Creating A Family: Talk About Infertility, Adoption & Foster Care

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Are you a professional working with kinship caregivers? You need to listen to this interview with Dr. Tyreasa Washington, is a nationally and internationally recognized scholar specializing in kinship care families (e.g., grandparents raising grandchildren). She is a Distinguished Senior Scholar for Child Welfare at Child Trends, the leading research organization in the United States focused solely on improving the lives of children, youth, and families.In this episode, we discuss:Advantages of keeping children with extended family when their parents are not able to raise them.How do kids who are raised temporarily or permanently by relatives fare compared to kids placed with unknown foster parents?One of the biggest questions we receive from professionals is how to engage kinship caregivers. They tell us that they set up programs to support kinship caregivers, but few show up. This seems universal. Why does this happen?We also hear about insti

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Question: How can prospective parents manage their thoughts and emotions while waiting to be matched with a child (especially in cases where the waiting period is a long one)?Resources:Suggested Books for AdoptionCoping Mechanisms for the Waiting (Article)Creating a Family Online Support GroupSupport 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 from foster care or becoming a foster parent? Join us to discuss this topic with Dr. Lindsay Terrell, a pediatrician and Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Duke University Medical Center, as well as the Clinical Director of their Foster Care Clinic. She and her husband are licensed foster parents.In this episode, we discuss:The common risk factors that foster parents and those wanting to adopt from foster care need to be aware of include physical, emotional, developmental, educational, and behavioral problems rooted in childhood adversity and trauma. What types of trauma are foster kids exposed to? What percentage of children in foster care have been exposed to drugs or alcohol prenatally? Creating a Family’s Prenatal Substance Exposure Workshop for ParentsImpact of trauma on physical health.Foster parents and caseworkers often have little information about prior health history.Other common physi

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Question: On the 2025 Adoption Tax Credit Episode, it was mentioned that they thought this would possibly be the year it becomes refundable. Does that only apply to finalizations in 2025, or will it make previous adoptions (if within the 5-year tax credit range) refundable too? For example, an adoption finalized in 2023 but we haven’t used all of the tax credit available. Does the remaining amount become refundable, too? ~Oklahoma City, OKResources:Understanding the Adoption Tax CreditAdoptionTaxCredit.orgJosh Kroll, Families Rising (joshk@wearefamiliesrising.org)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 Reso

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Are you considering fostering but are concerned about how it impacts the kids already living in your home? Join us for a conversation with Michelle Snyder, a foster, adoptive, and bio mom, and her son, Ben, to hear their stories of fostering and how it impacted their family. They are co-authors of Beyond Blood: How Being a Foster Brother Shattered My World and Rebuilt It.In this episode, we discuss:Ben - How old were you when your parents sat you down to talk about fostering?Do you remember how it felt to consider that a child could not safely live with his or her family?What do you remember about the time when your family was preparing, taking classes, getting licensed, etc.?Michelle - When you and your husband felt the desire to begin fostering, what were your biggest concerns?What considerations about fostering gave you pause, considering you had two young kids already in your home?How did you and your husband handle those concerns or issues

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Question: How do I respond in the moment when my child is melting down, including physical or verbal aggression? Resources:Practical Tips to Help Your Kids Manage StressThe Ideal Response: How to Maintain Connection When Correcting Your ChildHow to Maintain Connection When Your Child Struggles with AngerSupport 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.Have you thought about adopting a baby, but long for the experience of being pregnant, or want to control the intrauterine environment? Join us for this fascinating discussion about embryo donation/adoption with Dr. Craig Sweet with Embryo Donation International, Mark Mellinger with the National Embryo Donation Center, and Beth Button with the Snowflakes Embryo Adoption Program.In this episode, we discuss:The IVF process.Remaining embryos.Donating to another person.How to find embryos available for donation?What is the medical process of embryo donation/embryo adoption?What is the success rate of having a baby through a donated embryo? What factors influence the success rate?What percentage of donated embryos are created via donor egg or sperm?What information is available about the embryos and the donors?Can you have twins via embryo donation if that is your preference?Does it matter how long they’ve been frozen?Are pregnancies conceived throu

