Welcome everyone to Family Talk. It's a ministry of the James Dobson Family Institute, supported by listeners just like you.

I'm Dr. James Dobson, and I'm thrilled that you've joined us.

The definition of insanity is repeating the same behaviors and expecting different results.

I found myself standing in my son's kitchen after the SWAT team raided his home,

pouring out liquor bottles, cleaning up, and I stood back and went, what am I doing?

It's just getting worse and worse and worse.

I'm thinking I'm helping. This is clearly not helping. That's what we have to reach as parents.

And then I had to turn the spotlight on me. Because the problem isn't our adult dysfunctional kids,

yes, they have problems. They do. But the problem is the part I kept playing and bailing him out.

The problem was my rescuing him all the time.

What about my heart?

What about me as a mom made me do this when clearly it wasn't helpful?

So I had to look at that and see what I had to do differently.

And as a mom, I had to do things differently. I had to stop writing the checks. I had to look at that and see what I had to do differently. And as a mom, I had to do things differently.

I had to stop writing the checks.

I had to stop the money flow.

I had to do hard things and be prepared for the consequences.

Well, that's a bold and eye-opening statement from Alison Botke.

And she knows firsthand what it's like to have a prodigal child

and then to have to ask yourself the question,

what role did I as a parent play in raising this child? Welcome to the special edition of Dr.

James Dobson's family talk. I'm Roger Marsh, and if you find yourself in this situation where you

...