Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Have you ever considered adopting a child from foster care? Check out our interview with Erica Jourdan, the Founder of Adoption Options Consulting, where she provides support to families looking to adopt older children from foster care. She is also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker Associate (LCSWA) at Flourish Counseling and Wellness. And Angelica Jones, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and the Intensive Service Foster Care Recruiter and Trainer at Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services in Los Angeles. She is a current foster parent and has experience working with prospective and adoptive parents in the foster care program.In this episode, we cover:What are the different ways to adopt from foster care? (adopting children whose parental rights have already been terminated or adopting a child who you have been fostering when their parental rights are terminated)What types of kids are available for adoption from foster care? Age, gender, race, sibling group?Is adopting a very young child or baby from foster care possible?What are the special needs that these children might have? Trauma, prenatal exposure, ADHD, etc.Can you adopt a child from foster care across state lines?What should prospective parents think about when considering different ages of children to adopt?What should prospective parents think about when considering a sibling group for adoption?How to find children currently available for adoption?  AdoptUSKids, State Heart Galleries, Wendy’s Wonderful KidsWhat are the basic differences between adopting and fostering in foster care?Who can adopt from foster care?Can singles men and women adopt from foster care?Can LGBTQ+ parents adopt?What are the education requirements? Do you have to have graduated from high school, or college?Can you adopt if you have a criminal background?Do you have to own your own home?Do you have to make a certain amount of money in order to adopt from foster care?How much does it cost to adopt from foster care?Is an adoption subsidy usually available?Medicaid is usually available.What happens if you think the child might have problems in the future due to things, such as prenatal exposure, but is not currently showing any issues due to age? (if you have questions, contact Families Rising (Formerly known as NACAC, North American Council on. Adoptable Children))How does the Adoption Tax Credit apply to adoptions from foster care?What is the process for someone wanting to adopt from foster care?Home study requirements?How much education or training is required?Do you have to use the state agency or can you use a private agency? What is the difSupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Question: My nephew came to live with us last March. He’s a great kid who deserves better than he had, but his pickiness with food is driving me crazy. He eats only white carbs. Even his mac and cheese has to have white cheese on it.Resources:Food Issues with Adopted, Foster, and Kinship KidsPicky Eating and Other Food IssuesPractical Ideas to Help Your Child Overcome Food IssuesThis podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family buildingPlease leave us a rating or review RateThisPodcast.com/creatingafamilySupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Join us for a discussion of how adoption looks and feels from all sides of the adoption triad. Our guests will be the authors Sara Easterly, Kelsey Vander Vliet Ranyard, and Lori Holden of their new book, Adoption Unfiltered .In this episode, we cover:Adoptee Perspective:23 adoptees contributed to this section of the book. What are some of the issues adoptees may face?Compliance and people-pleasingFantasy AttachmentsShameInterracial AdopteesThe Danger in the Rescue NarrativeRole of religion in adoption for adoptees, birth mothers/expectant mothers, and adoptive parentsBirth Mother:Before birth mothers get the chance to ask for help, they ask for mercy. Advertisements and search algorithms when searching for adoption informationLack of neutral supportLack of post-placement support—lingering trauma and grief—It’s a different type of grief and trauma.Adoptive ParentInsecurity—who’s the real parentAdoption Unfiltered OnlineThis podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family buildingPlease leave us a rating or review RateThisPodcast.com/creatingafamilySupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Q: I adopted my son four months ago. It took me almost 3 years, and I am supposed to be living my dream. Instead, I feel frustrated, sad, and sometimes even angry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. It’s not like my hormones are all messed up from giving birth.Resources:Post Adoption DepressionCreating a Family Online Facebook Support Group for Adoptive, Foster, & Kinship ParentsParenting After InfertilityThis podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family buildingPlease leave us a rating or review RateThisPodcast.com/creatingafamilySupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Join us as we talk about various holiday-related situations that can arise with foster, adoptive, and kinship families. Our guests will be Janice Goldwater, MSW, the CEO of Paths for Families; Courtney Tierra, a birth mom, educator, and storyteller; and Christa Hefel, MPH with the State of Iowa Four Oaks Foster and Adoptive Family Connections, and foster mom and mom of 10 children through birth and adoption.In this episode, we talk about:Incorporating very different traditions around the holidays. Differences in gift-giving styles. Managing expectations of giftsIncorporating birth family How do we handle grandparents/older relatives who are very vocal about current affairs, race issues, politics, government systems (foster system) in earshot of kids?Child is of a different religion or no religion. If the holiday is religious, how to handle with adoption or fostering?What do you do when grandparents show a clear preference for biological grandchildren? And we answer some of our listeners questions.This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family buildingPlease leave us a rating or review RateThisPodcast.com/creatingafamilySupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.The Ethics Committee of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine has stated that the correct term for donating unused embryos to another couple for family building is embryo donation rather than embryo adoption. But since many people looking for information on this option continue to call it embryo adoption, we sometimes use both terms to aid in finding our materials. Further, there are a few adoption agencies that have an embryo donation program; they follow an adoption model, and they call it embryo adoption.Resources:Embryo DonationDisclosing Donor Conception to Our KidsSuggested Books for Kids Conceived Through Donor This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family buildingPlease leave us a rating or review RateThisPodcast.com/creatingafamilySupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.You're really going to want to tune in to hear the story of triplets separated at birth through adoption. It is particularly interesting to hear how they have processed the experience differently and how they feel about adoption.In this episode, we talk about:Kathleen’s (the birth mom) experience. Why did she decide to place two of the babies for adoption?When did you find out you were triplets?What was the agreement at the time of adoption about the degree of openness?Was this openness agreement followed, and how do you feel about that?The podcast focuses on the loss of the sibling connection. How did the separation affect each of you?How do/did Kendall and Julianne feel the loss of your birth mom and not being parented by her?Primal Wound?The focus in the podcast, understandably, was on the reunion of the three sisters. However, I’m curious about the reunion between Jules and Kenny and Kathleen, their birth mom.Feeling the odd one out? Donor conception? Who was the driving force behind finding the sperm donor? Did connecting with the donor fulfill anything for you?What are the lingering impacts of having been separated at birth?This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family buildingPlease leave us a rating or review RateThisPodcast.com/creatingafamilySupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Resources:Foster Care AdoptionBecoming a Foster ParentChoosing a Foster Care AgencyThis podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family buildingPlease leave us a rating or review RateThisPodcast.com/creatingafamilySupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.If you are thinking about adoption, you've likely considered the possibility that you will be adopting a child in another state. In this episode, we talk about everything involved with this process. Our guests are Jim Thompson, an adoption attorney and the author of the book South Carolina Adoption Law and Practice. He has been a Fellow of the Academy of Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Attorneys since 1993 and Joan Smith, the District Supervisor of the Pittsburgh office of Adoptions From the Heart.In this episode, we cover:Infant AdoptionIs it possible to adopt an infant in another state?How does a prospective adoptive parent find an expectant mother in another state?What things must prospective adoptive parents be cautious of when looking for expectant parents in another state, especially if they