Family Rules: Helping Stepfamilies and Single Parents Build Happy Homes [Paperback]

Jeannette Lofas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1998

Would you like to create a well-run family team where you are the leader? Would you like to come home to a house where everyone says "please" and "thank you," shares housework and enjoys dinner together? Do you long for a homelife where children feel loved and cared for and you feel respected and in control?

The Secret is in Family Rules---straightforward, no-nonsense principles and essential solutions for making house rules work.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I would never have made it without this book. Now we work as a couple." -- Mary

Gives you the tools you need to create a well-run family and the skills to develop character. -- Parenting Magazine

About the Author

Jeannette Lofas is the world recognized authority of making family work happily together.

She has counseled stepfamilies for over 20 years. Today she counsels on the telephone worldwide.

Lofas also certifies professional coaches at seminars. She has won presidential recognition for her work.

Product Details

• Paperback: 164 pages
• Publisher: Kensington (November 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157566352X
• ISBN-13: 978-1575663524
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #785,458 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical, realistic, and in the "Top Tier"!, January 13, 2004

By 

TeacherAmy (Charlotte, NC Metro) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Family Rules: Helping Stepfamilies and Single Parents Build Happy Homes (Paperback)

As a new stepmother, I've read close to 20 books on stepfamilies, countless books on marriage, and quite a number on parenting. (Can you tell I'm a teacher?) This is one of my favorites, largely because it diverges from the standard "psychology and philosophy" to emphasize the nitty-gritty, practical daily realities of sharing life and household space with children, particularly children who aren't biologically your own.

Having taught 7th grade and become a pretty vocal fan of clear expectations and consequences, I found I agree with the vast majority of Ms. Lofas' "rules". She has a desperately-needed perspective that benevolent adults are supposed to be in charge of the family, and offers countless practical steps to accomplish things such as: dinnertime rituals, chores, bathroom habits, bedtime customs, manners, adults' bedroom privacy, showing gratitude, tone of voice in communication, not accepting excuses, etc.

Much of these are exactly the issues that have come up in conversation and required some resolution in our new family. (I genuinely believe this is a helpful book even for families that don't have the added layer of complexity that stepfamilies encounter.) These guidelines are designed to ensure respect, order, and healthy boundaries within families; and to develop responsible character in children. This is one of the few books that I am campaigning loudly for my husband to please read before the children come to live with us.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great guidelines and tips for stepfamily rules., May 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Family Rules: Helping Stepfamilies and Single Parents Build Happy Homes (Paperback)

This is an excellant book. Jeanette Lofas, a therapist and stepmother of four stepdaughters presents the reasons and need for stepfamily guidelines. She also discusses how to apply and work on family rules in an interesting and straight forward manner. If you are having problems with household rules this book will definitely shed some light on the issue for you.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars strict!!, May 10, 2005

By 

S. Cutler (Tucson, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Family Rules: Helping Stepfamilies and Single Parents Build Happy Homes (Paperback)

I found this book to have some great points about how parents are in charge and children should not run the household. I believe that children need and want boundaries and limits to feel safe and loved. However, I found the author's tone to be overly strict and a little oppressive for the children.