Mama Rock’s Rules - Final Round-up | The Parent Bloggers Network

Mama Rock’s Rules - Final Round-up

The results are in… Mama Rock’s Rules: Ten Lessons for Raising a Houseful of Successful Children was a resounding hit amongst our parent bloggers! Overall, reviewers deemed it a refreshing read.

Readers bonded with author Rose Rock right away. With 40 years of mothering experience, (raising a total of 27 children –17 of which were foster children), “t his woman has the chops,” says one blogger. She goes on to add that Rose’s “approach is candid, she never gets preachy and she knows from years of experience how to deal with all types of children and situations.”

And not only does this feisty author offer practical solutions, she’s comical too! One reviewer found Mama Rock’s advice, “easy to swallow because she coats it with wit. I won’t soon forget some of her seriously funny aphorisms, ones like push unable off the table, you can’t wear a paternity suit, and if they don’t accept you because of your hair: don’t be there.”

By now you may be wondering about the rules referenced. Many bloggers happily and heartily agreed with the Mama Rock’s first rule. Writes one blogger, “My favorite gem appears early on, when Mama Rock stresses the importance of starting early to stay strong: Rule #1: I am the parent. I make the rules. Rule #2: You are the child. You follow the rules. Rule #3: Any problems, refer to Rule #1. Really, does it get more basic than that? I don’t think so.”

Another blogger elaborates on this rule, “In Rose Rock’s house, the kids knew that she was the boss, and their job was to follow her rules. Establishing these boundaries early on isn’t some attempt at forcing your children into submissiveness, but instead setting them up to understand that the world is full of rules you must follow, and learning to be a respectful human being early on will help you cope with the world around you.”

Rock (mom of comedian Chris Rock) is also an educator who specialized in early childhood education. She emphasizes the value of education and strong reading skills. “One thing that we have in common is a desire to be a good reading role model. I, too, read the paper on a daily basis and subscribe to multitudes of magazines,” says one blogger. “Mama Rock (I get such a kick out of calling her that!) is spot on. Kids MUST see you reading - reading everything you can get your hands on.”

Many parenting books don’t address spirituality. But the author isn’t afraid to get into what can be a very heated topic. “We are not a religious family, so when I began reading I could feel my eyes beginning to roll”. I was pleased to find her discussion of faith fairly balanced,” writes one reviewer. “She also touched upon something, that as a biologist, I find very important and that is recognizing the beauty in nature as a form of prayer. I may not see god looking up at a crucifix, but in watching a seed sprout I can find a higher power.”

Many a parenting book skips over varying cultures altogether. But not Rose! “I highly recommend this book for reading of all parents regardless of culture but she does do an excellent job of addressing some of the needs and concerns particular to African-American families including the importance of everyone learning the details of their cultural history and past,” a blogger mentions on her website.

Rock realizes that as children get older, the issues that pop up are trickier to resolve. One such issue is that of a child’s privacy. “Mama Rock especially impressed me when she took on an ethically complicated issue — namely, where does your child’s privacy begin and end? — and managed to find a satisfying and effective middle ground within this tricky territory,” one blogger writes. The author’s advice? “There is never a good enough reason for your child to declare that his or her bedroom is off limits to you. You are the parent, after all. At the same time, your inherently more powerful status does not give you the right to invade your child’s privacy”.

Mama Rock wants to motivate, support and empower parents. According to our reviewers, she’s on the right track. “Even if you don’t agree with everything in the book, it will definitely make you think about the way you parent. If nothing else I hope you take from this book a new sense of parenting power,” a reviewer says. Another blogger enthusiastically adds, “Rose Rock had me right from the statement ‘Being a parent is not about being right, it’s about doing right.’. Her caring, smart and witty don’t-mess-with-mama attitude… comes through in this book and grips you so fast it’s difficult to put down. She made me smile, laugh, and most of all - made me wanna be a better parent!”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 20th, 2008 at 5:00 am and is filed under Books. 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.

The Parent Bloggers Network

Mama Rock’s Rules - Final Round-up

Leave a Reply

Featured Product

Featured Blog Blast

Featured Blogger

Around the Network