STEPMONSTER by Wednesday Martin, Ph.D

STEPMONSTER
Author: Wednesday Martin, Ph.D.
Special Thanks to: FSB Associates

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (May 4, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618758194
• ISBN-13: 978-0618758197

SYNOPSIS:
A groundbreaking and truly stepmother-centered way of understanding the tensions that seem to define relations between women and their stepchildren Half of all women in the United States will live with or marry a man with children. And what woman with stepchildren has not—in order to defuse the often overwhelming challenges of the role—referred to herself as a "stepmonster"? As Hope Edelman does in her book for motherless daughters, Wednesday Martin’s empowering and original Stepmonster unlocks the emotional mysteries of why stepmothers think and feel and act the way they do. Martin draws upon her own experience as a stepmother, interviews with other stepmothers and stepchildren, and fascinating insights from literature, anthropology, psychology, and evolutionary biology to reveal the little-understood realities of this most demanding role. Stepmonster illuminates the harrowing process of becoming a stepmother, considers the myths and realities of being married to a man with children, counteracts the cultural notion that stepmothers are solely responsible for the challenges they encounter, identifies the "Five Step-Dilemmas That Create Conflict," and considers the emotional and social challenges men with children face when they remarry. Finally, in an unexpected twist, Martin shows why the myth of the Wicked Stepmother is our single best tool for understanding who real stepmothers are and how they feel.

MY TAKE:
I wanted to read this book because I am a stepmother. I have 3 daughters of my own, but my husband had a son from a previous marriage. Being a stepmother is different than being a mom. We constantly feel like it is a competition for love and understanding with the child. Are we doing this right? Does the child love me? Are we suppose to discipline the child or leave it to the real mom? These are questions I needed answers to. In this book we don't only get to see the "how to" at being a stepmom but the steps needed to feel complete with the child. A wonderfully written book for a stepmom!

MY RATING:

Outstanding Book That Will Stay On My Bookshelf
For Rereading!