are not working with an adoption professional?How does the domestic infant adoption process differ when the adoptive parents and the expectant moms live in different states?What is the Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children (ICPC)?What are the steps on the ICPC as it applies to domestic infant adoption?What state’s adoption laws will be used for the adoption?How long should adoptive parents expect the ICPC process to take?Adopting from Foster Care (relative adoption and non-relative adoptions)Is it possible to adopt a child from foster care in another state?Can you foster a child in foster care in another state?How do you find a child in foster care in another state legally free to adopt?How does the foster care adoption process differ when the prospective adoptive parents and the child live in different states?What are the steps with the ICPC as it applies to foster care adoption?How do visitations between the adoptive family and the child work?How are adoption subsidies handled when adopting a foster child from another state?Which state pays the adoption subsidy? How are health care benefits or Medicaid handled?Resources:AdoptUSKids Understanding Interstate AdoptionThis podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family buildingPlease leave us a rating or review RateThisPodcast.com/creatingafamilySupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Resources:Adoption Comparison ChartsCost of AdoptionUS Department of State - Intercountry AdoptionFind an agencyThis podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family buildingPlease leave us a rating or review RateThisPodcast.com/creatingafamilySupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Do you worry that you've gotten in over your head by adopting this child. Are you about ready to give up. Or do you want to do everything possible to make sure that your adoption doesn't fall apart? Join us to talk with Dr. Eshele Williams, Director of the Creating Stability During Change Model of Practice for Resource Family Disruption Prevention and Retention. She was also a birth child in foster adoptive kinship family. Dr. Eileen Pasztor is a Prof. Emerita, California State University at Long Beach School of Social Work, and foster and adoptive parent.In this episode, we cover:What terms do we use for an adoption that falls apart? What is the distinction between adoption dissolution and adoption disruption?What does the research show about how common adoption dissolutions are? What are the stages a family goes through before they decide to end an adoption?Why do families struggle post-adoption to the point of considering dissolving the adoption? CWLA's new Compendium book chapter on adoption in the section on Trending Topics and Issues relating to disruption and dissolution. “Studies that have examined the risk factors related to disruption and dissolution reveal multiple reasons for postadoption instability, including factors relating to the children, their families, and the agencies (White, 2016).Unrealistic expectations. Not fully understanding the impact of trauma.How can we help families manage expectations and form realistic expectations prior to the adoption?It’s easy to “blame” the child, but what can parents do to prepare in advance for some of the possible realities of adopting a child?Child behavioral issues (Physical issues are seldom the cause for an adoption failing. Emotional issues are a far more common cause.)Issues between children already in the family with the new child.Lack of adequate resources and support and a family’s ability to pay for them.Lack of insurance coverage for mental health.Marital strains caused by parenting a child who has challenging behaviors.Steps to StabilityPrevention/Intervention strategies?Where should families go for help if they are struggling?How can families know when they have given it enough time?If you believe that an adoption is going to fail, what steps should a parent take to make it less damaging to the child?Who should the families first contact when they have made up their minds?How to dissolve an adoption legally?Parents worry about being found negligent and/or paying child support. How realistic is that fear?What if parents want to dissolve the adoption to get help in paying for the treatment that their child needs but would still like to remain in the child’s life?How can we support families before they give up?This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamilSupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Q: We’ve applied to adopt an infant but haven’t received a match. What can we do?Resources:What Is An Adoptive Parent Profile (or Dear Expectant Parent Letter) and How To Make OneWhy is it Taking So Long to Get an Adoption Match?Understanding Expectant Moms Who Are Considering AdoptionThis podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family buildingPlease leave us a rating or review RateThisPodcast.com/creatingafamilySupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Does it feel like your child is sabotaging the holidays? Are there more tantrums, sullenness, and anxiety during the holiday season? We explore why and what to do about it with Rebecca Robotham, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at Beehive Counseling & Wellness in Connecticut. She is also an adoptee and former foster child.In this episode, we cover:There are many sources of trauma for children, and many adopted and foster children have experienced trauma before they come to our homes. We’re talking neglect, prenatal exposure, abuse, domestic violence, and the actual act of being removed from your parents.How can trauma impact children? Both physically and emotionally?What is it about the holidays that makes it hard for kids with trauma? (change in routine, lots of people, bringing up memories, over-stimulation, change in diet, distracted parents, build-up of anticipation, let down after the fact…)What type of behaviors might you see? (more tantrums, dysregulation, “sabotaging” the holidays, sibling bickering, depression, sullenness, anxiety, …)How can families do the holidays differently to help kids who have experienced trauma?This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family buildingPlease leave us a rating or review RateThisPodcast.com/creatingafamilySupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Q: Now that our youngest is in high school, we want to become foster parents but don’t know where to begin.Resources:How to Choose an Adoption Agency (Guide)Becoming a Foster Parent (Resource page)Working as Part of a Foster Care Team (Resource page)Suggested Books for Foster Care ParentsThis podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family buildingPlease leave us a rating or review RateThisPodcast.com/creatingafamilySupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Do you worry about being scammed in a domestic infant adoption? How can you prevent scams and recognize red flags for a failed adoption match? Join us to talk with Colleen Quinn, an adoption attorney at the Adoption & Surrogacy Law Center in Richmond, VA, with 34 years of experience in adoption law. She is the co-author of the last five editions of the VA CLE Adoption Procedures and Forms.In this episode, we discuss:Adoption scams can fall into four general categories:those against adoptive parents by expectant or supposedly pregnant women, those by brokers or facilitators who are not licensed or may not be legal, those by adoption agencies and attorneys agains adoptive parents.those done by adoptive against expectant/birth parents.What are the typical adoption scams perpetrated by expectant women against prospective adoptive parents or adoption agencies or attorneys? How much can adoptive parents pay an expectant mother for living expenses, clothes, transportation, food, etc.?What are some ways to prevent being scammed. Red flags for an adoption scam?Insist on Video calls and then move to in-person meetings.Ask for HiPPA release to see medical recordsDon’t provide cash directly to the expectant parent.Work with an experienced adoption agency or adoption attorney.What should adoptive families know and ask about unidentified birth fathers?What are ways adoptive parents can prevent becoming a victim of an adoption scam or adoption fraud?What are warning signs that an expectant woman does not plan to go through with the adoption? Note that this is not necessarily or even commonly the same thing as an adoption scam.Watch for the placing parents wanting to name the child.Wanting to take the baby home for a few days.Terms used by the expectant parent—your baby vs. my family.If placing their 3rd or 4th child more often not to place a full sibling and the couple is still toSecrecy Not telling her momGrandmom doesn’t agree with placementHow soon they fill out the forms that we send.Slow walk the Hippa forms.Not following through with their attorneyMore fall through with adoptive parentsNot getting good adoption options counseling  in person that asks the hard questions. This type of counseling really help her think through.Overly or under-emotional about the adoption plan.While not necessarily a scam, how common is it for expectant mothers to not be fully open about prenatal exposure to drugs or alcohol? Acts by brokers or facilitators who are not acting legally? Acts by adoption agencies and attorneys against adoptive parents.Adoption scams/fraud against expectant parents or birth parents?  (open adoption, fertility treatment, back out of the arrangement)This podcast is produced by Support the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Q. We took in my cousin’s 4-year-old last month. We thought it might be temporary, but it’s looking like it will be for a long time and maybe forever. The problem is that this little boy has gone through a lot because his mom is a drug user and never really was a parent. He is very withdrawn and doesn’t seem to want to attach or let us get close in any way. Any help would be appreciated.Resources:Attachment Help (Resource)6 Tips for Creating Attachment (Article)Parenting the Challenging Child While Maintaining Attachment (Free Course)This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family buildingPlease leave us a rating or review RateThisPodcast.com/creatingafamilySupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Are you hoping to adopt from foster care. Don't miss this discussion of adoption subsidies with Josh Kroll, Project Coordinator for the Adoption Subsidy Resource Center at Families Rising (formerly known as the North American Council on Adoptable Children).In this episode, we cover:What are adoption subsidies?What other names are used for “adoption subsidies”? Adoption Agreements, Adoption Assistance, AAP, monthly stipend. Is there a difference between these?Who is eligible for foster care adoption subsidies?Are private adoptions eligible for adoption subsidies? What if the private adoption is of a child with special needs?Supplemental Security Income (SSI).Is there an income limit for receiving an adoption subsidy?How is the dollar amount of the subsidy determined, and by whom?Can kinship providers receive foster care adoption subsidies?What other things can be included in an adoption subsidy agreement other than a monetary monthly stipend?Does the money have to be spent directly and solely on the foster child, or can it be used to benefit the whole family or the foster child only tangentially—such as adding a bedroom so that kids don’t have to share or a family vacation?What about situations where the child is either too young to be displaying needs or is not displaying needs, but the parents have reason to believe that the child will have needs as they age? How can they negotiate for future needs?How to handle adoption subsidies when you are adopting an infant with prenatal exposure to alcohol or drugs?What other type of things might be included in adoption assistance? College tuition assistance/grant/tuition waiver?How is residential treatment covered?What if you face a difficult negotiation? How can people get information about what particular states usually grant for adoption subsidies? https://nacac.org/help/adoption-assistance/How are adoption assistance/adoption subsidies handled if I’m adopting a foster child from another state?What should adoptive parents do if they believe that the adoption subsidy that is being offered is not enough?Resources:Families Rising  (formerly NACAC) Josh Kroll contact info:800-470-6665  ext [email protected] podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsSupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.What factors do you need to consider when budgeting for the cost to adopt a baby?Additional Resources:What type of adoption would be the best fit for you?Cost of working with an agency vs. working with an attorney.Adoption Tax CreditThis podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family buildingPlease leave us a rating or review RateThisPodcast.com/creatingafamilySupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Do you suspect or know that your child was prenatally exposed to alcohol or drugs? Join us to learn the best ways to advocate for that child, including how to get diagnosed. Our guest is Jenn Wisdahl, the Chief Operating Officer of FASD United and proud parent to 3 young adults with FASD. Jenn leads the FASD United federal legislative and policy agenda.In this episode, we cover:Why is it important to get a diagnosis of one of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) or prenatal drug exposure for your child? In the US, FASD is not a diagnosis but rather an umbrella term that encompasses a range of life-long diagnosable medical and mental health conditions that can occur when there is prenatal alcohol exposure, even prior to recognition of pregnancy.  Neurobehavioral Disorder Associated with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (ND-PAE)Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND)Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)Partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (PFAS)Alcohol-Related Birth Defects (ARBD) Increase in alcohol use during the pandemic.Why is it so hard for parents to get a diagnosis of FASD for their child?What should parents do to get a diagnosis?What is the average age of diagnosis of FAS or FASD?How does getting a diagnosis or prenatal drug exposure differ from getting a FASD diagnosis?Another opportunity for parents to advocate for their child is in the school system. What are some of the typical issues a child with prenatal substance exposure to alcohol and drugs may face in school?What are some of the ways a parent can advocate for their child in the education system?Another way parents can advocate for their child is through the Registry of Unmet Needs and Innovation waivers.FASD Respect Act. (Go to FASD United’s website and click on the policy center to get started.)This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family buildingPlease leave us a rating or review RateThisPodcast.com/creatingafamilySupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Carole LieberWilkins, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who specializes in reproductive medicine, adoption, and family-building options, answers this question with advice for couples. Additional Resources:Adoption Comparison ChartsParenting after InfertilityThis podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family buildingPlease leave us a rating or review RateThisPodcast.com/creatingafamilySupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.What do transracial adoptees think about being adopted by parents of a different race? Join us for a panel of transracial adoptees talking about all things adoption.In this episode, we cover:Transracial adoption includes white parents of black, biracial, Asian, and Latinx children, as well as adoptive parents of color adopting white children. Tell us your adoption story.How did your parents treat adoption? How did and does that make you feel about being adopted?When did you realize that you were a different race from your parents?How did your parents treat race, specifically your race, when you were young?What is wrong with taking a color-blind approach to transracial adoption? Was it a struggle for you to identify as an adult of your race?What did your parent do to aid your racial identity formation? Transracially adopted children need tools to maneuver through life as a member of their racial group. When they are young, they are protected from this reality, but this changes as they enter adolescence. What tools did your parents use and what tools did you need?How can transracially adopted people or their parents find mentors and role models of color?Were you ever embarrassed by being of a different race than your parents?Importance of finding a community of other adopted people.What is the most important thing, if any, your parent did to ensure/instill racial identity and pride as Caucasian parents who adopt a Black or Asian or Latina child?Tips for parents either considering transracial adoption or already in the midst of parenting transracially adopted kids.This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family buildingPlease leave us a rating or review RateThisPodcast.com/creatingafamilySupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Q: I just recently found out my 14-year-old has stolen makeup more than once from different stores. I caught her this past weekend, and she said she did it once, but I went through her bedroom and found makeup stashed in a pillow, and I know I didn’t buy it. She gets straight A's in school, and I thought she was a trustworthy person. I just don’t know what to do. Additional Resources:Podcast: Parenting Tips for Lying, Stealing & Other Annoying BehaviorsArticle: Lying & Stealing: How to Parent Challenging BehaviorsPrenatal Substance Exposure ResourcesThis podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family buildingPlease leave us a rating or review RateThisPodcast.com/creatingafamilySupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Do you want to be part of the solution to the inequity that exists in our country? If so, one of the best things you can do is raise your child to be anti-racist. Join our conversation with Tiffany Jewell, the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller, This Book is Anti-Racist and The Anti-Racist Kid.In this episode, we cover:At what age do kids notice race? And does this age differ in the US depending on the child's skin color?Why not teach our kids to be colorblind?How do the books we read, the movies we watch, the friends we make, the doctors we visit, and the conversations we have at home all shape our children’s views of race?What’s the difference between not being racist and being anti-racist?Is there a difference between how a White parent and a Black parent should approach raising an anti-racist child?Practical Tips for Parents Resources:The Anti-Racist Kid by Tiffany Jewell4 Tips to Raising an Anti-Racist Kid by Creating a FamilyResources for finding great children’s books: Diverse Book Finder is a