Stepmonster

A groundbreaking and truly stepmother-centered way of understanding the tensions that seem to define relations between women and their stepchildren

Half of all women in the United States will live with or marry a man with children. And what woman with stepchildren has notin order to defuse the often overwhelming challenges of the rolereferred to herself as a “stepmonster”?

As Hope Edelman does in her book for motherless daughters, Wednesday Martins empowering and original Stepmonster unlocks the emotional mysteries of why stepmothers think and feel and act the way they do. Martin draws upon her own experience as a stepmother, interviews with other stepmothers and stepchildren, and fascinating insights from literature, anthropology, psychology, and evolutionary biology to reveal the little-understood realities of this most demanding role.

Stepmonster illuminates the harrowing process of becoming a stepmother, considers the myths and realities of being married to a man with children, counteracts the cultural notion that stepmothers are solely responsible for the challenges they encounter, identifies the “Five Step-Dilemmas That Create Conflict,” and considers the emotional and social challenges men with children face when they remarry.

Finally, in an unexpected twist, Martin shows why the myth of the Wicked Stepmother is our single best tool for understanding who real stepmothers are and how they feel.

A Step Up For Stepfamilies

Anyone on the journey of becoming or being in a stepfamily knows that stepfamily life is complex. Members can often feel isolated, misunderstood and unrecognised.

Who do we talk to about our struggles? Who understands the unique challenges we face and can validate our often very conflicted feelings? Who and where do we turn to for guidance, support and encouragement and a sense of direction when everything feels chaotic and unpredictable?

Marcia Watts – step-parent, parent, wife, relationships counsellor and psychotherapist – knows the reality of being in a stepfamily from both personal and professional experience. In A Step Up for Stepfamilies, Marcia shares heartfelt, practical and reassuring research and strategies to empower you to cultivate your own thriving, resilient and loving stepfamily. She shows that being in a stepfamily can be enjoyable and rewarding, especially when armed with constructive and helpful tools to confidently step up challenges.

With real-life anecdotes, advice on parenting, grief, ex-factors and looking after yourself, and resources for professionals, A Step Up For Stepfamilies is the essential handbook to successfully navigate stepfamily life.

Ossie’s World Upside down

When Ossie’s mum leaves his dad, Ossie’s world is turned upside-down. Ossie finds the changes in his life difficult to cope with and when he becomes really angry at school one day he is nearly expelled. Then his Dad meets Mad Lion. Ossie’s life turns upside-down again!

Ossie’s World Upside down is a warm hearted story about family disruption, a new friend and finding happiness.

Postage fees (not included in the listed price): $5 (Australia), $10 (international).

Take Heart

A Story for Modern Stepfamilies

These days, families come in all shapes and sizes. They move from one state to create a family in another. They combine into new homes, take holidays with blends of children and parents from different households. They invent routines and rituals to establish their own rhythms. And don’t forget the double sets of school uniforms and pyjamas under different roofs.

Welcome to the new normal of family life for many Australians.

It is a path Chloe Shorten has walked. Chloe was surprised at the lack of helpful information and unexpected tripwires for those not fitting the traditional cookie-cutter model. She was also heartened by the sensible advice she unearthed, the resilience of her children and the joy of watching her husband become a father three times over.

Chloe tells of her own quest to create a new normal. Honest, sincere and warm hearted, this is a story of the modern household and explores the idea of who qualifies as ‘a family’ in the twenty-first century.

Super Jack

Jack must learn how to deal with his new extended family in this sequel to the heartwarming I Am Jack. Jack is going on a family trip. And now family means Nanna, sort-of-stepdad Rob and his son, Leo, and Jack’s friend Anna, as well as Mum and Samantha. Blending is hard work!

Wicked (Parts 1 to 6)

From two of Australia’s wickedest authors comes this collection of six shocking children’s stories.

The Slobberers

Dawn and Rory hate each other’s guts. And now they are to be step-sister and brother. Even worse, something very weird is happening to the worms Rory keeps as pets. But what happens when the Slobberers escape during the wedding is only the beginning.

Battering Rams

Dawn and Rory find their parents’ car wrecked with blood-stained seats, They begin to panic – was it the slobberers? Will Dawn and Rory be next on the menu?

Croaked

Kamikaze frogs, kidnap and a crazy snail all point to one thing: Dawn and Rory’s quest for the truth has to continue.

