Today's guest is Dr. Danny Huerta, Vice President of Parenting & Youth at Focus on the Family. Focus on the Family is an amazing, faithful ministry that has been serving families for decades and Dr. Huerta has so much wisdom to share with us today on how to cultivate a mentally healthy home. Dr. Huerta emphasizes that we as parents have the primary influence in our children's lives and what a wonderful invitation that is. Programs that Dr. Huerta leads at Focus on the Family include:Clubhouse & Club Junior TeamsPlugged InClubhouse MagazineRaising Highly Capable Kids (outreach program for impoverished communities coming alongside single parents)Alive to Thrive (suicide prevention train-the-trainer resource)Topics we cover include:The most foundational relationship that kids have is their parentsThere's a lot coming at families and right now there's a true war for our children's minds & soulsParents need to be in the game and see our job as an invitation to speak truth into our children's mindsProblems he hears from families: sexuality, gender confusion, panic disorder, stress disorders, depression, use of marijuana and alcohol, suicide & suicidal thoughts, phones, social mediaA crisis of influence: the gap between the average amount of time we spend in intentional conversationMentally healthy homes are balanced, are serving one-another, include lifegiving reproofs, have no fear of conflict, have structure, attunement, boundaries & limits are seen as lovingStatistics on mental health issues for young people, including the dangers of Instagram & TikTok and bigorexiaCalling a timeout to provide counter-momentum within our homesThe idea of soul care and how God wants to reach our souls; examining our souls and being self-reflective to be ready each day for what God wants to do in our lives; starting the day off with a humble heart.We tend to focus on behaviors, but there can be a lot of illusions with behavior.Five areas of health for a mentally healthy home: emotional, thoughts, physical, relational, and spiritualBeing calm with our kids in order to create an environment conducive finding out what's in our kids' hearts & mindsInfluences in young people's lives: the addiction of video games, the worldview of mediaWe have a worldview crisis in our cultureDr. Huerta's contract for his own kids' phonesWalking through mental illness - getting counseling and letting them know they're not aloneAs parents, we are the most influential people in our children's livesResourcesRaising Highly Capable Kidsfocusonthefamily.com/parenting7 Traits of Effective Parenting AssessmentSeven Traits of Effective ParentingBringYourBible.org (monthly Live It challenges)Captain Absolutely (regarding worldviews)Free Counseling Line: 1-800-A-FAMILYMusic:Intro: Life of a Traveler, by Black Rhomb (License #3565685)Outtro: Avocado Street, by Wes Hutchinson (Courtesy of YouTube Music)If this podcast been a blessing to you, please consider subscribing, leaving us a review and/or donating to our Patreon account. Thank you!
