Step Wives

Book overview
Stepwives: (n) (1) ex-wife and current wife to the same man, mother and stepmother to the same children; (2) women destined to battle for the love and control of their families...until now!
Lynne and Louise were stepwives for ten years. While they managed a barely civil relationship, each was seething with anger on the inside. It all boiled over in an ugly scene on the day Lynne saw that Louise was wearing shoes identical to her own favorite pair, and then they knew they had to find a new way of being a family.

With the guidance of marriage and family therapist Marjorie Vego Krausz, Lynne Oxhorn-Ringwood and Louise Oxhorn developed a ten-step program that has helped thousands of women begin to go from sworn enemies to CoMamas. You don't have to follow the program together with your stepwife; even if only one of you follows the plan, your stepwife relationship and the happiness of your family will improve. Learn how to:



Establish a good working relationship with your stepwife

Put the children first

Understand your husband's/ex-husband's role and how he can help

Handle vacations, holidays, and other big occasions

Packed with quizzes, lists, and other helpful tools, Stepwives can show you how to step into her shoes and have a peaceful, cooperative relationship with your stepwife.


Oxhorn-Ringwood and Oxhorn present a refreshing approach to solving the problems of parenting after divorce. Once bitter enemies (Louise married Lynne's ex-husband), the authors, with the assistance of psychologist Krausz, created a ten-step program called CoMamas to help ex-wives and stepmothers build a healthy relationship that puts children first. They have coined the term stepwives to apply to ...

More women who are the ex-wife and current wife to the same man and parent or stepparent to the same children. Based on the authors' own experiences and illustrated with quotes from their diaries, the book offers practical suggestions for developing empathy and learning to lessen tension and support the children caught in a divorce. While their suggestions are commonsensical (e.g., the mother should refrain from calling when the child is with the stepmother), their sense of optimism and cooperative approach are highly unique. Resources and suggested readings are appended. Recommended. Kay Brodie, Chesapeake Coll., Wye Mills, MD

Stepwives By Lynne Oxhorn-Ringwood, Louise Oxhorn, Marjorie Vego Krausz