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

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Join us to talk about the very important topic of youth suicide. Our guest will be Dr. Angela Tunno, a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Assistant Professor at Duke University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science. One of her areas of specialty is trauma-informed suicide prevention.In this episode, we cover:Suicide is one of the leading causes of preventable death in the US. How prevalent is suicide in the US for all ages?How common is suicide for people under 21? How common is suicide for children and youth in foster care or otherwise connected to child welfare?Why are youth in foster care at greater risk for suicide?What are some warning signs that a child or youth may be considering suicide?What are the risk factors for a youth or child who may be at greater danger of suicide?Are youth with other diagnoses more at risk for suicide? (For example, ADHD?)Who is in the position when a child is in foster care to recogni

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Question: I was the one who wanted to adopt.  My husband agreed because I wanted it so bad, but now, I’m the one who wishes we hadn’t done it. We adopted a 5-year-old little girl, who is now 7.  The awful truth is that I don’t love this child. I don’t even like her very much. I wish I could turn back the clock. Resources:Creating and Cultivating Attachment (Resource)Understanding and Overcoming Blocked Care (Free Course)Creating a Family Online Support GroupThis 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 buildingSupport the showPlease leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Are you confused about having an open adoption? Do you worry about what this means for your family. Join us today to talk about open adoption with Sara Easterly, an adoptee, Kelsey Vander Vliet Ranyard, a birth parent, and Lori Holden, an adoptive parent. In addition to co-authoring the book, "Adoption Unfiltered", they host a podcast of the same name.In this episode, we cover:What is meant by the term “open adoption”?Contact vs. openness.What open adoption is not:Co-parentingA courtesy to birth parentsConfusing to the kidsAbout/for the parentsWhat are some of the challenges of open adoption from the birth parents’ perspective?Lack of understanding of what open adoption means when they place their child.Renewed pain after each contactTwo vs. oneLack of powerFearWhat are some of the challenges of open adoption from the adoptive parents’ perspective?What are some of the challenges of open adoption from the adoptee's standpoint?What

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Question: Hubby and I are finally ready to take the plunge and become foster parents. We wanted to wait until our youngest was in high school. We’ve started listening to your podcast, and you’ve mentioned on several of the shows that we would likely have a choice between the local county child welfare agency and a private agency. Which should we choose?Resources:Choosing a Foster Care Agency (Resource page)Becoming a Foster Parent (Resource page)Working as Part of a Foster Care Team (Resource page)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

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Do you worry about applying the Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standard as a foster parent? Check out this interview with Rhonda Serrano, a senior attorney at the ABA Center on Children and the Law, and Kate Schultz, the Deputy Director at Foster Family Alliance of North Carolina and a licensed foster parent. In this episode, we cover:Where does the concept and term for “reasonable and prudent parent” come from?What were the problems that the reasonable and prudent parent standard is trying to address? The intent is to promote and support normalcy. Why is normalcy so important for foster youth?Who does this standard apply to? Does it apply to all children and youth in foster care?Why is the distinction between an “activity” vs. a “service” important? What is included in extracurricular activities?What is included as an enrichment activity? What is included in cultural activities?What is considered a social activity?Would these activities usually

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Question: We’ve been waiting for 15 months for an expectant mom to choose us to adopt her baby. We finally got chosen, but I’m filled with fear. Are we the right family for this baby? Are we up to parenting her? Will we be ruining our lives and maybe hers? Resources:Evaluating Risk Factors in Adoption (Resource page)Raising a Child with Prenatal Substance Exposure (Resource page)Explaining Prenatal Substance Exposure, ADHD, and Autism (Suggested books)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 p

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Are you parenting an adopted teen or young adult? Check out our interview about important conversations we need to make sure we have. Our guest is Katie Naftzger ,an LICSW, an adult adoptee, and the author of Parenting in the Eye of the Storm: The Adoptive Parent’s Guide to Navigating the Teen Years. She also has a course for adoptive parents: The Four Paths To Securing The Relationship With Your Adopted Teen Or Young Adult.In this episode, we cover:What are two conversations we should have about adoption with our youth?What conversations should we have about mental health?What are some conversations we should have about race with our youth who are of a different race than we are?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, exper

