Brooke Romney, a best-selling author known for her "Modern Manners for Teens and Kids" series, shares insights on supporting teens facing friendship struggles. She emphasizes the emotional weight of these issues for both teens and their moms. The discussion covers strategies for validating feelings, fostering empathy, and guiding teens towards independence in social dynamics. Brooke also introduces practical tips for engaging strong-willed teens and highlights the importance of creating a nurturing family environment to support their social development.

For this week's episode, we spoke with Brooke Romney, a guest that had been recommended to us over and over — and we were so happy we were able to connect with her.Brooke is a writer who began her career on Capitol Hill and whose work has appeared in many publications, including in the Washington Post. She now spends much of her time writing and speaking, particularly on the subject of parenting, but also on social media, connection, and faith. In 2021, she published 52 Modern Manners for Today’s Teens, which reached #1 on Amazon’s bestselling Parenting books list, and climbed as high as #29 in its entire catalog of 38 million books. She’s also published I Like Me Anyway: Embracing Imperfection, Connection & Christ.In our conversation with Brooke, we did talk a lot about parenting, but so many of the principles were broadly applicable. Specifically, we spent time on creating connection with all the people around us, including our children — we talked about some of the habits that are so easy to slip into that can be disconnecting and simple things we may not have thought of that can create moments of connection.We also talked about “living from our values,” and being willing to be misunderstood and receive feedback when we’re doing so — as Brooke says, listening to other perspectives, even if it’s difficult, is how we get better.We were so grateful Brooke took the time to come on the podcast, and we really think you’re going to enjoy hearing from her. To follow Brooke and her work, you can head to her website at brookeromney.com and find her books on Amazon. She’s also on Instagram at @brookeromneywrites 

Brooke Romney, a mom of four and author of the "52 Modern Manners" series, shares her expertise on guiding teens in friendship. She provides three essential conversations for parents to help their teens build and maintain meaningful friendships. Through relatable stories, Brooke emphasizes the importance of kindness and celebrating others' achievements in social dynamics. She also discusses how modern manners can enhance communication and relationships, making navigating the teen years a bit easier for parents and kids alike.