fantastic website that allows you to search for children’s books based on specific categories (e.g., biographies, oppression/resistance; crossing divides, etc.), race/culture (e.g., African American, brown-skinned but race unidentified, Latinx, Asian, Middle Eastern, Bi/Multiracial, etc.), country, religion, etc.The Brown Bookshelf highlights Black voices writing for young readers.The Conscious Kid is an education, research, and policy organization that promotes children’s books centered on underrepresented and oppressed groups. They have a book of the month subscription service and a terrific list of books by Black authors that center, reflect, and affirm Black children of all ages. You can also follow them on Instagram to learn about these books.Jane Addams Peace Association, Children's Book AwardsEmbraceRace.org – Resource site formed by black and multi-racial parents with tools for parenting kids of color.One Talk at a Time – Providing support for Latinx American, Asian American, African American, and Black youth and their families to have conversations about race and ethnicity. In recognition that the issues may differ depending on the ethnicity, they have a separate section for Black, Asian, and Latinx parents.Support the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Q: I’m 67 years old. My niece has gotten involved bad with drugs. Her 5 and 3 year old were taken away from her and now the child welfare agency wants to know if I will take them. My niece has been doing drugs a long time and I honestly don’t know if she’s ever going to be able to get them back. I feel like I don’t have a choice.Resources:Kinship ResourcesTrauma-Informed ParentingSuggested Books for Kinship CareThis podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family buildingPlease leave us a rating or review RateThisPodcast.com/creatingafamilySupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Is your child scared of school shootings, tornadoes, climate change, and on and on? Do you want to learn how to help them not get stuck in these fears? Join us as we talk with Dr. Melissa Goldberg Mintz is a clinical psychologist based in Houston, Texas.  She is the author of the book, "Has Your Child Been Traumatized: How to Know and What to Do to Promote Healing and Recovery."In this episode, we cover:The world feels scary.CovidSchool shootingsPolice shootingsWeather eventWildfiresOur kids are struggling.Pediatric mental health hospitalizations have increased and intensified. More than eight in 10 public schools have seen stunted behavioral and social-emotional development in their students since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and 57 percent of teen girls and 29 percent of teen boys reported feeling “persistently sad or hopeless” over the past year.Many of the children being raised by the parents in our audience have experienced trauma before, but it feels like more kids are being shaken by current events.Is there a distinction between trauma with a “T” and little “t” trauma?How do we know if our child has been traumatized, regardless of whether it is an event outside of their personal world or an event that they are involved in?What are the symptoms of trauma and how to they vary by age of the child? (pre-school, school-aged, adolescents)Why do some kids seem to take all the troubling world events in stride while others struggle? And why do some kids seem to bounce back quickly from troubling events that happen to them directly? What makes a child resilient? The top question on most parents’ mind is, “Will my child be OK?”What can parents do to help when their child is struggling with coping with all the scary things in our world?It’s tempting to be lenient and not enforce rules when we see our child struggling. Is this the best approach?What life skills can parents teach that will help their child be more resilient and able to cope with scary world events?How do we know if our child is stuck and not moving past their fears with our help?What types of therapy are available and how can parents decide which one would be best for their child?This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family buildingPlease leave us a rating or review Support the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Periodically, we survey our online community, and we asked foster parents about what surprised them about fostering?Resources:Working as a Part of the Foster Care TeamWelcoming a New Foster ChildSelf-Care for Foster ParentsSupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.How old is too young for a phone? Is gaming harmful to our kids? How much technology is too much. We talk with Dr. Jay Berk, a licensed psychologist and an expert in working with children and families. He is the author of two books: “A Parent’s Quick Guide to Electronic Addiction” and “Codeswitching: Social Skills in the Screen-Age”.In this episode, we cover:Parents from time immemorial have worried about the impact of the “new technology” and this goes back to our great great great grandparents worrying about the influence of novels to parents of the 50’s worry about too much time on the phone, to parents of the 80s worrying about too much TV, and on to the present where we worry about screen time, texting, and gaming. We parents are digital “immigrants” while our kids are digital natives. How does this dynamic present challenges?How to keep up with what our kids are doing?What are the general best practices for elementary aged kids using digital technology?What age should kids be given a phone?What are reasonable rules for phone use?      How do things change as our kids each around age 11 or 12 and on into their teen yearsHow important is the use of digital media to socialize for this generation?When should parents worry?Is the child getting enough sleep?Are they eating well?Are they getting enough exercise?Are they doing well in school?Do they have real life friends?If so, they are probably just fine.What are the signs that our kids may be too involved with digital technology or gamingHow much screen time is too much for tweens? For teens?Do different types of technology have different risks and benefits? Internet? Gaming? Porn?What are some reasonable rules for families to set in regards to technology, screen time, and gaming?  How to get buy-in from our tweens and teens?App-tell kidA challenge particular to families adopting or fostering older children or teens is that often our kids come to us with having had little supervision or rules about internet use? How can we establish healthy habits when the rules are new to them?Resources: A Parent’s Quick Guide to Electronic Addiction by Dr. Jay BerkCenter for Parent and Teen Communication: A Fact-Not-Fear Approach to Parenting In the Digital Age https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aNtRhYfA3kCreating a Family’s Navigating the Internet with Adopted or Foster Tweens and Teens https://creatingafamily.org/adoption-category/adoption-blog/navigating-the-internet-with-adopted-or-foster-tweens-and-teens/This podcast is produced by www.CreatiSupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Q: We have 3 children by birth and want to adopt a child that really needs a home. Given our kids' ages, this will probably mean that we will disrupt the birth order of at least some of our kids. The agency we have talked with is definitely against this idea. Is this something that is harmful to kids?Resources:Disrupting Birth Order ResourcesSuggest Books for Kids on Preparing Children for the Adoption of a SiblingThis podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family buildingPlease leave us a rating or review RateThisPodcast.com/creatingafamilySupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Are you thinking about stopping infertility treatment and trying to adopt or foster? Join us to talk with Carole LieberWilkins,a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who has specialized in reproductive medicine, adoption, and family-building options since 1986, and is the co-author of the book, Let’s Talk About Egg Donation. Carole serves on the Advisory Board of the US Donor Conceived Council, and is an active member of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine Mental Health Professional Group. She is also a mom through adoption and egg donation.In this episode, we cover:Adoptive parenting is the same as, and very different from, genetic parenting. Ways in which raising adopted children is different. Ways in which it is the same.Fostering has some significant differences from genetic parenting, including adopting from foster care.What are the losses of infertility?How to know when you are ready to stop fertility treatments and move to adoption or fostering? What are the signs of readiness?The myth of needing to do everything that you can to become pregnant before moving to adoption or third-party reproduction. How have the advances in infertility medicine changed the landscape of moving to adoption or fostering?Accepting Plan B without making the child feel like second best.How to know when you are ready to foster or adopt from foster care.How to grieve the loss of the biological child that you never had? Tips for coping with the losses of infertility.Coping with the unknowns of adoption or fostering and lack of control.Adopting while staying in treatment.Should you go back into infertility treatment after having adopted a child?How to find a mental health professional that specializes in infertility.This podcast is produced  by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family buildingPlease