PBN Review: Mama Rock's Rules

When Parent Bloggers Network asked us to review Mama Rock's Rules: Ten Lessons for Raising a Household of Successful Children (Harper Collins) by Rose Rock with Valerie Graham, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I will be woman enough to admit that I stereotyped this book as: mom of a comedian means this MUST be a funny book about parenting.

While Mrs. Rock does use a sense of humor at times to make her point, I must humbly admit that this is no book of jokes but very real and direct advice from a mother who definitely knows the ropes. That’s right, Rose is a mama who not only survived raising twenty-seven children but raised them all to be successful as well.

If you’re anything like me, you are tired of the rows and rows of shiny happy rainbow type parenting books that are currently clogging up book store shelves. You know, the ones that tell you in one book that co-sleeping or time-out is a very bad thing and in the next one both are good for the child? Yes, some of them can be useful but one has to admit that parenting is a down and dirty job that needs blunt down and dirty advice.

Filled with common sense and loving determination, Rose Rock shares her ten major principles on raising children the no nonsense way. This book is divided into ten chapters of direct advice that focuses on everything from education and respect to responsibility and discipline. I love how she is able to just lay it all out there in an honest and straight-forward manner. A good way to think of this book is to imagine you are sitting on the couch talking to a good friend or mother figure and they are imparting some of their sage wisdom to you without any bull or sugar coating.

Rose reminds you that even though there are things about parenting and raising children we may not like, they are still necessary to raise them in a responsible and successful manner. Covering children of all ages, Mama Rock’s Rules is broken down into ten well-formatted lessons throughout ten chapters. In the book there are “Mama’s Mojo” blurbs and even a mini-lesson recap at the end of each chapter. I liked this because if you missed anything while reading the chapter, the recap would remind you that maybe you need to read it again.

When I read Mrs. Rock’s mantra, “I am the parent. You are the child. It’s my job to make the rules and your job to follow” I couldn't help but laugh. You see, that is a lesson I’ve been trying to impart to my own children from the very beginning. Unfortunately it hasn’t worked as well for me as it did her but I’m still trying!

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. Know that it’s okay not to give your child everything they want. If little Suzie doesn’t get an X-box 360 she really won’t die… honest. Giving kids a curfew really is a good idea, not something you just do to ruin their lives, and while it’s okay to be friendly towards your children it’s not okay to care more about being their friend than their parent. The fact that Rose Rock is a big advocate of praise and self-esteem reminded me that it’s okay to be stern with your children and at times even hard on them but do it with love and never use your power as a parent to tear down your child’s sense of self-worth.

It’s hard to pick just one chapter that I liked the most but “Don’t Lie Down With Anything You Don’t Want To Live With Forever” had me running to my seventeen year old’s room saying, “See! See! I told you all this and now it’s in a book”! Needless to say, he wasn’t too impressed with me right then. This chapter covers teaching your children to deal with sex and the fact that having sex with someone can alter the rest of your life so you damn well better think before you leap. This is something I’ve always tried to stress to my own teenagers so it was nice to know someone else thought the same way as I do.

Mama Rock’s Rules was a fun interesting book to read and well worth picking up. Rose Rock has all the good qualities that we as parents strive for with our own children- humor, pride, love, and a strong will making her an inspiration. When you get a chance, read Rose Rock’s interview on the Today Show and to read more opinions on this book visit Parent Bloggers Network. If you like what you see then get your own copy on Amazon.