The purpose of their new book is so they – and the actors – can share about the transformative process; and to inspire others to make a difference – one person at a time.

1. Your book emphasizes what your family has dubbed “The Popcorn Theory.” Can you explain that for our readers?

[Leigh Anne Tuohy] The Popcorn Theory is about noticing others. It starts with recognizing a fellow soul as kindred, even if he doesn’t belong to your gated community. It’s about acknowledging that person’s potential and value. It’s about seeing him, instead of looking past him.

Our family lives by the theory that the kernels are at the bottom of the pan and, as the popcorn heats up, they start popping up and hitting you.

The ones that tug at our hearts are the ones we’ll reach out and grab.

It may be buying shoes for a sports team or sending a high school kid to the mission field.

We have to get out there and get involved, one on one.

Michael was – at 6-foot-5and over 300 pounds – the biggest piece of popcorn you ever saw.

2. Parental involvement seems to be the critical component to a person’s upbringing –to guide them on a path they should go. Yet, there are so many other “Michaels” out there. How do you think that our system has failed these children?

We have a system that sets them up for failure. It needs an overhaul.

Take a kid like Michael – that’s so immensely talented and intelligent – and the fact that he almost fell through the cracks.

If that doesn’t keep someone up at night, then you need to look at yourself in the mirror and re-evaluate your priorities.

Here’s a kid that when given the basic necessities, love and hope and opportunity, graduated from high school. He was on the Dean’s List at college. He was drafted in the first round in the NFL.

How many Michael Ohers are out there?

How do you know that the kid walking next to you does not know the cure for cancer and all he needs is a little bit of hope and love and opportunity?

That’s what we’re trying to tell people.

3. How has this whole experience affected your children, Collins, S.J. and Michael? Are they now advocates within their spheres of influence?

Absolutely. I have three great kids.

Collins is out speaking like her dad and I. Michael, as well.

She went to the poorest of high schools in Memphis, Tennessee. She marched into that high school and said “Do you all have a cheerleading coach?”

They said “We have a sponsor, but no coach.’ She said ‘I’d like to be the new cheerleading coach.”

There are 16 little girls in this cheerleading squad, and they have all kind of issues. For instance, they didn’t think she was going to come back every day. Yet, now she’s giving them swimming lessons and half of them are working for her dad at Taco Bell.

I look at these 16 girls and the impact that Collins has had on them in just a short amount of time and I think, “THIS is the kind of reality TV we need – one that shows the good things that people are doing and not some of the stuff that people are watching.”

You can invest in people. Get out of your comfort zone.

Do something that you wouldn’t normally do.

S.J. is the same way. He mentors a little boy every Wednesday.

It doesn’t matter how old or young your kids are.

(Parents), start your kids out being givers in small ways and you will see the results of it when they grow older.

4. How do you think your relationship with Sean really helped put Michael at ease and the underlying unity your marriage showed him? How did your faith influence any of these decisions?

Michael had no family background. He never had a father figure in his life and he had an absent mother.

Michael saw in us a family unity that he had never seen before. We plugged him right in (as a family member) and never missed a beat.

People can tell pretty quickly how you feel about them. At first, I think he was a little shocked and in awe. When he realized it was really genuine (how we all felt about him), he felt comfortable immediately and wanted to receive help.

(In terms of our faith), he felt comfortable with it, and he knew from the beginning that God and Christ are first in our family.

When we went to church on Sundays, I never had to say “Michael, get up,” because he wanted to do what the family did.

He has always known how important our faith was, and he accepted Christ his junior year in high school.

We are really big on letting people see (Christ) in our lives and trying to help them that way.

5. What prompted you to write this book?

‘The Blind Side’ obviously resonated with this country.

Yet, we didn’t want people to be so intimidated by the movie that they thought they had to do something as large as adopting a child.

You don’t have to do something that grand.

Yes, people (organizations) need your money. They need you to write checks. But, if you can’t do that, we wanted it to be abundantly clear that there are other things that you can do.

It can be a gesture. It can be sharing a thought with someone. It can be reaching out a helping hand.

You can invest your time and your energy and your talents into something.

If I took every dime that I ever spent on Michael Oher and wrote him a check for it, he wouldn’t be the man he is today.

He is the man he is today because we spent time with him. We loved him. We corrected him.

That’s what molds and makes someone, so that’s what we wanted people to take away from this book; and, that’s what really compelled us to do it.

Do something different today than you did yesterday and get involved. But, whatever you do – do it well.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Explore the issue of adoption.

Visit “I Care about Orphans” website and find out how you can make a difference.

“The Blind Side”