leave us a rating or review RateThisPodcast.com/creatingafamilySupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Q: My wife and I plan to adopt a child under the age of 9 from foster care. We have just started taking the classes. My wife has a 9-year-old from a previous relationship, and we want to do everything we can to prepare him in advance for this adoption. Any help is appreciated.Additional Resources:Blending Children by Birth and AdoptionSuggested Books for Preparing Your Child for the Adoption of a SiblingFree Course: The Impact of Fostering & Adopting on Kids Already in the FamilyThis podcast is produced  by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family buildingPlease leave us a rating or review RateThisPodcast.com/creatingafamilySupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Do you worry about what is normal in your child's sexual development? Join us to talk with Roy Van Tassell , a Licensed Professional Counselor in Oklahoma and Director of Trauma and Evidence-based Interventions for Centene Health. He co-chairs the National Child Traumatic Stress Networks’ subcommittee on children with problem sexual behaviors.Warning: We will be using anatomically correct words and talking about sex, so if this offends you or triggers you, you may want to skip this podcast.In this episode, we cover:Typical Sexual Development / PlayWhat is typical sexual development in children as they age?What type of sexual play is considered “normal?”How should parents manage a child’s natural sexual development?Problematic Sexual BehaviorsWhat are Problem Sexual Behaviors in Children?What causes kids and youth to act in socially unacceptable or destructive sexual ways? What factors influence the development of these behaviors?Child vulnerabilitiesBehavior problemsEmotional difficultiesDevelopmental delaysLow impulse controlFamily vulnerabilitiesPoor supervisionSingle caregiverModeling of coercionHarsh parenting practicesPhysical abuseDomestic violenceModeling of sexualitySexual abuseModeling/exposureNudity or poor family boundariesHow common are problematic sexual behaviors?Suggestions for professionals and parents and how to respond to behaviors.What should parents and caregivers do?Rules for younger kidsHow effective is therapy? How to find a therapist? What training have they had in this area?Child development expertise (including sexual development)Resources:Taking Action booklets (two booklets) – for children with problematic sexual behaviors (age 12 and younger) and one for 13+Resources at the National Center on Sexual Behavior of Youth – really good resources for caregivers and parents.National Center for Exploited Children—for kids to understand safety—teaching them safety skills to protect their own bodyAmaze.org—videos for childrenNational Child Traumatic Stress NetworkA.J.’s Story— A Book About Not OK Touches This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionalSupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Q: I’ve applied to adopt a waiting child from foster care. We are open to all races, kids up to age 13, and sibling groups up to 3 kids. We applied and then heard nothing. We also applied through AdoptUSKids and also heard nothing. I know the social workers are busy, but this is getting to be ridiculous. How do I get their attention without making them angry at me?Additional Resources:Adopting from Foster CareWorking as Part of the Foster Care TeamThis podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family buildingPlease leave us a rating or review RateThisPodcast.com/creatingafamilySupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Are you considering adopting a baby? Join us today to learn more. Our guests will be Karlee Wagner, a Program Supervisor for Infant Adoption and Birth Parent/Pregnancy Services at Children’s Home and LSS in Minnesota (CH/LSS); Erin Quick, the Founder and CEO of PairTree - the organization dedicated to helping families navigate private adoption in the healthiest way possible and mom of two through adoption; and Courtney Lott, the owner and founder of Faithful Adoption Consultants, a consulting service that seeks to walk adoptive families through the adoption process from beginning to end. She is a mom to eight children: six through adoption and two biologically. In this episode, we cover:How many domestic private infant adoptions happen in the US each year? Average cost of adopting a baby in the US. Average length of time prospective parents wait for an adoption match. Creating a Family article: Adoption in the US: How Many? How Much? How Long?What is the domestic infant adoption process at your agency or organization?How does the process differ when using an adoption attorney rather than an adoption agency?How do domestic infant adoptions today differ from how many people think about adoptions?What type of expectant mom considers adoption for their child?How many adoptive parent profiles are usually shown to an expectant mom?What do you see that expectant moms or couples look for when choosing adoptive parents?Is it harder for single women to be selected by expectant moms or couples?Is it harder for same-sex couples or singles to be selected by expectant moms or couples?After an expectant mother or couple chooses an adoptive family, what is the next step?What type of counseling is available for expectant parents both before and after the adoption is finalized?What are the ways that different adoption agencies and attorneys handle birth parent expenses?How early in the pregnancy do adoption agencies and adoption attorneys match expectant moms with adoptive families?What does open adoption look like?What percentage of domestic infant adoptions in the US are open?What are some typical "special needs" that prospective adoptive parents may be faced with in matches? What situations are the hardest for adoptive parents to decide about?How much information will adoptive parents have in deciding whether they should accept a match?What factors influence the cost of adoption? What factors influence how long families wait for an adoption match?What’s your best advice if someone has applied to adopt an infant and is not getting selected by an expectant mom?Failed Adoption Matches: How Common? How Costly? How tSupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.There are several ways to adopt a baby in the US.Adopt a newborn or young infant through private adoptions.Adopt a baby in the US through the foster care system.Additional resources on infant adoption:How to Adopt in 2023Adoption in the US: How Many? How Much? How Long?Cost of AdoptionDomestic AdoptionFoster Care AdoptionThis podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family buildingPlease leave us a rating or review RateThisPodcast.com/creatingafamilySupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Are you considering adopting or fostering? Or taking in a relative's child? Do you suspect or know that the birth mom used drugs or alcohol during pregnancy? Join us today to learn how these substances might impact the child and how you parent. Our guest is Dr. Lisa Prock, a Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician, Director of the Developmental Medicine Center at Children’s Hospital, Boston, and Clinical Director of the Translational Neuroscience Center at Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital Boston. She is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.In this episode, we cover:Foster, adoptive, and kinship parents and caregivers often need to consider whether they are the right family to parent a child with prenatal alcohol and drug exposure.The US government estimates that about 10% of children born in the US have been prenatally exposed to alcohol, drugs, or both. How common is prenatal substance exposure for foster and adoptive children, as well as those kids living with grandparents and other relatives?Are there signs or symptoms with a child that may have been exposed to alcohol and drugs in utero, absent confirmation from the mother?What is known about the amount or timing of alcohol or drug use and the impact on the baby or child?Short-term and long-term impacts of the following substances:Alcohol-does it matter the type of alcohol?Methamphetamines  Adderall, Concerta, Ritalin or other ADHD medicationOpiates/opioids-prescriptionOpioids-illegalHeroinFentanylMethadone, Suboxone, Subutex, BuprenorphineMarijuanaEcstasy, inhalantsTobacco-smoking cigarettes or vapingHow common is dual exposure/polysubstance exposure—alcohol and drugs?Do children who have been prenatally exposed to alcohol or drugs have a greater risk of abusing drugs in adolescence or adulthood?How do you get a child diagnosed with prenatal substance exposure?What should parents consider when trying to decide if they are the right family for a child with prenatal exposure?Creating a Family’s Prenatal Substance Exposure Trainings for Parents, Daycare/Preschool Teachers, and Afterschool Staff. Support the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.This is a perennial question that is often asked: Help, I have an older child moving in. How do I make them comfortable and make the transition as easy as possible for us all? We offer 3 tips to help you welcome a new young person into your home.6 Parenting Tips for Older Child AdoptionSuggested Books on Older Child Adoption for Adoptive ParentsWelcoming a New Foster ChildSupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Are you expecting the placement of a newborn? Don't miss our conversation about the latest information on baby care with Kristen