And can I say it's not a bad curse word? No, you're fine.

SPEAKER_01 27:30

You're fine.

SPEAKER_00 27:31

Okay. It's just the word shit. But you know, we're waiting for the trolley, and we're like, we've got this in our arms, and all this merch and all this cotton candy and food, and there was a big cup of soda, and I don't know, one of us it was spilling all over, and my sister and my sister and I were just like, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. And my little niece, my little niece is like, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. I just love, you know, I I know they're not supposed to curse, but I think I find it the funniest one when they just start mimicking the you know, the things they're not supposed to say. Oh no. Well, I have one more funny okay. This this was the same trip, and then my sister and I were just walking down the street and we walked into like a Victoria's Secret, and we're just like looking around. And I literally turned around, and I think my niece was like three years old at this point, and she literally had taken this huge, like double D pink bra, and she just all of a sudden she put it on and she's like, Does it fit?

SPEAKER_02 28:31

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 28:32

Yeah, yeah, it's dying. I mean, there's so many great moments like that. Kids are just adorable, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:37

And of course, you bring it up in your book. Right, right. You bring that up in your book about just finding moments where it's funny, even in stressful situations. And it's funny that you bring up saying things, you know, they mimic us. My four-year-old is, you know, I've mentioned before he's a sponge, and he's always saying things that I've said that I probably shouldn't have said around him. For example, one year I was putting up an inflatable uh for Christmas because he's obsessed with inflatables. So every year for Christmas we put a new one up. And he was outside on the driveway, and he's really big in insects and stuff like that. And of course, I'm putting up this inflatable, and next thing I know, uh, you know, he's like, Daddy, what the hell is this? And of course, I'm like, I'm trying not to laugh because at the same time I'm trying to tell him not to say that. But of course, he brings me and it's just like a little berry or whatever. And of course, I'm like, hey, you don't have to pick up everything on the ground, and I'm laughing. And he's he says it again because he knows I'm laughing, and I'm like, hey, we don't need to say that because I don't need you saying it at preschool and then getting a call from the teachers. So uh definitely, definitely. So I have one more question, and it's about the book. You know, if if readers were to walk away with one lesson from a wine lover's guide to parenting, what do you hope that it is?

SPEAKER_00 29:57

I I hope that they take away from the book that, you know, it's that's a good question. You know, I I hope they take away from the book that it's it's meant with love, but it is, you know, very poignant just about, like I said, like human decency and human behavior. It's their responsibility to shape who these kids become. And like I said, that was my drive for wanting a seat at the table, you know, because this is the future society, the future generations of the people running this world. And, you know, if they don't learn kindness and patience and, you know, to not be a bully at a young age, then, you know, we see what can do to members of society as we get older. And so just, you know, takeaway to to have some fun with it, to have, and that's why it's written like a children's book. It's it's funny to, you know, they're serious, you know, it's serious in in in about human behavior, but to have some fun and light and levity with it, and to also enjoy nice glass of wine with it.

SPEAKER_02 31:00

Right, right, exactly. So I would love to hear an excerpt from the book, like uh before we started. Pick anyone, they're all great. So you just whenever you're ready, you read away and we'll listen and enjoy.

SPEAKER_00 31:13

Super. So I'm gonna read lesson three. You don't want your kids to ferment. Fermentation. So, as I said, every time we use a wine terminology, it gives the definition at the bottom of the book, at the bottom of the page, at the back of the book, there's a basic understanding of how wine's made. So it's a great, you know, it's a great gift for anybody that wants to learn about wine as well and just wants a good, good laugh. But fermentation process in winemaking is when you convert sugar to alcohol. And so when we think sugar is something sweet, alcohol is, you know, harsh and biting. So this is about you don't want your kids to turn from someone sweet into someone harsh because they have bad manners.

SPEAKER_01 31:48

Right.

SPEAKER_00 31:48

Manners, manners, manners are the key to it all. These lessons need to start even when they're small. Teach them this from day one before they start to crawl. You don't want your kid to be the sour grape in the bunch and turn into spoiled brat that kids want to punch. When they start talking, make sure they know thank you and please, and to always say bless you when they hear someone sneeze. Please and thank you are an absolute must. Without that, your child's a total bust. There's nothing worse than a child who has behavior that is crude, because it'll continue as they're older and become someone who's rude. People don't take kindly to and aren't nice to those with attitude because it's very off-putting and puts others in a bad mood, oftentimes causing confrontation and leads to a nasty feud. Wanting to put a little bit of poison in your child food. Is that really how you want your kids to be viewed? Wouldn't you prefer that there's someone who's wooed? Without manners, they'll ferment and turn into someone harsh and biting. They may turn into a kid who's rude, obnoxious, and always fighting. So teach your kids some manners and to have some heart and soul. Without that, your kid may well turn into an a-hole.

SPEAKER_02 32:48

That's awesome. But I I have to say this, you know, reading. I I'm impressed and jealous because I can't rhyme. I have no rhythm at all. I'm 100% white when it comes to that kind of stuff. So I am very impressed, and I have to give you props on your rhyming. I think it's a a skill that doesn't get appreciated enough because when I try to rhyme, I end up creating words that don't exist. And we end up, you know, I end up getting made fun of. But thank you so much for being on the show. Thank you for being the first guest. It means a lot to me to have you on the show. Uh, is there anything you want to say before we let you get back to your busy lifestyle?

SPEAKER_00 33:26

Oh, well, thank you for having me on and and on your fabulous podcast. You're doing great stuff. And yeah, just like I said, you know, just just to hopefully people can enjoy the book with a nice glass of wine and and know that it's with light and levity and you know that that wine and children have a lot in common. One requires a corkscrew, the other requires patience, but both can stay in your carpet. So might as well enjoy it both.

SPEAKER_02 33:52

Right. Well, again, thank you for being on the show. And I will definitely want to have you on in the future because I love your inside and parenting. And it's nice to have an outsider's perspective that necessarily doesn't have kids of their own, because I feel a lot of parents don't appreciate that enough. So again, any anytime.

SPEAKER_00 34:10

I'd love to be on, like I said, you know, as you know, as as as the village, as the as the auntie, you know, it's it's it's said with love and it's said with you know just as much heart and care. And sometimes when you have that outside perspective, it just gives a different viewpoint, but certainly doesn't make you any less of an expert, you know, of just understanding human behavior.

SPEAKER_02 34:33

Okay. Well, with that said, I will let you get back to it and I look forward to having you on in the future. So uh yeah, until next time, well uh have a good day.

SPEAKER_00 34:43

Thank you. Take care. Bye.