The Mother-in-Law Dance: Can Two Women Love the Same Man and Still Get Along?

This was hard read for me because I am one of those mother-in-laws who does not have a great relationship with their daughter-in-law. As much as I wanted us to be close, over time my daughter-in-law became very controlling and found ways to isolate my son and granddaughter from our family. I know I can't change her, so I pray for them and hope in time maturity will bring them to a new understanding. I bought this book to try to find new ways of looking at our relationship to overcome the resentment I was feeling and strategies that might help us accept our differences. My ultimate goal is to find a way to bring us back together as a family. The old adage is true - a daughter is a daughter the rest of her life, a son is a son until he takes a wife. If your desire is to maintain a healthy relationship with your son after he gets married you must learn how to make things work with your daughter-in-law. This book is a great start and would highly recommend both mother and daughter-in-law read it together as a first step toward honoring and celebrating the new family.

I bought this book shortly after I got married because of problems with my mother-in-law. There are a lot of things in this book that just seemed silly to me (and maybe that was the point). But there were a few things that have really stuck with me. The most impactful being the breakdown of the story of Ruth in Namoi. The author pointed out things about the two women that I had never noticed before. I had been reading this story over and over trying to figure out how to have a relationship like these two women. I had never before realized how many obstacles they had to overcome to get there.As you read this book, take all the silly squabbles with a grain of salt. Put your focus on the solutions and Biblical principles that are shared in this book.

I think this book gave a new perspective on the mother-in-law/daughter-in law relationship. This would be a great book to have read before gaining a daughter-in-law. Forewarned is fore-armed. It occurred to me that the threat that comes from daughter in laws is that they were reared with entire different "laws of nature". Even when the challenge from the mother-in-law isn't overt, it appears that someone has infiltrated her camp with another set of rules. Her natural impulse is protect her family and attack the "enemy" in a very subliminal way. The mother in law feels attacked and feels hurt and a riff begins. This book gave way to a healthy way of thinking about building a good relationship with a daughter-in-law. Most mother-in-laws want to embrace their daughter-in-laws and feel that nothing they do seems to bring them closer. This is a great book on how to mend it before it becomes broken.

yes, it has biblical references but i don't think it interferes w/ the points that the writer tries to make. it's great because it gives insight into what your mother-in-law might be thinking/feeling and why and therefore gives you a better understanding of their actions, but it does a really good job of identifying or empathizing with your own feelings and needs. the book doesn't take sides and is non-offensive so its a book you can actually give to your mother-in-law to read in order to get a better understanding of where YOU stand and how to act accordingly. Again, some references are biblical but often can apply to anyone. ie. "He who opens his mouth less is wise" referring to "the less advice/suggestions you shell out voluntarily, the more likely your advice will be heeded". Still reading it but finding it helpful so far.

Let's just say...."ok", "really?", "wow". I wish I had read this book ten years ago! I highly recommend this book to any mother in law and daughter in law. I have been married 37 years and have always had a great relationship with my mother in law, but still have learned some valuable lessons. I have two daughters in law and as with my biological sons, you learn on the first and do better on the second. I adore the girls, but I see many mistakes I made that I was really not aware of. I have been used to boys...so I have had to retrain the brain, and realize what the girls are thinking. I highly recommend this book!

This book is very helpful in understanding the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

My son recently married and it has not been the experience I had always thought it would be. My daughter in law and I have a lot to work through. We both love my son to pieces! She is a great wife to him! It has been a lot of discovering I didn't anticipate... between her and I. The last thing I want to do is cause stress for them or myself...this book, recommended by several friends has been very insightful! Praying to one day have the relationship with my daughter in law that is comfortable for all of us! I truly believe this book is helping!

This book was well thought out and, obviously, came from much experience. In this book, there is validation, encouragement, and guidance for those who are earnestly seeking direction from a practical biblical perspective.

What an excellent piece of real life writing. Touches all aspects. Shows that we are imperfect, but His grace is sufficient.Will definitely recommend and give as gifts in future.

Book was okay - wasn’t as good as I had hoped. I liked some of the verses and advice provided. But a lot of the material wasn’t what I had been hoping for. That’s why I chose a lower rating. There is a lot of biblical material so it was helpful in other areas of my life even if it didn’t directly relate to my current situation with my mother in law.

This book can remind you of what you already know, but please don't look for new insight.