O’Dell, a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner with almost two decades of working with over 10,000 newborns and their families in her hospital practice of Neonatology and Newborn Medicine.In this episode, we cover:FeedingThe vast majority of adoptive parents will bottle-feed their baby. How to choose a formula.Is liquid or dry formula better for the baby?How to sterilize the dry formula?Do you need to sterilize bottles?What type of bottle is best?Does the bottle type differ if the baby is born premature or has Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome?Does the temperature of the formula matter?Can you make the bottles up once a day, or do you have to make it fresh for each feeding?When should you consider a specialized formula, and what options do you have?How often should a baby eat?Other feeding options: adoptive mother induce lactation to breastfeed; donated breast milk.How do you know if your baby is getting enough food?If your baby spits up a lot, when should you worry that they aren’t getting enough food?When to introduce solid food? SleepWhat is a typical wake/sleep pattern for a newborn?When should you expect your baby to sleep for 5-6 hours?Is the wake/sleep cycle affected by prematurity or Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS)?At what point can you start trying to get your baby to not wake up many times for a feeding at night?Will introducing solid food, even if watered down, help your baby sleep through the night?How can you establish healthy sleeping habits for your baby?When do most babies start sleeping through the night and what is “sleeping through the night”—how much sleep?Safe sleep practices: sleeping on the back, no pillows, blankets, bumpers, stuffed animalsSleep training PoopHow often should babies poop? What is normal?What does the typical healthy newborn baby poop look like?How do you know if there is a problem?How can you tell if your baby is constipated? And what should you do?What type of diaper is best?What type of baby wipes are best?How to treat diaper rash?How can you tell if your baby has a yeast diaper rash?What is colic?How do you treat colic?What is the current thinking on circumcision?Tips for new parents.Free Resource Guide from New Mommy GuruThis podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the proSupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Are you raising an internationally adopted child or a child of another race? Join our fascinating discussion with Dr. Hollee McGinnis, an Assistant Professor in the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work. She focuses on mental health and identity for internationally adopted people. She is also an intercountry adoptee from South Korea.In this episode, we cover:How are racial, ethnic, and cultural identities different for international adoptees?Why is racial, ethnic, or cultural identification important for the emotional development of a child adopted internationally? At what age does cultural and racial identity develop?For children adopted internationally, what are some of the acculturation and assimilation issues that these children face? Including those issues arising from factors such as race, ethnicity, religion, and culture.Does this differ by race?Does international adoption itself potentially create acculturation or assimilation issues? How can parents walk the balance between wanting the child to fully assimilate and acculturate to their new life while also identifying with their culture of birth?Does this change depend on the age of the child at adoption?What is the experience like for a child whose name doesn't fit their ethnicity? Do you recommend that parents think about this when naming their child?How to handle if a child is born into a family of one religion but adopted by a family of a different religion? What are the long-term implications for a family that has become multi-cultural through international adoption? How does this impact each family member: adopted person, siblings, parent, or grandparents?What does a healthy cultural identity for an internationally adopted child look like?What does a healthy racial identity for an internationally adopted child look like?Tips for how adoptive parents can help their children develop a healthy cultural and racial identity? Read books about the history of your child’s culture and country, starting at a young age.Read books to provide the language and tools to help your child deal with racism. Again, start young.Talk about racism with your child. See resources below.Create connections for your child to people who look like them, as well as other adoptees.Incorporate people of your child’s race or culture into your friend group. Consider a homeland tour.Resources: Also Known As The mission of Also-Known-As is to build a community that empowers the voices of adult international adoptees, while providing resources and space to acknowledge the loss of birth country, culture, language, and biological family.Beyond Culture Camp: Promoting Healthy Identity Formation in Adoption, EvaSupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Do you suspect your child has ADHD? Don't miss today's show with Dr. Tamara Rosier. She is the author of “Your Brain’s Not Broken: Strategies for Navigating Your Emotions and Life with ADHD.” She runs the ADHD Center of West Michigan and is president of the ADHD Coaches Organization.In this episode, we cover:Understanding ADHDWhat is ADHD? What are the symptoms? Are foster, adoptive, and kinship kids more prone to ADHD?How to tell if our child’s behavior is ADHD or caused by the trauma they’ve experienced? Treating ADHDImportance of early diagnosing and intervention. To medicate or not?Should you take a medication break/holiday? Parenting Challenges with Raising a Child with ADHD: Managing expectations.Emotional management is key.Stop comparing your child and yourself to other parents and their “perfect” kids.Self-control/Impulsiveness.Sticking to an activity - the challenge of finding the balance between encouraging a child to persist and letting go.Why can my child focus on a video game but take 3 hours to finish a 30-minute homework assignment? And what can I do about it? What to let go and what to not. Don’t sweat the small stuff.  Looking for the Positives of ADHDADHD is not a disorder but rather a trait or neurological difference.Strength of divergent thinking. Tips for parents raising a child with ADHD.This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family buildingPlease leave us a rating or review RateThisPodcast.com/creatingafamilySupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Do you have a child receiving special education services or one that you think may need these services? In this podcast, we talk about navigating this process. Our guests will be Lisa Eisenberg and Gaile Osborne. Lisa Eisenberg is a social worker, education advocate, and consultant. She is a member of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, an organization whose goal is to secure high-quality educational services for all and to promote excellence in advocacy. Gaile Osborne is the Executive Director of Foster Family Alliance, the foster, kinship, and adoptive parent association in North Carolina. She has her masters in special education with certifications in five areas, including emotional disabilities. Gaile and her husband are parents of children adopted from foster care and have fostered over 28 children. Foster Family Alliance provides educational advocacy support for NC foster, adoptive, and kinship families.In this episode, we cover:What language is preferred: special education, exceptional children education, or something else?What laws govern special education?What are the most common acronyms that parents will see, and what do they mean?IEPs504sLRESDIOHIHow does trauma impact a child’s ability to learn? How can you tell the difference between the impact of trauma from a learning disability or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)?What are the signs that a child needs to have an educational assessment?What is involved with an educational assessment?What are the first steps that a parent or caregiver should take to get an educational assessment? What is the difference between an IEP and a 504 plan? Which one provides the most protection and accommodations for the child?What accommodations should parents and caregivers be aware of that they can ask to be included in either the IEP or 504 plan?What can foster/kin parents do if they believe the child in their care needs to be assessed? What are their legal rights?Are they allowed to be in the IEP or 504 meeting?Can they directly influence the IEP or 504? How can foster or kinship parent be of the most help when working with a child with learning disabilities or other disabilities? Tips for Parents and Caregivers when a child is struggling academically in school.38 School Accommodations for Children Who Have Suffered Trauma, by Debbie AusburnSpecial Education Acronyms and GlossaryResources:Calming the What If’s: Parenting Kids Who Don’t Fit the Mold Support the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.How can parents help their transracial adoptees transition to college, and why can this transition be hard for both teens and parents? We talk with Dr. Amanda Baden, a Professor in the Counselor Education Program at Montclair State University. She is an active researcher and currently leads their Adoption Research Team. She is also a transracial adoptee and a member of the Creating a Family board.In this episode, we cover:Acknowledge