Mama Rock's Rules: Ten Lessons for Raising a Houseful of Successful Children (Hardcover)

by Rose Rock (Author), Valerie Graham (Author) "ALL THE KIDS ON THE block wanted to hang out in our big, brownstone house in Brooklyn, New York, at 619 Decatur Street..." (more)
Key Phrases: Mama Rock's Rules, Anything You Don't Want, Don't Lie Down (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Much more than Chris Rock's mom, first-time author and radio show host (The Mom Show) Rock has been a special needs school teacher, a preschool administrator, a mother of 10 and a foster mother of 17. Rock begins simply, and significantly, with her own mother's advice: "Being a parent is not about being right, it's about doing right." Rock believes in the absolute authority of parents ("Some parents tell me... their kids' bedrooms are off limits. Are you kidding me?") but also in the need for those parents to be "steadfast role models." Divided into chapters like "I Am Your Mama, Not Your Friend," "No Child Really Wants to be Left Alone," and "Feed Them and They Will Tell You Everything," Rose's rules are sensible and well illustrated, embracing traditional values like discipline, everyday spirituality and togetherness. With the help of editor and columnist Graham (who works with Rock on The Mom Show), Rock weaves practical advice and reminiscence without a hitch. Asides from her children buttress the text, providing perspective on their mom's parenting methods and their own, but fans of comedian Chris Rock (who provides a foreword) won't find an inside scoop here. Instead, they'll find a smart, relatable and empowering approach to parenting that's been proven effective many times over.
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Product Description

"To be a parent is and should be a calling. There is absolutely nothing as great, challenging, or rewarding as raising a child." So says Über-mom Rose Rock, who has raised 10 children in addition to caring for 17 foster children in her 40-plus years as a mother.

As a mother who does not shy away from the hard conversations, Rose isn't afraid to present strong ideas about boundaries, discipline, choices, and consequences—and she tells it like it is. In Mama Rock's Rules, Rose shares the funny and highly practical lessons she learned both as a parent and an educator, while offering strategies for teaching a child to be self-reliant in this world.

Written with a kicky blend of maternal spirituality and a "don't mess with me or you won't get old" sense of authority, the book spotlights 10 vital rules, each tackling a specific parenting issue. From "I Am Your Mama, Not Your Friend," which helps parents regain their authority and establish respectful relationships with their children, to "Don't Lie Down with Anything You Don't Want to Live with Forever," which takes a different approach to the often tricky conversation about sex, each topic is lovingly explained and bolstered by stories from Rose Rock's own childhood and parenting experiences. We will also hear from her own kids, as they share memories and anecdotes about what it was like to grow up in the Rock household.

Rose's heartfelt and no-nonsense advice—delivered with a dose of wit and homespun humor—will resonate with thousands of parents and will inspire them to teach their kids right, whether their brood is one child or ten.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; Stated 1st Edition edition (April 8, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061536121
• ISBN-13: 978-0061536120
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #509,455 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mama Rock's Rules RULES!, April 10, 2008

By	Cheryl Lage "Author-Twinspiration:Real-Life A... - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In an authoritatively accessible mama-to-mama voice, Rose Rock dispenses her road-tested rules that are sensible and sensitive, corrective and caring, logical and abundantly loving. Peppered with personal anecdotes from her own prolific parenting experience, readers currently in the throes of child-raising will undoubtedly find welcome support, direction and validation in her generously offered wisdom. Speaking for myself, I know one reading will not be enough; Mama Rock's Rules will be a return-to-over-and-over resource for me. Thank you, Rose Rock for a much-needed text -- I heartily recommend this book!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mama Rock Rocks, April 13, 2008

By	Adam Coyne - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a father of two young daughters (5 and 7) I was inspired by the simple, common sense wisdom of this book. I have to confess that I first bought it out of curiosity of Chris Rock, but it's a really good parenting book that I've recommended to a few of my friends. It's a fun, well written, and easy read. I heartily encourage parents of any age to give it a look.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mama Rock Rules!, June 18, 2008

By	PunditMom (The shadow of the nation's capital) - See all my reviews

As a long time fan of comedian Chris Rock, I was excited to get the chance to review a new book by his mother, Rose, Mama Rock's Rules: Ten Lessons for Raising a Household of Successful Children.

Assuming that the apple didn't fall far from the tree, I figured there would be some straight, no-nonsense talk from this woman who not only raised her own children, but opened her home to the neighborhood kids, as well as a host of foster children through her life. She's got way more patience than I do, that's for sure!

And I was right! The title of Chapter 1 will give you a sense of where Mama Rock is coming from -- I Am Your Mama, Not Your Friend. 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.

She's not saying we can't have fun and enjoy our children, but Mama Rock takes a 'trust, but verify' approach to child-raising which made a lot of sense to me. I do know one thing -- I'm glad I never had to find out about her mystery can of whup-a$$!

But Mama has a soft side, too -- she's got lots of advice on creating memories for our children and the gratification we can all get from make more time to gather around the dinner table, something that we struggle with here at Chez PunditMom because of overlapping work and activity schedules.

I'm going to try to heed some of Mama Rock's advice which is the kind we need more of these days -- non-nonsense talk from a mama who's raised a group of amazingly successful kids.

Personally, I think there are some Hollywood celebrity families who could use this book right now!