Author Archives: Stephanie Romero

About Stephanie Romero

Stephanie Romero is a professional blogger for Families and full-time web content writer. She is the author and instructor of an online course, "Recovery from Abuse," which is currently being used in a prison as part of a character-based program. She has been married to her husband Dan for 21 years and is the mother of two teenage children who live at home and one who is serving in the Air Force.

Mistake #3 Parents Make With Teenagers: Making Mountains Out of Molehills

  We have talked about two different mistakes parents of teenagers make:  expecting the worse and looking for parenting answers in others.  Today’s mistake is making mountains out of molehills.  Of which I am sometimes the queen. The best example I can give in my parenting experience is when my daughter first began to wear makeup.  She thought the raccoon look was the way to go.  I absolutely hated the thick, black lines that surrounded her eyes. It would cause constant arguments between us.  One time I even pulled her out of our church’s youth group to make her go … Continue reading →

Focusing on the Positive

Changing a lifestyle can feel like an overwhelming task.  You know you should exercise and that there needs to be serious changes with eating habits.  But where do you even get started? The all-or-nothing approach is a fairly common one.  But it’s also more likely to result in defeat. I used to have that mindset, that if I didn’t make drastic changes at one time, there was no point in trying.  It was all-or-nothing when it came to exercise and eating. So as soon as I messed up (which could be as simple as missing one day of exercise), the … Continue reading →

Respect and Honor: Two Important Ingredients

There are two important ingredients to every marriage:  respect and honor.  But I’m afraid these are oftentimes considered antiquated elements in today’s society. In a world where the focus is oftentimes self-centered, marriages can quickly disintegrate.  But with respect and honor becoming the focal point, many of the challenges could be easily dealt with or avoided altogether. What does it mean to respect your spouse in marriage?  It means to respect their feelings.  If you know something in particular upsets your spouse, makes him or her angry or anxious, don’t do it. It also means to respect their time.  Demanding … Continue reading →

Mistake #2 Parents Make With Teenagers: Looking for Parenting Answers in Others

So far I have covered mistake #1 that parents of teenagers make, expecting the worse out of this stage of life.  The second mistake I am going to talk about is trying to find parenting answers through others. I know that sounds pretty strange, considering I am technically giving advice.  But at the heart of my message is this…every family is different, so you have to learn what’s best for yours. This doesn’t mean that help from others—whether it comes through books, seminars or blogs—shouldn’t be sought.  It doesn’t mean that you can’t be encouraged or inspired by others. But … Continue reading →

Letting Go of Control

I’m doing this great online Bible study from a book called, “Let It Go.”  One of my favorite chapters was “Managing Your Man” and it was all about learning to let go, to stop trying to control your husband. This is a common issue in marriages but it can affect both sides.  The very things about your spouse that made you fall in love; quickly become the very things you try to change. Some people take the whole “the two shall become one” thing to mean control.  But this is detrimental to your marriage. I was pretty messed up when … Continue reading →

Is the “Special K” Challenge For You?

Have you ever taken the “Special K” challenge?  I did a few years ago, back when the only real good cereal was their red berries.  Since then, numerous other kinds of low-fat cereals have been developed, including blueberry and fruit & yogurt (my personal favorite). I can tell you that I did have success with this challenge.  However, there is a downfall to it, which I will share at the end. So how does the challenge work?  You eat two servings of the cereal everyday, along with just half a cup of low-fat milk.  You can do this for either … Continue reading →

Using Pinterest for Housekeeping Tips

Have you discovered Pinterest?  I tend to spend oodles of time on there every-so-often. And when I do, discover a wealth of great resources, tips and ideas. One of the areas that I have especially enjoyed navigating is with homemaking.  That’s because I love taking care of my home.  I pride myself in it. Not in the fact that it’s perfect (you will find a cobweb and a layer of dust somewhere) or that it’s the most beautiful house (lots of areas inside are in need of TLC), but it’s my domain. It is where I find my place of … Continue reading →

Mistake #1 Parents Make With Teenagers: Expecting the Worst

I am like any other parent…clearly imperfect.  I have made a lot of mistakes and am pretty sure there is more to come.  But I am also a mom who believes in learning from those mistakes, which is what brings me to this five part series on mistakes we parents make with teenagers. The first one we are going to look at is the mistake of expecting the worst out of your teen.  Sometimes this starts long before they’ve even reached this stage, so it might help parents whose children aren’t quite there yet. When my children were in elementary … Continue reading →

6 Ways to Keep Up the Motivation

It’s just been about a month and a half since many of us have made resolutions for a fitter, healthier New Year.  It is also the time that enthusiasm starts to drop off.  But there are ways to keep up the motivation. First, reevaluate the goals or resolutions that were made on January 1st.  It might be time to tweak them. It could be a matter of upping the ante or facing reality that what you thought could be done isn’t doable.  Keep things realistic. Second, put some variety into your fitness routine.  It might be time to sign up … Continue reading →

When Other Moms Are the Enemy

You know how they say we can be our own worst enemy?  When it comes to parenting, I think we can have two enemies—not only ourselves but other moms. Ever notice how men don’t compare their fathering skills to one another.  But women do? Of course, get a group of men together and it’s highly unlikely they are going to be discussing their children anyway.  Their conversations tend to swirl around work, sports and the latest home project. But put a group of women together and their children tend to pop up in the conversation.  And unless it’s a group … Continue reading →