Lessons for Step Mothers

by Geeta Maheshwari

Ever since Cinderella, the word 'wicked' seems to have got permanently prefixed to step mothers which is not only unfair, it is also not true. Most women consider step motherhood as their life's highest calling. They go above and beyond the call of duty to make their step children feel loved and welcomed and all they get is attitudes, eye rolls, and sarcastic remarks. They can't even share their pain with anyone because if they do, the only thing they get to hear every time is, "well you knew there were kids involved" Every step mother-to-be knows there are kids involved. Of course she does. She has just no idea how demanding and difficult her job is going to be. With duties and responsibilities sans the rights and the glory, caring for someone else's children can be very demoralizing. Plus with the wicked step mother myth chasing her like a shadow 24x7, it is difficult for her to just be. No wonder most step mothers consider their journey the hardest road travelled. What a step mother needs to realize is that she can neither change society's perception of her nor can she win her step children over by becoming a doormat in her own home. Instead she should invest her time and energy to learn about her step family and her role therein. That's where this book will come in handy. It has some very useful lessons that will guide every woman who is either contemplating step motherhood or is already there and struggling Comprehend the intricate dynamics of step Know why she is a soft target Debunk step family myths Bond with her step kids Keep her identity Prevent step maternal burnout Protect her sanity

Genres: Nonfiction

89 pages, Paperback

First published November 13, 2013

About the author

Dr. Geeta Maheshwari is a psychiatrist working closely with people having issues in their marriage. She also conducts premarital counselling workshops regularly. She is the founder trustee of Orthopsychiatry Foundation of India. a charitable trust that helps with orthopaedic and/or psychiatric illnesses. She is married to Jitendra, a knee and shoulder surgeon and an accomplished author himself. They have a daughter Parul. She lives with her family in New Delhi, India.

Reviews

[Swapna Peri ( Book Reviews Cafe ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The word ‘ Mother ‘ is a very precious one in the world. The word ‘ Mother ‘ itself is a whole world. It’s very hard to describe in reality to define the word ‘ Mother ‘.

For a detailed review, visit the below mentioned blog link:

https://betareadingbysappy.wordpress....

[Tanvi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just do not even know where to begin with this review. I actually feel like I was so so generous with the 2 stars.
This was another book I picked up with the intention of finding something to recommend to clients, and boy, was I disappointed.
This barely 89 page book took me months to read, I say barely because at the beginning of every chapter there is a 'quote', I say quote loosely, it's basically a line from the upcoming chapter.

Even though this book has been published by Partridge, which is a sort of subsidiary of Penguin Random House, it feels like it's been self-published & has not been edited or even re-read once written. Even the formatting of the text itself is horrendous.

Some other things that irked me about the content itself was that, there is absolutely no research references or citations made at any point in the book. The book is supposed to be a guide for step mothers but instead time & time again, instills fear & asks the reader to re-assess & re-think HER life choices because life will be tough. Moreover, it is written in a way that it seems like it blames the man in the marriage in every situation, why his marriage ended or the fact that he can't stand up for himself or whatever the reason, basically the perspective is extremely skewed.
Another thing, I did not like was that it just basically assumed the step-children would view their new mom in the 'evil stepmother' for sure, & even though that may be true in many instances, I do not appreciate the fact, that it's seen as something as a matter of fact.

I can frankly go on endlessly about the negatives of this book, and write a 89 page book! This book feels like someone wrote a bad college assignment. It is a complete waste of time. And there is maybe 10 pages or a blog post worth of good content here!