Actress now dispensing her own facts of life - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

kadeliah · 10-22-2007, 09:23 PM

"The Facts of Life" could be called your mother's "Gossip Girl," detailing as it did the lives of four private-schooled girls in New York State. That would suit star Lisa Whelchel just fine.

"There are no boundaries on network television today," the 45-year-old actress/author said in a phone interview from her Texas home, adding that she's thankful for cable networks such as Nickelodeon and Disney that provide wholesome comedies for the tween droves that once tuned in en masse to her show.

From 1979 through 1988, Whelchel played Blair, a trust-fund hottie with a lot to learn about getting along with people.

"I enjoyed playing Blair, but I must say I didn't learn much from her," she said. Blair, along with fun-loving Natalie Green (Mindy Cohn), gossipy Tootie Ramsey (Kim Fields) and street-wise scholarship girl Jo Polniaczek (Nancy McKeon), lived off-campus together in a spare room off their housemother's bedroom. The housemother was big-hearted Edna Garrett (Charlotte Rae), who guided the girls through many difficult issues, including attempted date rape, alcoholism, drug abuse, breast cancer, abortion, etc.

Mrs. Garrett was the older, wiser moral compass, who did a lot of hand-holding and tea-pouring to support her girls through it all. In a way, Whelchel's books for young moms have done the same thing, offering comfort and burden-bearing in the form of parenting advice from a woman who is older, wiser and who provides spiritual and moral direction. Her book "Creative Corrections," which resulted from Whelchel's determination to find novel ways to discipline her then-little son, Tucker, was a bestseller in the Christian market, selling more than 200,000 copies.

"My books are practical messages about raising kids -- most of them came out of my own desperation to find answers," she said. "I try and encourage moms to remember that this time is a season in their lives -- it's not forever. I want to encourage my readers in that we all feel like failures, and it's when we feel like failures we are most apt to cry out to God for help."

Whelchel will be appearing in Grand Rapids this weekend as a keynote speaker for the Hearts at Home Great Lakes Regional Conference at DeVos Place. Thousands of moms from across the country will converge Friday and Saturday on the Monroe Avenue venue to hear speakers such as Whelchel and "One Tough Mother" Julie Barnhill speak on topics of parenting, marriage and personal and spiritual growth.

Whelchel's platform dovetails nicely with Hearts' desire to uphold moms in the challenging task of raising kids. She and pastor husband Steve Cauble have almost raised three of their own, Tucker, 17, Haven, 16, and Clancy, 15, so she is still in the trenches of "coaching and guiding" teens.

"I know that raising teenagers is completely different from raising children," she said.

One ironclad parenting rule she adheres to: Never get your child into the entertainment business. As a member of Disney's Mouseketeers from age 12, Whelchel was a child star who looks back with "the privilege of hindsight."

"I would never put my child in showbiz," she said. "It's an unrealistic fantasy. (Child stars) grow up too fast with too much money and too much responsibility. It's not a normal way to grow up."

As Whelchel invests in her own children and in the moms who grew up watching her on TV, she is taking a year off from writing to focus on speaking and raising her own brood.

"I actually never had any desire to write," she said. "Writing is harder than acting!"

link

catlover79 · 10-22-2007, 10:52 PM

Thank you for posting this story. I have always liked Lisa and own a couple of her books - one is personally autographed!

Dean Winchester · 10-22-2007, 11:04 PM

I don't necessarily agree with everything Lisa believes in and writes about, but I completely respect her. She is a strong individual who stayed true to her convictions and is still going strong in her 40's when she easily could've caved into the peer pressure that young actresses go through all the time in Hollywood. Looking at people like Lindsay Lohan only makes me respect Lisa even more.

ABlairican Pie · 11-07-2007, 02:27 AM

Actually, Lisa won't turn 45 until next spring.

RoryGilmore · 11-07-2007, 04:46 PM

Thanks for posting that

Classicshowsgurl15 · 11-07-2007, 10:11 PM

Thanks for posting that. Its interesting.