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Question: My husband and I are seriously considering domestic infant adoption. In my research I have found grants are available for people who want to adopt. We make decent money, but do not want to spend all of our savings on adoption fees when we know expenses will only go up when we have a child. Will filling out applications for grants be a waste of time for us or will they consider us even though we make decent money?Resources:Affording Adoption (Resource page)Adoption Tax Credit (Resource page)Welcoming an Older Child to Your Family (Resource page)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

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Foster youth or children who have been in the foster care system make up over 80% of children being sexually exploited. What can you do to prevent this from happening to your child? We talk with Audrey Morrissey, Co-Executive Director of My Life My Choice, a survivor-led nonprofit fighting sexual exploitation of youth.In this episode, we cover:What are some of the different forms that sexual exploitation can take?What is included in sexual trafficking?Internet exploitation.How does grooming take place?Are foster children disproportionately represented in the sexually exploited population?Are children who have experienced trauma over represented?Seeking love and connection.Sexual exploit of boys?What can parents do to protect their children?What resources are available to parents and young people?This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kin

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Question: I am a nurse and am very aware of the benefits of breast milk. I always imagined I would get breast milk from a milk bank if I adopted. Just recently, I read there aren’t many milk banks around, and they can have a supply issue and be very expensive. I then stumbled upon adoptive parents inducing lactation to feed their adopted baby. How common and easy is this? Is it successful? Does never being pregnant before and having small breasts have an effect?Resources:Breastfeeding the Adopted Child (Resource page)Creating and Cultivating Attachment (Resource page)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 lea

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Do you think your child was exposed to alcohol or drugs during pregnancy? If so, a diagnosis can help your child access services and support. Check out this show with Dr. Yasmin Senturias, a developmental-behavioral pediatric specialist with 28 years of experience in developmental pediatrics and prenatal substance exposure. She worked with the American Academy of Pediatrics on developing their FASD Toolkit.In this episode, we cover:Prenatal Drug ExposureDo the impacts differ depending on what drug the child was exposed to? What’s the difference between Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) or Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS). Short-term impacts? Is the impact less severe for legal drugs, such as nicotine and marijuana?Is the impact less severe for legal medications used to treat substance abuse disorders in pregnant women? What are the medical disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) or International Classification of Dis

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Question: We adopted our son at two, but we were his foster parents since he was three months. He is now in second grade and is really struggling in school both academically and with bad behaviors. His teacher is not open to hearing me talk about trauma and how his trauma is impacting his learning and behavior. I think she thinks that since he’s been with us for almost his entire life that he hasn’t had trauma. We seem to be getting nowhere with her. Do you have any suggestions for helping her understand that there may be a cause for his struggles other than just being bad?We welcome our guest Sarah Naish, the CEO and Founder of the Centre of Excellence in Child Trauma in the UK to contribute to answering this question. Sarah is the adoptive parent of five siblings, a former Social Worker, and the author of many books on foster parenting, including The A-Z of Trauma-Informed Teaching. Resources:Helping Our Children Heal from Trauma (Resource pa

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Are you struggling to feel connected to your child? Do you sometimes wish you could turn the clock back and not be parenting this child? If so, you need to listen to this interview with Melissa Corkum, adoptee, adoptive mom, and co-author of Reclaim Compassion: The Adoptive Parent’s Guide to Overcoming Blocked Care with Neuroscience and Faith.In this episode, we cover:What is blocked care, and how does it differ from blocked trust?What is the attachment cycle?What is the blocked care cycle?Does it only happen when parenting children with more extreme behavior issues?What causes a well-meaning parent not to be able to attach and bond with their adopted child?Is it more common with kinship caregivers—especially non-grandparents?What are the common emotions for parents who are experiencing blocked care?Ten signs of blocked care. To take the free assessment.   What can we do about this feeling of not liking or loving our child? We’ll give some spec