that this will likely be a strange year for preparing anyone to go to college.What are the major developmental milestones for all adolescents that happen during the 15-20 age frame?What are some of the additional developmental milestones for adolescent adoptees?What are the additional developmental milestones for transracial adoptees during the late teen years?Why is the transition to college sometimes a difficult one for transracial adoptees?What do you mean by “honorary whiteness”?Is the experience of transitioning to college different depending on the race of adoptees?Some adoptees feel like the bridge between the race/culture of their adoptive family and the race/culture of their birth. What are the issues with being the bridge?Are there specific things parents and transracially adopted teens should look for when choosing a college?The complexities of using the “transracial adoption story” as part of the college essay.How can the feeling of rejection that some adoptees feel be exacerbated in the college application process?How does the college experience impact adoptee identity development?Can the transition to college be especially difficult for parents of transracial adoptees?Parents are concerned about whether their child will leave and emotionally not return.Birth parent search is usually open to adolescents at age 18, which is right during this time of transition.How can parents help their transracial adoptees make a successful transition to college?This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family buildingPlease leave us a rating or review RateThisPodcast.com/creatingafamilySupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Everyone connected to adoption needs to listen to this show. We talk about a new research report on how birth parents experience adoption. The results will surprise you! Our guest are the two main authors: Ryan Hanlon is the Executive Director of The National Council for Adoption, the national adoption organization providing resources and education for all people and organizations in the adoption world and advocating for sound adoption policies; and Laura Bruder is the Executive Director of Brave Love, an organization dedicated to changing the perception of adoption by acknowledging birth moms for their brave decision.In this episode, we cover:The Birth Parent Experiences report is based on the responses of 1,160 birth mothers and 239 birth fathers.Were these all domestic infant adoption rather than adoptions from foster care?Birth mothers who placed their child for adoption in 2010 or later were much more likely to report satisfaction with their decision than birth mothers who placed their child before or during the 1970s. Birth mothers’ levels of satisfaction with their adoption decision increased each decade since the 1970s.The vast majority of birth mothers report experiencing stigma associated with their status as a birth parent. In fact, the percentage of birth mothers who experience some level of stigma about their decision to place their child for adoption has risen 20% since 1970.What is the demographic of the birth moms and dads who completed the survey? (age, race, education, number of adoption placementsHow has birth parent involvement in the adoption process changed?What factors were important to expectant moms and dads when choosing adoptive parents?What were the main concerns that birth moms had after placement? Looking back, do birth parents believe they made the right decision?What type of services and support do birth parents want and need post-placement? 78% of birth moms have contact with their child, and about 74% of birth fathers do. We don’t know if these are open adoptions or if the “child” is now an adult. Are they satisfied with this contact?Are they satisfied with their decision to place a child for adoption? What factors influenced their level of satisfaction?The research found that birth parents’ receipt of accurate information was significantly associated with adoption satisfaction for both birth mothers and birth fathers. What do you mean by accurate information?What percentage of birth parents reported that they were actively involved in choosing the adoptive parents, and did that influence their overall satisfaction with their decision?Three variables (receipt of accurate information, non-coerced decision-making, current contact with the child) were found to be the most strongly associated with levels of adoption satisfaction.Stigma of being a birth parent.Support the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Are you thinking about adopting internationally? Don't miss this interview covering the common health, developmental, and emotional issues found in kids adopted internationally. Our guests are Dr. Kimara Gustafson, M.D., M.P.H., an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota Medical School, a Faculty Member in the Division of Clinical Behavioral Neuroscience, and a pediatrician at the Adoption Medicine Clinic at the University of Minnesota. We will also talk with Dr. Katie Stone, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Pediatrics at The University of Minnesota Medical School. She is part of the Psychology team at the Adoption Medicine Clinic.In this episode, we cover:The best place to get information on the country-specific laws and the adoption process is your agency and the US State Department website on intercountry adoption, in the country information section.Each year the US State Department prepares an Annual Report on Intercountry Adoption that includes the length of time and cost for adoptions from specific countries. The country-specific pages at the US State Department website also has some of this information.What are some of the general characteristics and needs of kids waiting for adoption abroad? Generally, what factors across the world lead children to be in state care and to need adoptive families?What are the most frequent medical or psychological problems you see in children adopted internationally?What are some common environmental toxins currently seen in the primary placing countries to the US and how might they impact children?For the main placing countries to the US how common is:Prenatal substance abuseMalnutritionEmotional issuesGenetic abnormalitiesDevelopmental DelayOther known health risk factorsWhat is the impact on a child of leaving familiar ties and surroundings?What is the experience of most children leaving their family of origin?How does institutional care impact children?How does institutionalization affect child development?What children are at the greatest risk for attachment disorders?What are the psychological issues children who have experienced abuse, neglect, or trauma may face?What are some of the acculturation and assimilation issues children may face post international adoption?How does adoption itself impact children, adolescents, and adults? Resources for parents and professionals:Being Adopted: The Lifelong Search for Self, co-authored by David Brodzinsky The Primal Wound by Nancy Verrier are resourSupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Join us to talk with Angela Tucker about her new book You Should Be Grateful: Stories of Race Identity, and Transracial Adoption. Angela is a black woman adopted from foster care to white parents. She was the subject of Closure, a documentary that chronicles her search for her biological parents. Angela has consulted with NBC’s "This Is Us", supported the lead actor of Broadway musical "Jagged Little Pill", has over 15 years of experience working within adoption and foster care agencies, and has mentored over 200 adoptees, leading her to found the Adoptee Mentoring Society.In this episode, we cover:The Adoptee ManifestoWhat adoptee centrism. What do you mean by that?The complexities of loving your adoptive parents and wishing you weren’t adopted.Why is the spoken or unspoken “you should be grateful” so hard on adopted people?How to share the hard parts of our child’s story?What is the Ghost Kingdom that adoptees create about their birth family?The adoptee as the Plan B child because their parents didn’t get their Plan A child.Colin Kaepernick: “Since the day I was born, I've never been anyone’s first choice.”What happens when adoptees can’t talk about their feelings of loss and their feelings of longing for their birth families?Race:Feeling like a racial fraud.Comfort in white spaces.Color-evasiveness vs. color blindness.Susan Harris O’Connor, a biracial person adopted by white parents says that transracial adoptees have 5 dimensions to their racial identity: genetic, imposed, cognitive, visual, and feeling. White privilege by osmosis.Have you received flack for marrying a white man? And is this common for transracial adoptees?Search:The fear of searching or even talking about birth family because adoptees don’t want to hurt their adoptive parents. And conversely, the fear of some adoptive parents that they will be replaced once their child finds their first parents.Focus on birth mothers over birth fathers.Things adoptive parents should know about the search.Red Table Talk –Facebook Watch show with Jada Pinkett Smith, her mother, and her daughter. What were your feelings then and how do you feel about that appearance now.This podcast is produced  by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pagesSupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Do you sometimes feel like screaming because you can't keep up with all that you think is expected of being a mom? If so, you're in good company. Join us to listen to our interview with Jessica Grose about her book Screaming on the Inside: The Unsustainability of American Motherhood. Grose is an opinion writer at the New York Times. She writes a popular newsletter on parenting and was named by Glamour Magazine as a Game Changer in 2020 for her coverage of parenting during the pandemic.In this episode, we cover:What brought you to write this book?The pressure to feel a certain way and do everything right feels inherent in modern motherhood, but is it new? Have things changed? In what areas are moms in America struggling? ExpenseWork and Role of Fathers:Our society’s views of working motherhood from the 1990’s to now. “There is the expectation for working women to want to become moms. Then when we do become parents, we are expected to be our best at work and attend to our children. I was the first call from the schools instead of my stay-at-home husband. There was a reason we had him stay-at-home. Schools still called "mom" first.”