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Family Rules: Helping Stepfamilies and Single Parents Build Happy Homes

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Author: Jeannette Lofas
Publisher: Kensington
Category: Book

List Price: ~~$12.00~~
Buy Used: $1.09
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New (4) Used (19) from $1.09

Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 128
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.5

ISBN: 157566352X
Dewey Decimal Number: 646.78
EAN: 9781575663524
ASIN: 157566352X

Publication Date: November 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Standard used condition.

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Similar Items:

•	Stepcoupling: Creating and Sustaining a Strong Marriage in Today's Blended Family
•	Keys to Successful Stepfathering (Barron's Parenting Keys)
•	7 Steps to Bonding with Your Stepchild
•	Blending Families
•	The Stepfamily Survival Guide

Editorial Reviews:

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

Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Not what I expected, but still highly recommend. April 15, 2008
I wish this book had more advice on the interactions between stepparents and the kids. With that said, I was very pleasantly surprised at the many great ideas she had to implement security, reliability, and traditions into the family. My man and I disagree quite a bit on the rules and disciplining of my son and this helped out work things out together before we enforced them.

3 out of 5 stars

mixed bag March 18, 2006
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

This is a very practical nuts bolts book about how to structure single-parent and blended homes. The tone is a no-nonsense reminder that parents need to parent, not befriend, spoil or placate their kids. A good reminder for many of us, probably. However, the author's approach feels bossy to me. Experts rarely agree on any aspect of parenting; instead of acknowledging that, she'll just present her approach as the correct one. For example, on the fairly controversial subject of allowances, surprise, surprise: of the myriad approaches out there, the way *her* birth family administered allowances is the correct one! Another major turnoff for me was her discussion of bedtime rituals for her son, Lars. When he was between the ages of 5 and 10, she would go out (on the town, on dates, etc.,) after he went to sleep approximately three times/week. There is no mention of a baby sitter, baby monitor, or any other way to ensure his safety and security. After I read that, I had a hard time accepting this woman as an expert on *anything* I would recommend Mom's House, Dad's House: Making Two Homes for Your Child as a better book that covers everything this book purports to, and much more.

3 out of 5 stars

strict!! May 10, 2005
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

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.

5 out of 5 stars

Family Rules February 6, 2005
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Family Rules is a how to do it manual for managing the stepfamily. Adults need guidance for dealing with the chaos thatbr /usually ocurrs when a stpfamily is formed. Children need the security of knowing what is expected of them. This book very much helps. I recommend this book to my clients.

5 out of 5 stars

Practical, realistic, and in the "Top Tier"! January 13, 2004
28 out of 29 found this review helpful

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.pHaving 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. pMuch 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.

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