Stepmotherhood: How to Survive Without Feeling Frustrated, Left Out, or Wicked

A stepmother and mother herself, writer Cherie Burns has interviewed stepmothers across the country and consulted extensively with family counselors to produce the bold compassionate book on a much neglected subject. Stepmotherhood covers the entire range of experience that every stepmother faces: from what to do when your stepchildren refuse to look you in the eye, compare your cooking to "Mom's," or pit you against your husband to how to cope with ex-wives, visitation schedules, vacations guilt and anger. Money, discipline, housework, sex, and the complications of a two-family holiday are among the subjects explored by Burns, and their are also sections on the special problems of being married to a widower and the stepmother's desire to have her own children.

Most women underestimate the demands (or expect too much) of stepmothering, and Burns' most important advice is to know what your getting into. Frank, insightful, and eminently practical, she describes the anxieties and frustrations as well as the humor and emotional payoffs involved in this much misunderstood role. An indispensable book for any family that includes a stepmother.