Marlee Matlin rose to fame in 1986 when she played deaf teacher Sarah Norman in the film Children of a Lesser God. At 21, Matlin won an Oscar for her performance, becoming the first deaf actor to do so, and the youngest actor to win an Oscar for Best Actress. Matlin is profoundly deaf; a case of Roseola Infantum as a toddler left her with no hearing at all in her right ear, and an 80% hearing loss in her left ear. Her deafness has influenced her career, but it has never limited it; she has played a variety of characters over the years, and for many of them, their deafness was incidental, rather than the focus of the story line.

Most recently, Matlin has written a memoir, I'll Scream Later, about her life in -- and out -- of Hollywood, and while the news buzz this week has been all about her confessions that ex-boyfriend William Hurt abused her, that all happened a long time ago. These days, Matlin and husband Kevin Grandalski have what sounds like a fairly typical suburban life. She writes, "We don't live in the Hollywood dream machine -- that was a decision Kevin and I made long ago, and we've never doubted we did the was the right thing for our children....Our neighborhood is like any other family suburb you might drive through...Most days you'll find a couple of Razor scooters on the front walk, and there's a single jungle gym out back." Matlin loves her suburban mom life: "I try to avoid the image of Hollywood mom -- it never felt natural to me. When treats need to be baked for school, you'll find me in the kitchen with the kids mixing up oatmeal/chocolate chip cookies, one of my specialties."

ParentDish Interviews
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Marlee Matlin	Greg Grunberg

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Recently, Matlin sat down with ParentDish to answer some questions about being a mom, being deaf, and giving back.

PD: As a mom of four, how do you make time for yourself?

MM: All I can say, is thank goodness I have the most understanding husband and in-laws in the whole world. Short of being Samantha Stevens and twitching my nose, allowing me to be two places at once, my husband and in-laws fill in when I have to be half away across the country for work or in two places at once car pooling the kids. As for my own quiet time, the only chance I have for that is when I am traveling for work. Usually that involves a few hours in a hotel before I have to make a personal appearance. It feels good to sleep in an hour or two but I have to admit I feel guilty about doing it! I think of my husband filling in for me or my mother and father-in-law back home and then I instantly get out of bed and pick up the phone to call and see how everyone is doing.

PD: Tell us about your work with Baby Einstein.

MM: I knew from my own daughter growing up that sign language was a great tool for communication before she was even able to speak. And having known a lot of adults, including my business partner and interpreter who has deaf parents that children can learn to sign and communicate before they are able to speak.

It just so happened at the time I was thinking of developing some materials for teaching babies how to sign, the folks at Disney/Baby Einstein approached me to host a video teaching babies a few important words around the house through sign language. The first video was so successful that they asked me to do two more. Now, three years later, almost every day I have parents come up to me and say that they loved being able to "talk" with their children with the signs that they learned from the Baby Einstein series. Even something as simple as learning the sign for "more" or "milk" or "all done" can help reduce a baby's frustration and a parent's too! Sign language is great communication tool and learning it is great fun at the same time!

PD: Do you have advice for parent who are raising deaf children?

MM: Obviously the most important one is to love them as you would any child, deaf or not. And to remember that communication is key. Use every opportunity you can, every tool to make sure you child has the full benefit and access to communication. A lot of educators spend a great deal of time arguing over which communication mode is best for children who are deaf – signing, speaking and there is a great deal of discussion about the effectiveness of cochlear implants. My advice is quite simple. Think of the child first. What is in the best interests of the child? A program of both signing and speaking was what my parents chose for me and as far as I can tell, it worked pretty well (they called it total communication back then). And cochlear implants do work well in many instances but in many they do not, depending on the child that is utilizing them. The best advice I can give parents considering a cochlear implant for their child is to remember that at the end of the day, your child is still deaf. When that cochlear implant comes off to go swimming or to bed, your child will still be unable to hear. So give your child all the tools they need to communicate in ALL situations; and that includes signing along with speech. And while you're at it, it wouldn't hurt to learn some signs along with your child.

It's all about love and respect, really. All children deserve love and respect, whether they are hearing or deaf.

PD: What do you feel the greatest lesson you hope to teach you children is?

MM: To have the freedom to dream as big as they want and to know that at every step of the way, their mom and dad are there listening to their hearts. I want them to know the whole world is there for them and that they should never let anything or anyone stand in their way.

PD: You've done quite a bit of charity work and educational appearances aimed at helping children. What draws you to particular cause or program?

MM: It's really about the children. Maybe it was the many visits we made as kids as part of the Center on Deafness acting troupe to hospitals and community centers that instilled in me a desire to help people. Or maybe it was my experience with mentors who stepped into my life and helped me, people like my dear friend Henry Winkler who told me at 13 that I could be whatever I wanted to be if I just followed my heart. Whatever it is, if it's for children, I'm there if my schedule allows. And if I can't be there, then I'm always happy to lend my name or donate. I just can't pass up a child in need.

Her greatest joy, though, is in her own kids, who are the heart of her family. Sounding just like any mom, Matlin writes: "My favorite time is picking them up from school. I love it when they pile into the car with stories about the day spilling out all around me. I want to scoop up and save all those moments--knowing who their friends are, how Brandon's math test went, what picture Isabelle drew in art class, what joke Tyler played on his best friend."