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…
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…
Do We “Hydrate” Mentally?
We all know that hydration is important for our physical health. But according to Michael J. Merchant, the President of Anasazi Foundation, it’s also important to “hydrate” in a mental, emotional, and spiritual way. Transcript of Do We “Hydrate” Mentally?: Yeah, we often like to use the metaphor—when we think about mental health—of hydration. If you or I were to get severely dehydrated, we would show symptoms of illness and if we were to go to an emergency room with those symptoms of illness before a doctor would diagnose us they would—they would put an IV in us and fill us up with fluid. Because they can’t really tell whether there’s a connection between some sort of illness and what we’re experiencing—the symptoms we’re experiencing and the hydration. And so, until we’re hydrated they won’t know that. Sometimes, the symptoms are directly related to dehydration, other times there’s an illness…
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…