Danibooks Publishing (Trade Paperback), ISBN 0-9701291-0-6
On the surface Oh Momma! sounds like a wonderful idea. As the husband of a single mother with children, I can understand the direction Danielle Dufayet attempts to pursue -- a do-it-yourself guide to the traps and pitfalls of second time relationships that include children. Unfortunately I don't think Oh Momma! quite fills the bill.

With 19 chapters covering such areas as a boyfriend's intentions and dealing with emotions, children, sex and ex-husbands, Dufayet gives thoughtful comments on the best way to handle these situations.

However, Oh Momma! tends to provide a commentary instead of serving as a guide. Dufayet offers little more than obvious, common sense suggestions and observations. I guess some men may not realize they cannot take the place of a child's real father, and that a single mother carries a depth of responsibility far beyond that of a single woman. Hopefully most men do appreciate these factors -- if not, then this book renders a poor reflection on the intelligence of the average male.

The book lacks a lot in depth. For example, in the chapter that one would think would appeal to most men -- "Sex (finally, what you've been waiting for)" -- the author takes an entire chapter (all 345 words of it) to instruct readers to lock their bedroom doors. You would think that a topic so rife with possibilities for dialog and opportunities to smooth both sexes' confused expectations would inspire more than: "Well, duh."

I'd like to say more about Oh Momma! but I don't want to give away all the secrets contained in this slim, 65-page booklet. Oh Momma! does give some honest insight and a vision of the relationship from the other side. Alas, priced at $9.95, it doesn't provide enough of that kind of insight for this particular reader to recommend it.

Stephen Smith

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