Mama Rock’s Rules: What they’re saying so far | The Parent Bloggers Network

Mama Rock’s Rules: What they’re saying so far

There’s something so refreshing about reading Mama Rock’s Rules ,” starts off one of our bloggers. “And I read a lot of parenting books.”

So far, 10 parent bloggers have reviewed Mama Rock’s Rules: Ten lessons for raising a houseful of successful children. The overwhelming consensus? Definitely worth the read!

Bloggers appreciated Mama Rock’s approach. “Many of her lessons were what I would call ‘common sense’, meaning that I would either find myself nodding in agreement for something I was already doing or shaking my head in disbelief for something obvious that I had not thought of.” Another blogger adds, “this book reads more like a friend giving advice, than a supermom touting her ways. Rose speaks from her heart and offers great advice that would benefit a family of 3 or one of 10.“

Yes, Rose (mother of comedian Chris Rock) knows what she’s talking about. She has raised more than 17 children over the years (that’s counting foster children) and is an educator specializing in early education. She’s seen it all and takes a “real world” perspective to parenting. “Nobody is trying to get me to remember to act like a grunting caveman when I talk to my toddler or shush and swaddle and jiggle — there’s nothing here to memorize. Instead, Rose has a knack for distilling the essence of responsible parenting into easy-to-remember and time-tested rules.”

Some of the rules referenced?

”The title of Chapter 1 will give you a sense of where Mama Rock is coming from — I am Your Mama, Not Your Friend,” writes one reviewer. “A lot of us moms struggle with striking the right tone and balance in our mothering lives, but Mama Rock is here to tell us to let go of our worries about whether our kids will like us, and focus more on instilling the respect they should have for parents.” A second blogger also mentiones this rule stating, “Seriously, there are many parents who need to hear things like, “you’re the parent, not the friend.”

Another favorite was, Warnings may be bad for your health. “Warnings used as threats are ineffective. Kids just learn that they can ignore them until you get real mad,” says a reviewer. “Instead, Mama Rock says to lay the rules, let the kids know the rules, and enforce the rules.”

But Rose Rock’s advice is not just about rules for the “here and now.” She dispenses advice with a long-term goal in mind. “Rock outlines her formula for teaching kids what’s expected, and how structure and consequences keep kids feeling secure. Tough-love rules, that will, in the long run, make your job as a parent much easier over the long haul; especially through the teen years, ” says one reviewer.

Another reviewer values this aspect adding, “In reading this book, I’ve been given the benefit of foresight: I can consider possible solutions before the event arises. Also, with her clear rules, many of the preventative steps have been taken: since consistency is key, the parents’ role in maintaining that order is also clearly spelled out.”

Over the course of their parenting journey, many parents find that they’ve created a few key sayings that they repeat over and over. Mama Rock is no different. Reviewers got a kick out of this. “I firmly believe Ms. Rock should put out a t-shirt line with some of her one liners,” quips one blogger. “Because I want shirts with Roseisms on them like this: ‘Don’t Quack Like a (Gangsta) Duck - Unless You Are a (Gangsta) Duck’; ‘Feed Them and They Will Tell You Everything’; ‘If They Don’t Accept You Because of Your Hair: Don’t Be There.”

Another uniqueness bloggers adored were the writings from her children. “Peppered throughout the book are quotes from her children and foster children about things they remembered from childhood and how their parents’ love and discipline molded them into the people that they are today.” The blogger also adds, “Interestingly, although references to Chris Rock are sprinkled throughout the book, Rose Rock pays homage to all of her children and their individuality and you can sense her pride in their accomplishments.“

Bottom line is that Mama Rock has a knack for holding not only her children’s attention but parents’ as well. “This book was definitely a page turner for me,” sums up on blogger. “I couldn’t put it down.”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 6th, 2008 at 5:00 am and is filed under Books, Elementary School, Kids, Pre-school, Pre-teen, Toddler. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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