If I had gotten ahold of this book a few years ago, it would have saved my marraige. All the things that went wrong are addressed in it. This book shows not only how to handle the day to day things that come up but also how to create an atmosphere that prevents a lot of the problems that families deal with.

I found this book to be of great help. It happens to be the first book I read on this subject. I have gained a lot of insite into the fact that I am not abonormal and that I have the same concerns as other women moving into stepparenthood. I would recommend this book for anyone who thinks they are a bad stepparent. Find out like I did that all hope is not lost. Learn how to get your house in harmony again. Gain insight on why you feel like you are fighting an up hill battle. Don't give up hope read this book!

This is an excellant book. Jeanette Lofas, a therapist and stepmother of four stepdaughters presents the reasons and need for stepfamily guidelines. She also discusses how to apply and work on family rules in an interesting and straight forward manner. If you are having problems with household rules this book will definitely shed some light on the issue for you.

Prior to becoming a step parent I rushed to the bookstore and pulled the only three step parenting books they had off the shelf and bought them. Thank God one of them happened to be this one. Living In Step proved to be a far superior guild than the other two.

The book is well written and VERY practical. As a guy I was concerned I would have to wade through a lot of touchy feeling .... Not so. This book comes straight to the point. I liked how it is broken into sections for the step father and step mother. I was able to concentrate on the step father parts and skim over the step mother section just enough to understand how my new wife would be effected by this too.

I am nearly five years into this new relationship with my step child from when I first read this book and it has proved itself to be worth it's weight in gold. Early in the relationship when a situation would happen, I could just smile inside because I had been forewarned. Rejection from my step child was not the end but the beginning of a transition they, and I, had to go through to get where we are today. The book gave me the ability to embrace situations as they arose instead of running away in horror.

Do whatever you have to do to get this book. It can change your relationship for the better.

This book helped me to understand the feelings of my husband, his children and my own. In every situtation possible, this book makes you say "yeah thats how it really is and yes, I now understand". A real eye opener to anyone in any step situtation. Please read this before you leap into a step situtation. It will help you deal with alot of emotional garbage.

not bad and nopt exactly the same as all the others,however most miss the point orf a parent that will not let go of controll.

Although Lofas has updated things since this book was originally published, this is a great resource. One thing that sets this book apart from the numerous others on stepparenting is that it speaks to the biological parent as well as the stepparent. Suggestions for opening dialogue between partners coming from entirely different backgrounds, and problem solving steps and procedures are prescribed.

The viewpoints of the stepparent, the biological parent, and the child are detailed. This makes it somewhat easier to understand one another.

Teamwork and the re-establishment of the household are the major emphasis here. The discussion starters that Lofas suggests between two partners can be a bit painful and emotional, but help lead to a better understanding of each other. Thus, a stronger bond is created.

This book was recommended to me by a counselor. Everyone in my step family benefitted from its insight. We all got a better understanding of the problems we were experiencing. Topics such as where do I fit in & the importance of establishing rules & structure are addressed in an easy to read & understand format. I highly recommend this book to anyone in a step-family situation