Stepfamily Courtship: How to Make Three Right Re/Marriage Choices

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Summary: TheStepfamilyLife - Review of Stepfamily Courtship
Review: In "Stepfamily Courtship. Make Three Right Re/Marriage Choices," stepfamily therapist Peter Gerlach helps courting couples considering leaping into stepfamily life explore the underlying issues that can sabotage their relationship. According to Gerlach, there are five re/marriage hazards facing stepfamilies: (1) co-parents mixes of psychological wounds, (2) blocked grief, (3) widespread unawareness, (4) neediness and romantic love idealism and (5) little practical and informed help available to support stepfamilies. Weighing in at 552 pages, this book can be intimidating to the reader seeking only light advice - yet it is packs quite a punch. It is loaded with information to consider and discuss with your spouse or potential spouse - Gerlach outlines assignments as "projects" for discussion - helping readers examine how they communicate with each other and the underlying expectations each carries into a marital relationship. However - the text is slow-going as one often stops to ponder various points -it is not a book for the non-persistent. The wounds we all carry that influence our choices and reactions to each other are also important to Gerlach. He focuses on helping people realize what truly motivates them. Many sections of the book relate to Gerlach's website which offers more information, although the text layout can be clunky occasionally. The image that Gerlach paints of stepfamilies - is both sobering and joyous at the same time - helping people squarely and honestly face the stresses encountered when remarrying or marrying someone who is divorced.