When Partners Become Parents: The Big Life Change for Couples [Paperback]

Carolyn Pape Cowan (Author), Philip A. Cowan (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0805835598 | ISBN-13: 978-0805835595 | Publication Date: September 1, 1999 | Edition: Revised edition

When it first appeared in 1992, this book became an instant must-read on the lists of new parents and family studies professionals alike. Its message is just as relevant, just as timely, and perhaps even more important today. As indicated in the new foreword, by John M. Gottman, and in the updates and new afterword provided by the authors, the transition to parenthood remains one of the most challenging periods in adulthood. Readers today will be rewarded, just as earlier readers have been, by the stories reported in the pages of this book and by the wise counsel of the authors who put those stories in context.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Cowan and Cowan's book is a helpful work for couples contemplating parenthood and for those already coping with the imposing challenges of first-time parenthood.
—CHOICE

This is simply the most important book on the prevention of divorce that has ever been written....Practitioners need to master what is in this book. Researchers need to begin where they left off, because the field of precision family research is born here, with the publication of this book. This is the scientific story of the birth of the family.
—John Gottman, Ph.D.
University of Washington

In this splendid book, Carolyn and Philip Cowan provide us with new and invaluable knowledge. This is a major contribution.

This wise, wonderful, and engagingly written book is must reading for every couple contemplating parenthood, for those who are raising young children, and for the professionals to whom they turn for help. In taking us into the lives of couples as they grapple with the enormous changes that come with the transition to parenthood, the Cowans offer us a sophisticated and compelling portrait of the strains that every family experiences at this life stage.

This is a timely application of first-rate scholarship to one of the most important issues of the day.

Undoubtedly the definitive book describing the stresses and joys associated with the transition to parenthood. Sensitive to the challenges, feelings, and role changes of each family member, it will provide parents and professionals with insight into the factors that facilitate successful adaptation to becoming a parent or that lead to marital breakdown when confronting this difficult transition.
—E. Mavis Hetherington, Ph.D.
University of Virginia

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; Revised edition edition (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805835598
• ISBN-13: 978-0805835595
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,032,557 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars must read for the reality of parenting, April 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: When Partners Become Parents: The Big Life Change for Couples (Paperback)

This book is a study of 100 couples from pregnancy through their child's kindergarten years. It really put in perspective the challenges that one must meet to maintain a relationship and raise a child. It is not a how-to book (thank god) but studies of real people dealing with life. The conclusions not astonishing but interesting and occasionally surprising. I had trouble making the transition from lover-wife to mother-lover-wife and this book helped me to feel that I was not alone! A footnote: This is a scientific study, complete with graphs and charts. Although it is not dry and quite an easy read, the format might turn some people off. I still loved it!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read for Couples Considering a Family, July 17, 2005

By 

DIY Story Time "Librarian" (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When Partners Become Parents: The Big Life Change for Couples (Paperback)

Despite the fact that this book is listed as a textbook and that it is a scientific study from the 70s, it is a delightful, insightful, and pertinent read for anyone considering having a family.

When I began thinking of kids, I was curious to know how it would affect me & my marriage. There are many books out there that talk about the woes of motherhood and how to be a good parent (and, trust me, I've read nearly all of them), but this is the only book I've read that deals with the changes parenthood has on a marriage. The Cowans clearly identify the types of decisions, relationships, and patterns that play into this change and how, as a couple, you can weather them. This book will really help couples visualize their future with kids-- I highly recommend it.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great book for parents & professionals alike, June 24, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: When Partners Become Parents: The Big Life Change for Couples (Paperback)

When Parents Become Partners does a wonderful job of being accessible to new parents and parents-to-be, while also providing well-researched information and recommendations for professionals who work with couples. Carolyn and Phil Cowan's research following a group of pregnant couples and a control group of couples who hadn't yet decided whether to have children is fascinating, and readers will certainly recognize themselves and their friends, family among the various "types" of couples that emerge. Given the enormous transition that takes place in a couples' relationship when a child is born, this book offers reassuring, realistic information about how to survive -- or help others survive -- the change.