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Question: We are close to adopting two kids from foster care. Is there somewhere that shows the possible options for things we should ask for in adoption assistance?  I don’t want to rely just on the child welfare office to hopefully tell us all the possible options. Resources:Josh Kroll, Adoption Subsidy Resource Center, Families Rising (Formerly NACAC)joshk@nacac.org651-644-3036, extension 115Foster Care Subsidies: What is Reasonable and How to Negotiate (On-Demand course on CreatingaFamilyEd.org)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 th

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Are you thinking about domestic infant adoption? This is an interview you must listen to! We talk with adoption medicine pediatrician, Dr. Todd Ochs, about common risk factors you should know about before adopting an infant.In this episode, we cover:Common Risk Factors in Domestic Infant AdoptionLack of prenatal care.Why do expectant moms who are considering making an adoption plan often have limited prenatal care?What is covered in prenatal care and how might a lack of prenatal care impact a baby?PrematurityWhat causes a premature birth?Poor prenatal care?Are expectant moms who are considering making an adoption plan more likely to have a premature birth?What are the risks with a premature birth based on the degree of prematurity?Prenatal exposureAlcoholWhat are some red flags that a mom might have abused alcohol during her pregnancy?Does the degree of impact differ depending on when alcohol was consumed in the pregnancy?What are the long- and

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Listener Response: An aspect of adopting that we didn’t hear about was how your mental health is challenged throughout the process. It’s a roller coaster of emotions, and this isn’t discussed as often as organic issues such as drug or alcohol use. Resources:Creating a Family Online Support GroupAdoption Process & Important ConsiderationsSelf-Care for Parents and CaregiversThis 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 w

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Do you want to raise a child that can bounce back from all the hard stuff life throws at them? Join us to talk about this with Dr. Caroline Leaf, a communication pathologist and clinical and cognitive neuroscientist. She is the author of several books, including Switch on Your Brain, Think Learn Succeed, and How to Help Your Child Clean Up Their Mental Mess.In this episode, we cover:The mind/brain/body connection.The neurocycle.5-step process to build resilience in your child.How to apply this process to children who have experienced trauma?How can social media affect a youth’s resilience?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 fam

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Question: We’ve been waiting for a little over a year, and so far, no birth mom has asked to meet with us. I think we need to revamp our profile book.Resources:What is an Adoptive Parent Profile? (Resource page)Understanding the Birth Parent's Experience (Resource page)Adoption Process & Important Considerations (Resources)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 ado

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Nicole Chung, author of All You Can Ever Know, has done it again with another wonderful memoir about growing up as a transracial adoptee and then losing both her adoptive parents. A Living Remedy is a story about family love and loss, regardless of how the family is formed.In this episode, we discuss:Family love. You were well, if not always perfectly, loved.You were temperamentally different from your parents, especially your dad. This may be more common in adoption. How did these differences impact you growing up?Things my mom sent me, I sent my mom, my mom gave me. Growing out of the socioeconomic level you were raised in.Your mother thought you were ashamed of them. What is middle class?There is a big difference between being working class and middle class.“Our “broke” bore no resemblance to my parent's “broke.” …We always had options.The impact of lack of money on health.Impact of Covid on families trying to care for loved ones.Your s

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Question: We are adopting an 8-year-old little girl from the country of Georgia. I would love some concrete tips on how our family (four bio kids) can best communicate with her and foster attachment despite the language barrier. Are there any tools you can recommend or strategies to help non-English speaking adoptees feel more comfortable in their new environment?Resources:Creating and Cultivating Attachment (Resource Guide)Sibling Relationships (Resource Guide)Traveling With Newly Adopted Children (Podcast)Preparing Children for the Adoption of a Sibling (Suggested Books)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 buildingPleas