Stepmothers: Keeping It Together with Your Husband and His Kids

Jones and Schiller, themselves stepmothers, living in Pennsylvania, sent a questionnaire to friends and friends of friends who are stepmothers, then interviewed 52 of the women who responded about co-parenting, ex-wives and legal issues. The women's attitudes toward their roles range from barely acknowledging the existence of their stepchildren to actively involving them in daily activities. The women who have children of their own admit to partiality toward them, which they make efforts to conceal, especially if they have custody of their husband's children. The stepmothers also talk about the widely varying sentiments their stepchildren have expressed toward them, and discuss husbands who are not always sympathetic to the difficulties of stepmothering. Although the survey is unscientific, the informality of the book makes the supportive, helpful information accessible to a wider audience. (July)