Rating: 
Summary: Good, except...
Review: I found this book to be well-written, humorous and honest. The author does a good job discussing some of the various "larger societal forces" that help to shape our choices as women and as mothers. Of particular interest to me was the connection between how we relate to our children and how we related to others in our "first family" or "family of origin." This book covered topics I have not seen discussed in other parenting books - for example, the author discusses "empty-nest-syndrome" and how we are affected by gender roles. That all being said, I was turned off by the bleak picture she presented of stay-at-home mothers. I felt she presented this option as something women are "forced" to do, or end up doing because they are on "automatic pilot." The author makes references to how women lose themselves, their power, and their money if they stay at home. And throughout reading this, I couldn't help but ponder the title - "...How Children Change Your Life". It seems rather ironic because I got the feeling the author was hell-bent on NOT changing her life after her children came along.
If you can get past the negative homemaker/full-time mother references, this book has information that is interesting and helpful and it is also humorous. I do feel, however, that a book that does ALL mothers more justice is Kathleen A. Kendall-Tackett's "The Hidden Feelings of Motherhood."
Rating: 
Summary: A worthwhile read for moms at every stage of the game.
Review: I loved Harriet Lerner's other "dance" books. At first I thought this one was going to be more of a guide for the mom-to-be. However, as I kept reading I realized Lerner was taking us through the stages from birth to the young adult's departure from home. Giving us examples from her own life as a mother of two sons, her friends' and clients' lives Lerner marvelously illustrates the various difficulties many women/families can experience. Lerner admits she was not a perfect mother. That admission makes it possible for us, the readers to evaluate our own weaknesses without the customary guilt that usually accompanies such assessments. Topics discussed include power struggles, talking with difficult kids, and sibling relationships. She even mentions the unmentionable-mothers hating their children. I have already recommended this book to a friend for the the last section which deals with the departure of the youngest child from home.
Rating:
Summary: A worthwhile read for moms at every stage of the game.
Review: I loved Harriet Lerner's other "dance" books. At first I thought this one was going to be more of a guide for the mom-to-be. However, as I kept reading I realized Lerner was taking us through the stages from birth to the young adult's departure from home. Giving us examples from her own life as a mother of two sons, her friends' and clients' lives Lerner marvelously illustrates the various difficulties many women/families can experience. Lerner admits she was not a perfect mother. That admission makes it possible for us, the readers to evaluate our own weaknesses without the customary guilt that usually accompanies such assessments. Topics discussed include power struggles, talking with difficult kids, and sibling relationships. She even mentions the unmentionable-mothers hating their children. I have already recommended this book to a friend for the the last section which deals with the departure of the youngest child from home.
Rating: 
Summary: Depressing!
Review: I was looking for some advice on how to move from being career-centered to being family-centered. I did not find anything to help me in Lerner's book. I am not sure what Lerner's motive was in writing this book. Some people should not have children, and I believe Lerner falls into this category. I actually ended up feeling sorry for her about halfway through the book because child rearing (what little she seemed to do) was obviously very painful for her. I could not find one piece of sound advice. The section on nutrition, where Lerner allowed her young boys to shop for and eat whatever they pleased whenever they pleased, was absolutely preposterous. She did not appear to know her children at all. The book seemed like one big apology to them.
Rating:
Summary: Not for the stay at home mom
Review: I was very disappointed in this book. Being a new mother I thought I would be able to relate, enjoy and learn from Harriet Lerner, however all I learned is that I would be better off reading other books. This entire book is nothing but reference to other authors, Drs, psychologists and more. I got a strong sense that Ms Lerner does not have an original thought of her own. Some of the anecdotes she uses about her family are humorous and entertaining but reading this book was more like eavesdropping on the mothers table in my local Starbucks. ...returns based on whether you liked a book or not, this one would be going back.
Rating: 
Summary: Very disapointed
Review: I was very disappointed in this book. Being a new mother I thought I would be able to relate, enjoy and learn from Harriet Lerner, however all I learned is that I would be better off reading other books. This entire book is nothing but reference to other authors, Drs, psychologists and more. I got a strong sense that Ms Lerner does not have an original thought of her own. Some of the anecdotes she uses about her family are humorous and entertaining but reading this book was more like eavesdropping on the mothers table in my local Starbucks. ...returns based on whether you liked a book or not, this one would be going back.
Rating:
Summary: Not for the stay at home mom
Review: I was very dissapointed with this book. First of all, this is a book completely biased toward working mothers. Ms Lerner refers to a stay at home in her book as a martyr. She uses this book as a platform for her feminist agenda as SHE sees feminism. The whole book feels like she's trying to work out her guilt over how she mothered. She feels the need to say over and over that we're not responsible for how our children turn out. What on earth does that have to do with the present state of mothering? That is flawed logic. Of course we have a huge stake in how our children turn out. Check it out from the library before you buy it. You'll see what I mean!
Rating: 
Summary: The Mother Dance: How Children Change Your Life
Review: I'm 29, and married for over a year. I was recently thinking about the idea of having children and bought this book. I have to say that it put things in perspective and has made me rethink everything. I'll wait a few more years before I have kids. No rush at all! Thanks for heloing me make the decision.
Rating:
Summary: Helpful, positive, a good start
Review: The book has a very positive and encouraging outlook on how each of us can be instrumental in changing relationships. I do not think this is for women-only; men too can find all the examples to be useful. Very readable, easy to grasp concepts, though I would say it does not give a very in-depth analysis of things. It is short on the psycho-babble (a good thing) and really geared towards everybody. In some ways, the book is a bit over-simplified and overly optimistic about people's abilities to make these kinds of changes. However, all in all, this book is empowering and useful for just about everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful enlightening book!
Review: The Mother Dance spoke so clearly to my own experience of being a mother, including the highs and the lows. I especially loved Dr. Lerner's personal stories. She's one of the few national experts on families who doesn't write from "on high." Best were the parts about how fear and guilt operate once you become a mom. She also writes more clearly and candidly than anybody about exactly what happens to your marriage once a baby comes a long. Lerner writes from the heart, shares her own quirks and struggles and wisdom. She had me laughing and crying. I loved this book, and I gave it to my sister, who loved it as well. What mother wouldn't?
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