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Parking Lot Rules & 75 Other Ideas for Raising Amazing Children
by
Tom Sturges
When Tom Sturges became a father, he wanted to be the greatest father who ever walked the earth. So Sturges asked a lot of questions. He picked up ideas, advice, and tips from parents, grandparents, even rock stars and sports legends–anyone who had unique insights to share. The result is this practical, inspiring rule book for raising healthy, happy, safe, and cherished ch...more
Paperback, 224 pages
Published
May 19th 2009
by Ballantine Books
(first published May 6th 2008)
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Though some parts were a little cheesy, I thought this book had a lot of good ideas. I especially liked "Grow the Tree You've Got". It really did inspire me to try to be a better parent. I have a hard time believing that the author follows ALL of his own rules all the time with his kids. No one can be that perfect! I wish he would have conceded that point a little bit more. I prefer my parenting advice to come from someone who is a little more self-deprecating and realistic. Sti...more
I'm trying to pepper in some non-fiction in my growing list of fiction books to read. This is one of the first I've actually made it all the way through -- non-fiction has to work pretty hard to keep my attention or to jockey for position during my limited and precious "me time."
I used to read a lot of parenting books, but when you have two kids, who has the time? I picked up Parking Lot Rules because it doled out advice in a way I could easily digest it -- in quick and eas...more
I used to read a lot of parenting books, but when you have two kids, who has the time? I picked up Parking Lot Rules because it doled out advice in a way I could easily digest it -- in quick and eas...more
If you ever read Robert Fulgum’s All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kinderarten, then you’ll understand what I mean when I say that Tom Sturges’ Parking Lot Rules is this decade’s version of Fulgham’s go-to-guide for parents.
Here are some examples of Sturge’s words of wisdom:
• EVERYDAY: Let your children feel welcome and loved from the first moment he or she walks into a room. “Smile When You See Him” (rule #4) and leave no doubt that, at that moment, your child i...more
Here are some examples of Sturge’s words of wisdom:
• EVERYDAY: Let your children feel welcome and loved from the first moment he or she walks into a room. “Smile When You See Him” (rule #4) and leave no doubt that, at that moment, your child i...more
I can see how a certain type of parent might find this book helpful, however, I am not that type of parent. The author of this book has a child-rearing philosophy centered on the idea the the parent is the ultimate authority whose job it is to make the children into something the parent thinks is ideal. Tom Sturges is always the teacher and is always right.
I admit that Sturges does scratch the surface of an important topic: treating your kids with respect. He doesn't go far enough i...more
I admit that Sturges does scratch the surface of an important topic: treating your kids with respect. He doesn't go far enough i...more
Okay I started off really thinking this guys new what he was talking about. Sometimes I think he gets lucky, like we all do in raising our children. He really shouldn't be writing a book. He contradicts himself and sounds arrogant. He even talks about going over to other peoples homes and how he helped them with suggestions on how to parent their unruly children. Mind you he says these are his friends and continues on with talk about how their homes are unsatisfactory. Hello? I bet there ...more
This book is a fun, quick read. I liked several of the rules to live by and hope to implement them. (some are for adults to have as rules, some are for the kids to know, too). I think I could be happy picking this up for a brush-up on ideas when I'm in a slump, but it's not a major fix-it plan for any problems, just a light list of good ideas. Here are some I liked:
Parking Lot rules (stay close to mom)
Smile when you see them
Almost Always skip the first thing that come...more
Parking Lot rules (stay close to mom)
Smile when you see them
Almost Always skip the first thing that come...more
I typically don't like parenting books. But I picked this up because my husband and I often yell "PARKING LOT" to the kids to indicate that they need to get back to where we are. So I kind of liked his approach. So it's not rocket science and it's nothing earth shattering but I like the structure he put around their house rules and around setting expectations.
I read some of the introductions to the 7 year old last night - "Manners Matter" which was brief but so p...more
I read some of the introductions to the 7 year old last night - "Manners Matter" which was brief but so p...more
Divorced dad of two sons, executive, coach, and teacher Tom Sturges wrote a collection of parenting "rules" to live by. The book contains some worthwhile tidbits, such as:
3. Grow the tree you've got--your child might not be exactly what you get, but love him or her for their own unique personality
4. Smile when you see them--greet your child with love and affection
5. Once seen, never unseen--protect your child from seeing unpleasant or traumatic thing...more
3. Grow the tree you've got--your child might not be exactly what you get, but love him or her for their own unique personality
4. Smile when you see them--greet your child with love and affection
5. Once seen, never unseen--protect your child from seeing unpleasant or traumatic thing...more
This was a quick, somewhat inspiring read filled with little ideas to make your kids feel loved and to hopefully help them grow into strong, confident, good people. I might not agree with all of the author's suggestions (I don't see how squirting a kid with a water gun while he's having a temper tantrum will guarantee that he will grow into an amazing person, but it will certainly tick him off). But, some of Sturges' ideas are great, such as giving a child your undivided attention while he/she t...more
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This was a quick read and It got me thinking about some things I need to do differently. At times, I felt he was a tad bit too dramatic.
I liked his rules: "grow the tree you've got" and "almost always skip the first thing that comes to mind". I have also really thought about the reaction I give my kids the first time I see them throughout the day; first thing in the morning, when they get off the bus, etc and how I acknowledge them.
I liked his rules: "grow the tree you've got" and "almost always skip the first thing that comes to mind". I have also really thought about the reaction I give my kids the first time I see them throughout the day; first thing in the morning, when they get off the bus, etc and how I acknowledge them.
