Mama Rock's Rules on Child-Rearing
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This is a rush transcript from "On the Record ," April 11, 2008. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, HOST: We have, as you can see who our next guest is. She has a superstar son. This television show is loosely based on their family's life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CHRIS ROCK, ACTOR/COMEDIAN: Before I was a comedian, I thought the coolest thing that would happen to me was being a teenager. I was going to have women, money, stay out late. I thought I was going to be the bomb.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Boy, was I wrong.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Chris! Get in the bathroom and wipe the pee off the toilet seat. Disgusting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}VAN SUSTEREN: Joining us live is Chris Rock's mother Rose Rock. Rose Rock has a new book called "Mama Rock's Rules: Ten Lessons for Raising a House Full of Successful Children."
Rose, welcome. What a great new book. And I suppose a lot of people want to talk about your son, but, boy, do we need you tonight. Have you been watching these videos of these kids beating each other?
ROSE ROCK, AUTHOR: I have. They have come upon a sick form of entertainment. That is what they are doing.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}VAN SUSTEREN: You raised 10 children, cared for 17 foster children. Your son Chris has written a forward talking about how no one has been in trouble. You have got 10 rules.
What is going on? People need to read your book.
ROCK: I think they need that book really bad, but they needed it before now.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}VAN SUSTEREN: Why has this happened?
ROCK: Today, children do not have any structure in their lives, and they are not held accountable. They beat the teacher, and now they are saying that the teacher started it, that she had a "trigger word." What in the world is a trigger word?
VAN SUSTEREN: I do not know if you saw the beginning of the show, but a bunch of girls down in Florida aboard lured another one and then beat the living daylights out of her and put it on the Internet.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But I was reading in your book, and it says, I am the boss. I am not your friend. What does that mean?
ROCK: It means I am the parent. I am not supposed to be friends with my children. How am I supposed to discipline them and set rules if I think they are my friends?
VAN SUSTEREN: So tell me some of your rules.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}ROCK: OK--first, like you said, I am your mama; I am not your friend. Push "unable" off the table. Do not lie down with anything you do not want in your life forever--that means do not go out and just pick up some random person and have sex.
VAN SUSTEREN: I know the book goes on and on, and I do not mean to quiz you. But you are the best timed guest we have ever had, I think, because people are writing on the Internet right now, writing into Gretawire.com, which is a block, saying how permissive society has gotten--kids are getting away with murder.
And here you have done this most magnificent job. We should start listening to parents to have done such a good job.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}ROCK: But the thing is, all parents can do the same thing, but it takes time to parent. A lot of parents do not take the time. It takes commitment to parent.
VAN SUSTEREN: Ok, we have to ask you a question about your son. Was he ever a troublemaker as a kid?
ROCK: No, never.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}VAN SUSTEREN: Never?
ROCK: Never.
VAN SUSTEREN: Why is he so funny?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}ROCK: I don't know. There are so many funny ones in the family that now I say it is in the breast milk.
VAN SUSTEREN: It must be. And you really had all of those of foster children?
ROCK: Yes--not at one time, and I thought about a couple more, but until two years ago, we still had foster children.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}VAN SUSTEREN: And your home in New York, every kid in that neighborhood was in and out of that home, as far as I read in this book. You're home was the place to be.
ROCK: The Kool-Aid house.
VAN SUSTEREN: Where they have structure, good food, discipline, manners. I do not think anything got past you, Rose.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}ROCK: Nothing.
VAN SUSTEREN: This is the new book, and, frankly, more people ought to read this one, but they should have read it years ago, I think, a lot of mothers and fathers. Thank you, Rose.
ROCK: Thank you.
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