There’s something so refreshing about reading Mama Rock’s Rules.
And I read a lot of parenting books.
The thing that’s different (and great!) is that it’s all common sense. 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 (sorry Harvey, I still love you!) — 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 (honed while mothering 27 kids).
These were the ones that stuck with me:
- I’m your mama not your friend. When I said this to my almost-three-year old, he said, “mommy you’re my friend too” so I just let it go because he was so cute. But I think it’s worth remembering that the parent’s job is not to be the most popular, but raise self-sufficient kids who know right from wrong.
- Have a family dinner every night. I somehow got this one in my head already, so I like reading reinforcement that this is not just my crazy idea but rather a proven method for building a close relationship with your children. Mama Rock thinks our kids are over scheduled anyway.
- Institute the Rock Justice System. The RJS is based on the older children being in charge of the younger ones in an effort to teach them greater responsibility and resourcefulness. If you’ve ever watched Everybody Hates Chris, you’ll already know what this looks like (Chris gets in trouble when his brother ditches school or if his little sister catches a the flu). It’s almost enough to make me want to have more kids just to test this out. But not quite.
Bottom line is that this is a great book if you want to open up a can of whoop-ass on some of the other parenting experts on your shelf. Kinda funny and extremely pragmatic, with attitude. Worth a read.
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I was given a review copy of this book via ParentBloggers — see what other folks think. I slurped it right up.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve already tried it out, a must read. “I’am the one who brought you here and i’am the one who can kick you out”
I love books that are no nonsense and don’t talk down to you. We want to hear about the successes and failures of other moms, and then make up our own minds about how to run our families. It helps if the book is entertaining or has a strong point of view!
Would you be interesting in reviewing my book, Mothers Need Time-Outs, Too (McGraw-Hill)?