“That’s happened to us now that we are both working from home. The other day, they  needed to reach us. Three messages for me & no one called Dad. It wasn’t an emergency, but still.”What is “radical flexibility,” and how common is it in the US.Are women who were raised by working moms opting for a different path? Role of social media:“It's frustrating because so often you never see them having to deal with their kids, while trying to meal prep, help with homework, break up a sibling squabble, all the while trying to get out of the house for an appointment. I guess that doesn't make compelling viewing.”“So! Many! Opinions! And so much facade. It’s challenging to navigate unless you are seriously self-confident or have already experienced a few ups & downs that give you perspective.The curated reels can give such a false viewpoint and it’s easy to assume that’s their real life. But real life is not nearly as compelling as the perfectly crafted short clips.”Is this a uniquely US issue? Do moms in other countries feel the same pressures to be perfect and do it all?Unique struggles of foster, adoptive, and kinship parents:I was told recently that my feelings about how hard it was to mom my last three (adopted as a sibling set from foster care) were just a part of my “mindset”. Because all the moms she knew had the same struggles. So foster and adoptive moms also have unbelievably unrealistic expectations upon them. We aren’t allowed to struggle differently. Then another person told me that “I signed up for this.” So, the underlying meaning is when you adopt kids from hard places, you aren’t allowed to struggle.HSupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Are you parenting teens, or will you be in a few years? Don't miss today's conversation with psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour, author of the book, "The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents."In this episode, we cover:Our society has become afraid of being unhappy. What are the reasons for this?Studies seem to suggest that teens are unhappier now than in the past. Why?Three myths about adolescence.The adultification of black teens. Why do our teens find us so annoying?The goal is not always to avoid conflict with our teens; rather, it should be to learn how to have constructive conflict.You say that spending time online can be both good and bad for teens.What should parents know about porn?How carefully should you supervise what your teens are seeing online?How can parents keep technology in place? What are some common-sense rules?The importance of small pleasures in modulating the mood of our teens.Resource:American Psychological Association: Health advisory on social media use in adolescence This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family buildingPlease leave us a rating or review RateThisPodcast.com/creatingafamilySupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Join us as Dr. Bruce Perry answers your questions about how trauma impacts adoptive, foster, and kinship kids and families. Dr. Bruce Perry, is a child psychiatrist and neuroscientist, the principal of the Neurosequential Network, Senior Fellow of The ChildTrauma Academy, and adjunct Professor at Northwestern University School of Medicine in Chicago. He is the author the numerous books including co-author along with Oprah Winfrey of What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing, and co-author of The Boy Who Was Raised As A Dog.In this episode, we cover:The shift in perspective from what’s wrong with you to what happened to you--the ability to understand seemingly senseless behavior by looking at what’s behind it.What do you include as “trauma”? How severe does it have to be to impact us later in life?We hear foster, adoptive, and kinship parents say, “she was only neglected.” Is neglect less harmful than abuse?When siblings are separated in foster care and parents are taken completely away from seeing the children for a year at a time does this lack of contact count as trauma and how does this type of no-touch abuse effect the child's brain? How common is trauma? ACE study.Does trauma at a young age have longer lasting impacts? We have a child who is chronologically 3yrs, who had a non-accidental TBI at 3 months of age. He is a sweet boy but prone to rages and is very loud.  Could this be from the trauma or is it his age and frustration? How can parents help their child manage trauma if they don’t know what the trauma was?The times of healing are often very short but very powerful.  And that the more times our kids experience healing, even in short bursts, the more their brain "re-develops" in healthier ways.Is there is an association between trauma and sensory processing and if so, do we know why?How do you become “unstuck” on being a victim?  My daughter is 18 and is struggling to become an adult, but constantly feels and acts as though she is still a victim from her past. Can you discuss how trauma is related to the sabotage of relationships, family events, life events, and opportunities?Prenatal trauma—in utero exposure to alcohol or drugsmaternal stressCan generational trauma be passed down genetically through the various forms of DNA? Resilience and Healing: My question is coming from the perspective as an adoptive and foster mom of some kids who have some pretty big behaviors. Can we really grow these kids and help them live happy, well-adjusted lives?  Not problem free, but a life where after many years of love, they will come to find peace within themselves?   I have two children who are currently in foster care because their father was abusive and I stayed with him and allowed my children to witness the abuse. Is there any way to reverse the trauma?This podcast iSupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Are you thinking about adopting from foster care or adopting a child you are already fostering? Are you wondering how to help the child transition to adoption? Our guests are Hope Middlebrook, a foster parent recruiter for Arrow Child and Family Services, and Jennifer O’Brien, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Regional Director for Arrow’s Foster Care Programs.In this episode, we cover:Two different scenarios: You are the foster parents of the child you are going to adopt.You are adopting a child who is living with another foster family.At what age do kids understand the concept of adoption and what it means in their life?If you are adopting a child you are fostering.How is adoption different from fostering?What are some typical emotions (positive and negative) a child might feel? Grief is to be expected.How far in advance should the child be informed?What are some typical behaviors you might see?What are some typical emotions and behaviors you might see from other children already living in your home?If you are adopting a child living with another resource family or group home.What are some typical emotions (positive and negative) a child might feel?  Grief is to be expected.How far in advance should the child be informed?How long should the process take?What can the adults do to make the process less stressful for the child? What are some typical behaviors you might see from a child that is moving to yet another home and another parent?What are some typical emotions and behaviors you might see from other children already living in your home?What are the pros and cons of changing the child’s name? First name? Last name?What are some tips for parents to help their child transition from foster child to adopted child? Some of these will apply to a child you are fostering and some to a child whom you are not fostering.Get all the information on the child available from his file, caseworker, and previous foster parents.Decide what type of relationship you can have with your child’s birth family. Come up with ways to help your child maintain safe connections to their biological roots.Work with the former foster family and the child or youth to determine what type of relationship can continue with the foster family after the child moves to your home.Go slow. Ideally, visit the child first in their foster home, then take the child out for the day, then have the child spend the night with the adoptive family, then the weekend before they finally move in.Give the child/youth as much voice in the process as possible.Anticipate problems and come up in advance with ways to work through them and outside resources to use.Create a Lifebook for your child and use this book to help explain some of the differences between foster care and adoption. Get picSupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building