There's a new cultural pressure in town — to befriend your ex's wife, or your husband's ex. As you might know from reading my posts, I feel strongly that any woman married to a guy with kids and an ex should feel free to just say no to this pressure — to focus on her marriage and her own mental health and adjustment, given how depleting and decentering the role of stepmother can be and usually is.

But I have to give it up for my friend Jennifer Newcomb Marine and her co-author — and kids' stepmother — Carol Marine. Like some of you, they chose to put their energy into engineering an effective parenting coalition, and a friendship. And they wrote a book about it: No One's the Bitch: A Ten-Step Plan for the Mother and Stepmother Relationship. They will be talking about it on Tuesday, December 1st on the Dr. Phil Show. Let's see if he lets them get a word in edgewise...it should be a great show. Tune in...and then leave a comment! Or just let me know here: how would you describe your relationship with your ex's wife or partner?

http://www.drphil.com/