"Commenting from the Outside"

September 2001
By a sister of a Sterling "Family of Women" member

My sister has been involved in the Sterling organization for many years and it seems like a cult. Anything that encourages sleep deprivation, takes a percentage of income from it's members and negates their families, is a cult in my book. Her "Family of Women" (FOW) are generally a collective of sullen-faced miserable types, and they dominate her every thought and choice.

At our family events, they are always present and try to recruit us. I put my foot down once and said, "This is Christmas, we are trying to enjoy the holiday together as a family. Please, stop marketing this crap to me. My life is quite fulfilled, thank you."

When her kids were small and really needed her, the FOW would call meetings arbitrarily during the week, pulling her away from her children. The FOW did not seem to care. My sister was vulnerable and they took advantage of that. Her kids have obviously suffered from that neglect. I have read her Sterling materials and the rhetoric used seems almost Draconian.

My sister has lost her sense of humor, much of her connection to her children and the respect of her immediate family. I spend as little time as possible with her because I cannot bear the usual gaggle of Sterling women who are constantly present in her life. She is like a sheep now. And she certainly does not appear any happier since finding Sterling.

But I am commenting from the outside.

I worry about organizations like Sterling that prey on women and men in this manner.