[Corrected Audio Upload] Parenting in the Easy Access, Technological World of Pornography and Sex -- with Author Anne Marie Miller

Praxis Podcast with Rhett Smith

I first heard of Anne Marie Miller when she was actually Anne Jackson, and she was blogging under the name Flowerdust. This was probably around 2006/2007 or so (maybe earlier), and she had a very popular blog that talked a lot about ministry, leadership, and other faith related topics. What was different about her was her level of authenticity and vulnerability in her posts...and she was a woman writing on a topic that at that point was almost primarily dominated by men.

Eventually I was able to meet Anne in person at a theology/technology conference that Biola University was holding (maybe back in 2007/2008--again, my dates are fuzzy), and we have remained good friends since then, often talking a lot about issues related to mental health such as anxiety and depression. In fact, about 7 years ago I interviewed Anne in a two part series on depression, burnout and ministry:

• Depression, Burnout & Ministry: Anne Jackson Interview, Part 1
• Depression, Burnout & Ministry: Anne Jackson Interview, Part 2

But in this episode I dive into a very important topic that seems to be on the hearts and minds of almost every parent I talk to, whether that is a parent of a client of mine, or just friends and neighbors. And that is the topic of sex and pornography, especially as it relates to the role that technology plays. Anne just recently had her new book published, 5 Things Every Parents Needs to Know About their Kids and Sex. It's a really great and timely book, and I was thankful that I was able to participate in the writing process of the book with some contributions of my own on this topic.

This is a topic that both Anne and I have spent numerous years talking with both kids and parents about. And it was really timely for my own wife and I as we are currently navigating the issues of technology with our kids, and as we talk to them about sexuality.

In this episode we bounce around covering a lot of topics:

• Anne shares her personal story of porn addiction in her teenage years.
• We discuss the wiring of the brain around pornographic images.
• We discuss how kids get involved with pornography
• We discuss various social media apps and their implications
• We discuss why it's so hard for parents to talk about sex and pornography with their kids, and how they can go about the conversation.
• Etc.

Resources Mentioned in the Podcast

5 Things Every Parent Needs to Know About their Kids and Sex by Anne Marie Miller

My Story – Part 1: The Preacher’s Daughter & The Youth Pastor – My Introduction to Sexual Abuse and Pornography

My Story – Part 2: Fighting My Addiction to Pornography (and Giving the Gift of Going Second!)

Here is a listing of Anne's other books