The BEST Advice for Parents of Wayward Children
What is the best way to help a wayward child? Michael J. Merchant, the President of Anasazi Foundation, suggests that “our love is irresistible,” and that it will eventually invite our children home. Transcript of The Best Advice for Parents of Wayward Children: Parents often ask me what can they do? Even if they don’t send their child to Anasazi, what could they do to actually help a child that they’re concerned with and struggling with. And I always tell them: “Look, you’ve got to find a way to connect with them. You’ve got to find a way to make sure that they know that you care about them deeply.” And so, too often we’re focused on correction. We’re just, we’re at that correction level all the time and I say: “Mom and Dad, let’s move a little bit deeper. Let’s listen a little longer. Let’s try and build a…
The Paradox of Parenting
Kira Roerig, a Family Therapist at Anasazi Foundation, talks about the “paradox of parenting” and how parents can best help their children. Transcript of The Paradox of Parenting: When a child is really struggling, parents often wonder: ‘Am I good enough? Am I doing enough as a parent?’ And I think, one of the great paradoxes of parenting is that your influence as a parent matters so much and yet, at the same time, no matter what you do—even if you are the perfect parent—you may or may not be able to—your child may not change in a way that you’re hoping, or at least in the timing that you’re hoping. And often the journey is a lot longer than we hope to see some of those changes come. It’s a little bit like a seed. We talk at Anasazi a lot about Seeds of Greatness. We feel like our…
Is Pornography Harmful?
Is pornography harmful? The research they’re finding now shows that “pornography interacts with the brain in a way similar to the way that drugs interact with the brain.” In the video below, Kira Roerig, a Family Therapist at Anasazi Foundation, talks about the harmful effects of pornography. Transcript of Is Pornography Harmful?: A lot of parents wonder about the harmful effects of pornography. Is it harmful? Is it not? Some people say that it is. Some people say that it’s not really an issue. The research that they’re finding right now is pretty clear that pornography has a harmful impact on young people and we see that as we work with them. Part of that is that pornography interacts with the brain in a way similar to the way that drugs interact with the brain. And then it also influences the way that young people experience and understand relationships. And so, in…
A SURPRISING Way to Change Negative Behavior…
Do you have a rebellious teenager? Are you struggling with troubled youth? How do you get them to change their negative behavior? Some would say you can’t change someone else. But according to Michael J. Merchant, the President of Anasazi Foundation, there IS a way to get someone to change, but the way to do it might surprise you . . . Transcript of A SURPRISING Way to Change Negative Behavior: Look, when young people are making choices they shouldn’t be making in their life, they’ve created a new need in their life and that’s justification—they have to explain it away. They have to explain it away—they have to make it okay to make those kind of choices—choices that would be harmful to themselves or their family. They have to justify it. And, too often, we give them the very justification they need to explain it away. And so, by us…
More Connection, Less Correction
How can parents help their troubled teen? Michael J. Merchant, the President of Anasazi Foundation says “The more connection, the less correction,” and that “Our influence as parents rests on how often we have those connections with our children.” He then shares a remarkable story of a mother who wouldn’t give up on her son. Watch the video to learn more. Transcript of The More Connection, Less Correction: Our influence as parents rests on how often we have those connections with our children—those windows of time when we’re just right with one another, when my child knows that I care about them deeply and I know they care about me, right? Just those windows of time. If those are happening regularly, then I have a lot of influence in a child’s life. When those are happening few and far between I have very little influence to help a child. And…