10-22-2007, 09:23 PM	#1
kadeliah silent dreamer Frequent Poster Join Date: Aug 23, 2003 Location: maryland Posts: 197	Actress now dispensing her own facts of life "The Facts of Life" could be called your mother's "Gossip Girl," detailing as it did the lives of four private-schooled girls in New York State. That would suit star Lisa Whelchel just fine. "There are no boundaries on network television today," the 45-year-old actress/author said in a phone interview from her Texas home, adding that she's thankful for cable networks such as Nickelodeon and Disney that provide wholesome comedies for the tween droves that once tuned in en masse to her show. From 1979 through 1988, Whelchel played Blair, a trust-fund hottie with a lot to learn about getting along with people. "I enjoyed playing Blair, but I must say I didn't learn much from her," she said. Blair, along with fun-loving Natalie Green (Mindy Cohn), gossipy Tootie Ramsey (Kim Fields) and street-wise scholarship girl Jo Polniaczek (Nancy McKeon), lived off-campus together in a spare room off their housemother's bedroom. The housemother was big-hearted Edna Garrett (Charlotte Rae), who guided the girls through many difficult issues, including attempted date rape, alcoholism, drug abuse, breast cancer, abortion, etc. Mrs. Garrett was the older, wiser moral compass, who did a lot of hand-holding and tea-pouring to support her girls through it all. In a way, Whelchel's books for young moms have done the same thing, offering comfort and burden-bearing in the form of parenting advice from a woman who is older, wiser and who provides spiritual and moral direction. Her book "Creative Corrections," which resulted from Whelchel's determination to find novel ways to discipline her then-little son, Tucker, was a bestseller in the Christian market, selling more than 200,000 copies. "My books are practical messages about raising kids -- most of them came out of my own desperation to find answers," she said. "I try and encourage moms to remember that this time is a season in their lives -- it's not forever. I want to encourage my readers in that we all feel like failures, and it's when we feel like failures we are most apt to cry out to God for help." Whelchel will be appearing in Grand Rapids this weekend as a keynote speaker for the Hearts at Home Great Lakes Regional Conference at DeVos Place. Thousands of moms from across the country will converge Friday and Saturday on the Monroe Avenue venue to hear speakers such as Whelchel and "One Tough Mother" Julie Barnhill speak on topics of parenting, marriage and personal and spiritual growth. Whelchel's platform dovetails nicely with Hearts' desire to uphold moms in the challenging task of raising kids. She and pastor husband Steve Cauble have almost raised three of their own, Tucker, 17, Haven, 16, and Clancy, 15, so she is still in the trenches of "coaching and guiding" teens. "I know that raising teenagers is completely different from raising children," she said. One ironclad parenting rule she adheres to: Never get your child into the entertainment business. As a member of Disney's Mouseketeers from age 12, Whelchel was a child star who looks back with "the privilege of hindsight." "I would never put my child in showbiz," she said. "It's an unrealistic fantasy. (Child stars) grow up too fast with too much money and too much responsibility. It's not a normal way to grow up." As Whelchel invests in her own children and in the moms who grew up watching her on TV, she is taking a year off from writing to focus on speaking and raising her own brood. "I actually never had any desire to write," she said. "Writing is harder than acting!" link

10-22-2007, 10:52 PM	#2
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,382	Thank you for posting this story. I have always liked Lisa and own a couple of her books - one is personally autographed!
	__________________ "Jesus loves you and He approves this message." "I'm alive. I'm feeling good. I'm trying to live every moment as much as I can." - Valerie Harper, March 2013

11-07-2007, 02:27 AM	#4
ABlairican Pie Member Forum Superstar Join Date: Dec 12, 2001 Location: Living where cats reign more Supreme than a pizza. Posts: 31,620	Actually, Lisa won't turn 45 until next spring.
	__________________ Release the kitties. --Nathan Explosion

11-07-2007, 04:46 PM	#5
RoryGilmore Always and Forever Forum Veteran Join Date: Oct 30, 2004 Location: Wherever he is, that's where I'll be Posts: 6,529	Thanks for posting that
	__________________ I have died everyday, waiting for you Darling, don't be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years I'll love you for a thousand more And all along I believed, I would find you Time has brought your heart to me, I have loved you for a thousand years I'll love you for a thousand more

11-07-2007, 10:11 PM	#6
Classicshowsgurl15 Happy Days Senior Member Join Date: Jun 28, 2004 Location: California Posts: 2,088	Thanks for posting that. Its interesting.
	__________________ “All our young lives we search for someone to love, someone who makes us complete. We choose partners and change partners. We dance to a song of heartbreak and hope, all the while wondering if somewhere, somehow, there's someone perfect who might be searching for us.” - The Wonder Years

10-22-2007, 11:04 PM	#3
Dean Winchester Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Sep 28, 2003 Location: Louisville KY Posts: 14,803	I don't necessarily agree with everything Lisa believes in and writes about, but I completely respect her. She is a strong individual who stayed true to her convictions and is still going strong in her 40's when she easily could've caved into the peer pressure that young actresses go through all the time in Hollywood. Looking at people like Lindsay Lohan only makes me respect Lisa even more.