Dead Ringers

Rory and Dawn are following the trail of the Slobberers. A snail with Slobberer disease leads them to Howard, the brother Rory never knew he had, and they continue the search for their dad. They fight against gripping, writhing roots that trap them in their car, roots that kill feral pigs as they eat them.

The Creeper

Dawn and Rory hate each other’s guts. And now they are to be step-sister and brother. Even worse, something very weird is happening to the worms Rory keeps as pets. But what happens when the Slobberers escape during the wedding is only the beginning.

Till Death Us Do Part

Dawn and Rory continue to battle against the Slobberers. Rory and his brother Howard are reunited with their father, and the mould he is growing in the abandoned refinery proves to be a cure for Slobberers disease and death to the Slobberers.

Ginny Morris and Dad’s New Girlfriend

Ten-year-old Ginny Morris, whose parents are divorced, lives with each parent a week at a time. One day when she arrives at her dad’s after a week with her mother, she discovers that the house is spotless, the yard is spruced up, and even her own room has been messed with. The reason is: Dad has a friend named Ruth.

Daddy’s Getting Married

Children of divorced parents are sometimes confused or troubled when one parent decides to remarry. This book offers them reassurance. The sensitively written Let’s Talk About It Books encourage preschool-age and early-grades children to explore their feelings, and speak openly to a parent or other trusted adult about things that trouble them. Each title discusses a particular concern or anxiety that children often encounter in the course of growing up. All books in this series have appealing color illustrations on every page, and are available in both English and Spanish language editions. A short section at the back of each book offers advice to parents.

Jigsaw Puzzle Family

The Stepkids’ Guide to Fitting it Together

“For all the kids who wonder how the jigsaw puzzle pieces of their newly combined family will ever fit together,” MacGregor has created another warm and understanding resource for children of divorce. Jigsaw Puzzle Familyhelps kids realize they’re not alone—many, many other kids are dealing with a new stepparent… new rules in the house… new stepbrothers and/or stepsisters… living somewhere new. Readers will find engaging stories of children facing the same issues, dozens of practical and helpful suggestions for making stepfamily life better, gentle guidance in understanding the mixed feelings that go with fitting into a blended (“jigsaw puzzle”) family, and lots of reassurance that time will help.

Blending Families

The Honeymoon Comes Later

With this in mind, Max Price, Ph.D., has compiled a practical, easy-reading collection of stories about and by stepmoms, stepdads, stepchildren, and a stepgrandmother, along with mental health professionals, in his book, Blending Families: the Honeymoon Comes Later. Blending two families is a challenging journey, not a simple walk in the park, and Max Price has drawn together contributors who share their real-life journeys and provide blending families relevant advice. So if you’re about to step into the trenches of stepfamily living, or if you’ve been dealing with an ongoing problem in your blended home, Max Price’s Blending Families is the perfect guide for any stepfamily issue.

Step F.O.R.W.A.R.D.

7 Attributes of Effective Stepparenting

In this world of blended families, one of the greatest challenges that impacts our society is that of step parenting. The synergistic efforts of family members supporting children who fall victim to the demise of relationships that render one parent or the other absent doesn’t often include the stepparent. Step F.O.R.W.A.R.D. is a realistic fiction that features a family who embrace seven fundamental attribute that enable them to move FORWARD in building ta healthy and functional family relationship. • Fidelity • Ownership • Respect • Wisdom • Accountability • Responsibility • Diligence These seven attributes are not the only that contribute to the success of step parenting. However, each chapter highlights these essential attributes and gives credence to the positive impact they can have on the step parenting process. May you become enlightened and empowered by the words of this book as you step FORWARD in your journey. “Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life. Tiptoe if you must, but make the step FORWARD” Anonymous.

The Other Mother

For Kelly, meeting the right guy was pretty straightforward – becoming a ‘spare mum’ to his two sons was more daunting. It had taken long enough to get on with her own stepmum, and now Kelly suddenly found herself sharing responsibility for two mini-humans. Her party days gave way to early starts, jokes about farts, games of hide-and-seek, and delicate negotiations with her partner’s ex and a cast of many. When Kelly got pregnant, stitching together the patchwork quilt of their new tribe became even trickier.

The Woodcutter’s Wife

Honest, beautifully acerbic, witty, hair-raising and heartwarming. The Woodcutter’s Wife is no fairytale: it’s the warts’n’all story of a woman who doesn’t have all the answers; of a little boy coping with rejection and a painful past riddled with durgs; and of the idea that maybe a stepfamily can become a real family after all.