The Complete Idiot's Guide to Stepparenting (Complete Idiot's Guides)

Rating:
Summary: Disorganized, a blizzard of unfinished thoughts
Review: I have been a step-parent to two wonderful children for almost two years. I recieved this book for xmas, I never would have bought it had I looked at any one page. The book reads like someone took 100 post it notes with tidbits of info on them and threw them together to create a book. Unfortunatley the information (if it can so be called) is nothing more then a bunch of questions and the author saying how difficult living with a stepchild will be, she says it over and over and over.... The book is set up with a small paragraph with an idea or a question followed by "see more on this in chapter 9 or 14" etc. It is not only not informative but it a very annoying book to read. I can sum this entire book up in one sentence "Raising or Living with a step child/stepchildren is not easy, it is going to be stressful and challenging (see more on this at the beginning of my review)" There I just saved you 20 dollars, now find a different book to buy.

Rating:
Summary: Disorganized, a blizzard of unfinished thoughts
Review: I have been a step-parent to two wonderful children for almost two years. I recieved this book for xmas, I never would have bought it had I looked at any one page. The book reads like someone took 100 post it notes with tidbits of info on them and threw them together to create a book. Unfortunatley the information (if it can so be called) is nothing more then a bunch of questions and the author saying how difficult living with a stepchild will be, she says it over and over and over.... The book is set up with a small paragraph with an idea or a question followed by "see more on this in chapter 9 or 14" etc. It is not only not informative but it a very annoying book to read. I can sum this entire book up in one sentence "Raising or Living with a step child/stepchildren is not easy, it is going to be stressful and challenging (see more on this at the beginning of my review)" There I just saved you 20 dollars, now find a different book to buy.

Rating:
Summary: good scope, lacks four vital topics
Review: I have specialized in providing professional education and therapy to divorced, courting, and re/wedded couples since 1981. I am (a) 66, (b) a stepgrandson, stepson, and ex-stepfather and stepbrother, (c) an invited Board member of the Stepfamily Association of America, (d) a contributing editor to 'Your Stepfamily Online,' and (e) the author of six personal-growth and family-relations books.

I recommend "the ... Idiot's Guide to Stepparenting" to readers who want a "feel" and comprehensive reference book for - *surface* aspects of the challenging role of stepparent. I do not recommend this book to any student, co-parent, or family professional seeking the core requisites for succeeding at
this difficult family role.

Author, mother, and stepmother Erika Lutz is not a clinician. Like most authors in this genre, she misses four core hazards that (I believe) every stepfamily co-parent and supporter needs to know:

1) why and how to assess and reduce partners' psychological wounds from childhood neglect;

2) the origin and impacts of blocked grief in adults and kids, and how to spot and reduce it;

3) co-parent unawareness of five key topics: (a) normal personality information, composition, and function, (b) high-nurturance families and relationships, (c) effective communication skills, (d) healthy 3-level grief, and (e) stepfamily realities and norms. and...

4) little effective re/marital and co-parenting help (i.e. courtship coaching, classes, informed counseling, co-parent support groups) available in most communities and the media.

In my experience, these factors will often block typical mature, motivated, loving partners from following well-meant advice as in this book. The factors promote choosing the wrong people to re/wed, for the wrong reasons, at the wrong time - and subsequent stresses. Awareness, acceptance, and discussion of these factors can reduce three of the factors and their toxic impacts!

I give the third star to Lutz for the commendable scope of her book, and providing a useful index.

For more perspective on this review, see:

http://sfhelp.org/11/choose_bks.htm

Rating:
Summary: Good for beginners
Review: This funny, informative, and well-organized book will take you from the dating stage on up the stepparenting ladder. It helped quiet a LOT of my fears early on, and brought up many subjects for discussion. This book is exactly what I needed when I was starting out. Touches just about every subject, not always in great detail, but has a long list of resources.

Rating:
Summary: The help I needed when I needed it!
Review: This funny, informative, and well-organized book will take you from the dating stage on up the stepparenting ladder. It helped quiet a LOT of my fears early on, and brought up many subjects for discussion. This book is exactly what I needed when I was starting out. Touches just about every subject, not always in great detail, but has a long list of resources.

Rating:
Summary: This book doesn't tell you too much
Review: This was not a very informative book. I thought there were a lot of good ideas and a lot of different concepts brought out in it, however the author did not go into very much detail on any of the subjects. I thought it was also a little disorganized, the author seemed to delight in making the reader skip from section to section. I would keep looking for another book, this one is a definite one star.

Rating:
Summary: This book doesn't tell you too much
Review: This was not a very informative book. I thought there were a lot of good ideas and a lot of different concepts brought out in it, however the author did not go into very much detail on any of the subjects. I thought it was also a little disorganized, the author seemed to delight in making the reader skip from section to section. I would keep looking for another book, this one is a definite one star.

Rating:
Summary: Good for beginners
Review: This was the first stepparenting book I bought before marrying a man with children, and it's good as an introduction, but that's about it. If you're already a stepparent you probably already know everything in this book. It also takes a from-the-kids viewpoint, which isn't as helpful as books like The Enlighted Stepmother.