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Question: Is it important to keep a young child or baby’s birth-given name? How often, if ever, do expectant mothers let adopting parents name the baby in private adoptions? Resources:Understanding the Birth Parent's ExperienceOpen AdoptionCreating a Family Online Facebook Support GroupSupport 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 raise kids who you will like and want to hang out with as adults? Listen to this interview with Dr. Ginsburg, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and professor of pediatrics at U Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine. He is the author of Lighthouse Parenting: Raising Your Child With Loving Guidance for a Lifelong Bond, and the founder of the Center for Parent and Teen Communication.In this episode, we discuss:Definition of Lighthouse Parenting (7 key elements):StabilityModeling & KnowingCommunicatingProtectingResilience & ThrivingPreparationReliabilityBenefits of Lighthouse/Balanced ParentingMisunderstanding of attachment/trauma-sensitive parenting as permissive parenting.Self-care as the foundation of Lighthouse Parenting, “Stability: Finding Your Footing.” Why start there? Why is self-care critical to being a balanced parent?6 key elements of self-care and examples of how each might look for parents and c

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Question: My husband and I started the adoption process a few months ago and we just matched with an expectant mom. We are obviously excited, but we also know that a lot can happen or change between now and her due date. My question is two fold. (1) Although a lot of people in our life know we are going through the adoption process, who should we tell beyond our immediate families? (2) I am a small business owner. Since we are adopting a baby from another state, I am expecting to be out for at least a couple of weeks and then back at work on a limited schedule as my husband and I share caretaking duties. Internally, my team is already aware and on board with when this will happen, and they will handle client requests on my behalf while I am out. But at what point is it appropriate to share with my clients that this change is taking place? Resources:Failed Adoption Matches: How Common? How Costly? How to SurviveSigns that an Expectant Woman May

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Do you suspect (or know) that your child was exposed to alcohol or drugs during pregnancy? We discuss tips for how to best work with these children with Dr. Robin Gurwitch, a professor at Duke University’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Center for Child and Family Health.In this episode, we discuss:How does prenatal exposure to alcohol or drugs affect children at different ages?Oftentimes adoptive, foster and kinship families may not know specifically if their child was exposed in pregnancy to alcohol or drugs? How can a parent determine if their child was prenatally exposed?What are some of the more common signs, symptoms, and behaviors a parent might see at different ages?Birth to age fiveElementary ageTweens and adolescenceYoung adultsParents, teachers, and other adults working with these children often don’t think about prenatal exposure because of the lag in time between the exposure and when the more disruptive s

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Question: Hello, I am a single parent by choice and a hopeful adoptive parent. I've been working with an agency and waiting to be matched for a domestic infant adoption since this summer, and I haven't had much luck. I'm starting to wonder if expectant parents think single parents are not a good choice for their baby. In my profile book, I emphasize my financial stability and support of a network of family and friends, but is that enough? In your experience, do single parents have a harder time being matched? What are the things I should consider as a single parent when trying to match with an expectant parent?Resources:Adopting as a Single ParentUnderstanding the Birth Parent's ExperienceSelf-Care for Parents & CaregiversSupport 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 & ki

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Are you considering adopting or fostering a child who was exposed prenatally to opioids or opioid-use treatment medication, such as Buprenorphine, methadone, and Suboxone? Are you a grandparent or aunt raising a child who was exposed? Join our discussion with Dr. Jennifer McAllister, the Medical Director of the NOWS Follow-Up Clinic at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and the Medical Director of the University of Cincinnati Newborn Nursery.In this episode, we discuss:Terminology: What is the difference between opiates and opioids?What are the most common opioids being abused?What are the common treatment medications/drugs given to those with opioid use disorder? What are the brand names for these medications?How do these medications work?Are substance-use medications safe to use during pregnancy?What are the short- and long-term impacts on infants exposed to opioids?What are the short- and long-term impacts of infants exposed to op