He lost me at "no yelling."
I enjoy reading parenting books - little tips and tricks go a long way during long days - but this one was a bit too sanctimonious and "easier said than done." Parenting advice (at least for me) needs to be practical. We all know we shouldn't yell, and we should be patient every minute of the day, but that's not life. So, while I found some nuggets of good information, generally this one was not something I would recommend - at least to...more
I enjoy reading parenting books - little tips and tricks go a long way during long days - but this one was a bit too sanctimonious and "easier said than done." Parenting advice (at least for me) needs to be practical. We all know we shouldn't yell, and we should be patient every minute of the day, but that's not life. So, while I found some nuggets of good information, generally this one was not something I would recommend - at least to...more
While there were a few "Parking Lot Rules" I thought were smart and helpful, there was a bit too much of the sanctimonious in this book for me. And far too many "always" and "never" rules for parenting. I guess I like parenting books, especially when they are written by an average joe just like me and not someone with a PhD in child development next to his name, to have a more self-deprecating, less self-satisfied, style.
Loved it! 75 basic principles and simple suggestions on how to be better parents. Some that really impacted me were:
Whisper instead of yell at children
Put your kids in to sports no matter what
Treat your children the same way you would if your boss was in the room with you
Get them outside
I should've wrote these down as I read the book--and I already returned it! :) Great read...and a quick read.
Whisper instead of yell at children
Put your kids in to sports no matter what
Treat your children the same way you would if your boss was in the room with you
Get them outside
I should've wrote these down as I read the book--and I already returned it! :) Great read...and a quick read.
Most of the tips in this book are good, but generic: treat your child with respect, don't ever raise your voice or use violence, love them unconditionally, go to all their sporting events, praise them consistently, count to 10 before you say anything. We get it, Tom.
However, a few tips are actually *quite* good. For instance, Sturges plays a game called "Excellent Questions" with his children in which they try to come up with questions that don't have trivial answers or eas...more
However, a few tips are actually *quite* good. For instance, Sturges plays a game called "Excellent Questions" with his children in which they try to come up with questions that don't have trivial answers or eas...more
The first few chapters were good, and actually provided some great practical tips. However as the book progresses the author ends up contradicting himself repeatedly and frankly sounds a bit arrogant. And what is up with his obsession over sports, sports, sports. That's all he seems to care about. As the book neared the end I found myself skipping through several chapters, that were all about (you guessed it) sports.
I will say that it is obvious that he is a good dad and treats h...more
I will say that it is obvious that he is a good dad and treats h...more
So overall this was a decent book with some sage advice. It gave me some things to think about and it has some good ideas I'm sharing with my daughter (a new mom). At times it felt a little contrived and at times it seemed the author was a little too pleased with himself. It's an easy, quick read.
This is a fun parenting book. It doesn't delve deeply into raising children. Instead there are just 75 new and unique tools to add to your parenting toolbelt.
Most of the tips are very practical.
A worthwhile and quick read.
Most of the tips are very practical.
A worthwhile and quick read.
I thought this had some really great ideas, although I'm not sure I'll take every single thing he said to heart. His kids seem a bit different from mine. :) However, I would recommend it to anyone.
lots of practical ideas and some not so common sense rules/suggestions to help you provide a strong dose of self esteem to your kids
Very nice collection of parenting tips. Highly recommend it. Added bonus for movie buffs--the author is Preston Sturges' son.
I've only flipped through this one as it is a quick easy read and so far very logical suggestions for all parents to consider.
I liked a lot of the suggestions and some I didn't care for. But overall it was a good read with lots of good ideas.
50% barely skim-worthy, but the other half had a lot of clever ideas and basically respectful stuff.
So this seemed like a cute little book to glean some parenting ideas from.....what a sanctimonious jerk this guy is. If I had to read one more little cutesy anecdote that reminded me about how he NEVER raises his voice to his kids and ALWAYS attends every event they're involved in, I was going to puke. It's not so much that what he says isn't right--it usually is, but it's more the tone...that he never lapses, never feels strained doing anything and doesn't tolerate anyone who does. Not a fa...more
I took away a few thoughts from this book that I loved such as in the sections on "grow the tree you got!", and a few others that I have found to be insightful like "Yes, not what?". Other than that I felt that the book was primarily geared towards older children (not the pre-schooler and toddler) but those that have more reasoning and conversation skills. You just have to pick and choose what ideas you like from this book - otherwise it will just leave you feeling like an...more
Another new book from the library that caught my eye. I've glanced through the first few pages and like that I can read short bits in a minute of two. I'm starting to get Tyler used to hearing "Parking Lot Rules" from me so I don't have to be long-winded about saying stuff like "stay close to me, hold my hand, come closer, no don't wander away, etc. etc. etc." I think this will be a fun little read. I've already learned one thing I liked, so the rest is all a bonus.
This book made me feel like I wasn't too terribly off on some of my common sense when it comes to parenting. Although, when the book started making suggestions about how not to lose your children in a crowd or when your on vacation it made me think of worst case scenarios so I decided not to finish it. I was going to be traveling out of state soon with a rambunctious four year old and the thought of losing him scared the book right out of my hands.
This is a great read for parents of younger children
Not too impressed. A few good points in the book but for the most part, seemed to be authored by a very self-righteous parent. Guiding principles of respect of course totally make sense but some of his applications are goofy or impractical. Felt several times like not finishing it but worse to me than a bad book is not finishing a book started. There's always something to be learned - is that too self-righteous?
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