mom about town
B etween her work as the Interim Chancellor and Chief Administrative Officer of LSU New Orleans, writing children’s books, and serving on nonprofit and community boards, Jeanette R. Weiland has never been one to put herself in just one box. But at home, she’s simply Mom to Stella and Wyatt— cheering them on at travel tournaments, playing a game of UNO around the table, and reminding them to put their clothes away. Here, Jeanette talks about raising her children in New Orleans, finding balance as a working mom, and why she hopes her kids never feel like they have to choose just one path. Jeanette: We play games that do not require electricity, so they put down their gadgets and we play games like UNO, Skip-Bo, Backgammon, and Rat-a-Tat Cat. I also love going to their travel tournaments. Wyatt’s favorite sport is baseball and Stella’s favorite sport is volleyball—very different ambiances. I love watching them on these teams because those sports are their passions. It’s cool to watch them be so into it. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FAMILY ACTIVITY RIGHT NOW? WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT RAISING A FAMILY IN NEW ORLEANS? Jeanette: I like that people in New Orleans are so friendly—you can speak to strangers in grocery stores and restaurants, and someone always knows someone. I love that they’re growing up in the human-centric natured culture of New Orleans. In [our neighborhood] Uptown, our houses are all close together, so when we’re outside, we see and talk to our neighbors. I specifically JEANETTE R. WEILAND BY MADELINE PISTORIUS
Children: Stella, 12; Wyatt, 10 Occupation: Interim Chancellor and Chief Administrative Officer of LSU New Orleans and children’s book author Hobbies: Gardening, cooking, and exercising YOU HAVE AN EXTENSIVE CAREER, TWO CHILDREN, AND A CREATIVE LIFE AS A CHILDREN’S BOOK AUTHOR. HOW DO YOU FIND BALANCE? Jeanette: It takes me a year or two to actually write a 32-page children’s book, even though there’s so few words within it. It takes time because I don’t have that much time. I do not watch TV. I do not watch movies. It’s very rare for me to sit in front of a television because my spare time—which is so rare—is spent exercising, cooking, reading, working on the computer, and helping my kids with their homework. That’s how I find balance. WHAT DO YOU HOPE YOUR CHILDREN LEARN FROM WATCHING YOU PURSUE YOUR CAREER? Jeanette: That they don’t have to pigeonhole themselves into one thing and that they can do anything and pursue whatever interests they have. If you had told me when I was 15, 20, 25, or even 30 years old that I would be a children’s book author, I would have thought you were out of your mind. So I hope they just don’t rule anything out.
both how much I love them and how I am not tolerant in terms of their behavior and habits. I nag about picking up stuff and putting clothes away, and find myself saying things like “I love you, but I don’t like that you’re developing a bad habit.” So I’d say I am very loving but firm. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BEGIN WRITING CHILDREN’S BOOKS? Jeanette: These days, you might see many New Orleans children’s books on the market, but that was not the case 12 years ago. The impetus for starting with Beignets for Breakfast was to capture the coolness of babies and kids who grew up in New Orleans within a beautiful book illustrated by a real artist, not a computer-generated graphic. That’s what inspired me—having babies, reading books every night, and then personally not seeing anything that I thought was a great representation of New Orleans and Louisiana. One of my biggest goals is for kids flipping through these books to be proud of being from Louisiana.
wanted them born and raised in New Orleans for these reasons.
12 SEPTEMBER 2026 | NOLAFAMILY.COM very direct, straightforward, and firm person in every facet of my life. So with my children, ever since they were tiny, I always emphasize HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PARENTING STYLE? Jeanette: Everyone can attest that I’m a
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