EXCLUSIVE: Mayim Bialik Interview & Giveaway

Mayim Bialik has been a fixture on our television sets for over 20 years. We fell in love with her on NBC’s Blossom when she played the adorable title character trying to find her place as the only girl in her household. She currently portrays the hilarious Amy Farrah Fowler, PhD on Big Bang Theory.

But Mayim isn’t just a talented actress. She is a mother of two, spokesperson for the Holistic Moms Network, holds a PhD in neuroscience, and blogs for Kveller.com.

She is also the author of Beyond the Sling: A Real-Life Guide to Raising Confident, Loving Children the Attachment Parenting Way, released internationally March 6^th.

To celebrate the release of her new book, Mayim Bialik has joined us for an interview and will be giving away 5 autographed copies of Beyond the Sling.

Here’s how the contest works.

1. Click on the ‘Register’ button

2. Fill out the registration form

3. Join the Shalom Life mailing list

That’s all! After taking a few seconds to do the above, you’ll be automatically entered into the contest.

But since this is a random draw, you want to ensure you submit your name as many times as possible. Starting tomorrow, we will post a question about Mayim (Hint: the answers can be found in this article) on our Twitter and Facebook. Every time you post a correct answer (with #MayimBialikContest), you will receive an additional entry to the contest.

You can also get an additional entry to the contest by joining Shalom Life on Twitter or Facebook.

The five winners will be chosen on Monday, March 19^th.

Ashley Baylen (AB): Congrats on ‘Beyond the Sling’. How did you find the experience of writing a book vs. acting or other creative pursuits?

Mayim Bialik (MB): I have been writing for Kveller.com for some time now, and I have loved finding my voice as a writer/mom/actress/neuroscientist! With acting, I am given someone else's words, and the art is in that process, but with writing about your life it's learning to put yourself out there with words and feelings.

AB: For those of us that aren’t familiar with attachment parenting, can you briefly describe the philosophy?

MB: The notion is that babies are not born manipulative; their cries and their wants and needs are valued and not seen as manipulations. Natural birth choices, breastfeeding (or bottle feeding that mimics breastfeeding as much as possible), sleeping near/with your child, and wearing your baby close to your body are things AP holds valuable. In addition, gentle discipline (not using harsh discipline or physical punishment) and achieving balance in your marriage and relationships are also benchmarks of the general philosophy.

AB: Was attachment parenting a concept you were aware of before having your first child?

MB: We had some friends from Northern CA (where ideas flow freely) who parented this way and honestly I thought they were nuts! They were so focused on their kids and seemed to have no life...as the years passed, though, I saw these friends have really amazing relationships with their kids. They didn't parent from a place of fear, and they didn't use force and I simultaneously was studying the hormones of human bonding and attachment (oxytocin and vasopressin) and started putting it all together!

AB: What inspired you to share your experiences and knowledge of attachment parenting through this book and your blog on Kveller?