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Question: Can you talk about how being transracially adopted effects how adoptee’s children were raised? Both of my parents were transracially adopted and I don’t feel like there’s anyone else who can share this unique experience and I just want to understand better.Resources:Generational Impacts of AdoptionRaising a Child Through Transracial Adoption (Resource page)Suggested Books for Adults on Transracial AdoptionSupport 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 your kids fight? Does it drive you crazy. Join us to learn some helpful tips for handling sibling rivalry and fighting. Our guest is Dr. Laura Markham, a clinical psychologist and author of several books, including Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids and Peaceful Parent, Happy Siblings: How To Stop the Fighting and Raise Friends for Life.In this episode, we discuss:Why do siblings squabble?How is sibling rivalry and sibling fighting a good thing for our kids?How to teach sharing?What are the warning signs that a sibling fight has gone beyond a useful tool for developing those skills? When do we step in to stop sibling squabbles?What’s an effective way for parents to step into these sibling fights? How to handle rivalry based on one child thinking you favor the other?What about verbal aggression, name-calling, etc? A struggle common to kids impacted by trauma is a delay in emotional and social skill development. Identifying and managing internal disc

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Question:  I wish I had known what to expect when a child with trauma hit the teen years. Maybe a book suggestion of what to expect or resources on what may show up and how to handle it. Puberty and the teen years have hit our family HARD. I also notice other families with adopted children going through the same or similar things. ~Rebecca from KansasResources:Therapy Resources for Adoptive, Foster, and Kinship FamiliesCenter for Parent and Teen CommunicationParenting in the Eye of the Storm: The Adoptive Parent’s Guide to Navigating the Teen YearsSupport 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 al

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Why is kinship care important, and what are some of the challenges? Our guests are Gregory Jones, a granddad raising five grandkids from birth to now ranging in age from 9 to 12; Ana Beltran, an attorney, and director of the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network: A National Technical Assistance Center; and Erica Burgess, a social worker with over 25 years of experience in child welfare, specializing in kinship care.In this episode, we discuss:How common is kinship care throughout the US—both formal (child welfare involved) and informal?Grandparents raising grandkids or aunts and uncles raising nephews and nieces is often complicated and comes with a mix of challenges and blessings.What are some of the blessings?What are some of the challenges? Managing the relationship between the caregiver and the parents.What are some common challenges in this relationship?What are some common boundaries that need to be set in kinship care?Lack of prepa

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Question: My husband and I are in the process of growing our family through adoption. It would be a domestic infant adoption, and we are hoping to cultivate a long-term relationship with the future baby’s birth family. I noticed that whenever I feel hesitation when thinking about openness, I can bring myself back down to earth by recognizing that any hesitation results from making things about ME, not the baby or birth family. The one question I can’t seem to navigate on my own is this...what do adopted children call their birth mothers? How do I, as a future adoptive mom, refer to the baby’s birth mom? I want to respect the baby and birth mom; any insight on how families handle this would be so helpful! Resources:What Does Your Child Call Her Birth Mother?5 Tips for Navigating Sticky Situations with Birth ParentsPositive Adoption Language & Why It Matters Support the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.C

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Are your child's birth parents struggling with addiction, mental illness, or intellectual disability? If so, join us for this discussion with Teresa Bradley, a psychotherapist with over 17 years of experience in addiction counseling and mental health. She is a Master Addiction Counselor, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapist, and clinical trainer at Amerigroup.In this episode, we discuss:Substance Abuse DisordersWhat are some of the challenges that adoptive or foster parents might expect to see when a birth parent is struggling with a substance abuse disorder (SAD) and not able to raise this child?How are those issues different for relative caregivers, like grandparents raising grandchildren? At what age should we start talking to the kids in our care about their parents’ challenges with substance abuse? How do we bring it up? How do we decide what to share and when?How can parents address that emotional fallout and deal with their

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.I have been listening to your podcast and supporting your mission for several years. We adopted our daughter at birth through an open adoption. We began caring for her on day two; she is now 9 years old. She knows she is adopted and has seen photos of her biological parents. Her parents had problems with addiction and the law. We only tell her, “They were not able to care for you.” She has not yet asked questions about her biological parents, but she does opine about being an only child. We have not yet told her about her full biological brother, the full brother who died from neglect as an infant, her five half-sisters, her biological grandmother, or that her biological father died a few years ago, having “fallen” off a bridge. She will obviously know everything eventually, but we are concerned about when and how to tell her. Resources:How to Find an Adoption Competent Therapist - resource pageTalking About the Difficult Parts of Your Child&ap