I was so excited about doing this podcast interview. Jillana and I have so many overlapping connections and passions: she lived in Guatemala (where our little boy is from!), she's a foster mom, she's adopted from foster care, she has teenagers, she has an ongoing relationship with a birth mom, and she has a child with special needs.

We could have talked for hours, but I limited myself to just around 30 minutes for this episode -- and it's packed with goodness! We dive deep into what it looks like to parent a child with special needs, the challenges and blessings of walking in proximity to birth parents of children we've fostered and/or adopted, and how living a love-stretched life has turned their world upside down in the most beautiful of ways.  

Whether you are a foster parent or an adoptive parent or a parent of a child with special needs or whether your life looks completely different, I think you'll find your heart resonating with her passion to love those who need love the most and to walk alongside them without criticism or condemnation but instead with compassion.

In This Episode

[02:05] – Jillana introduces herself and her unique family.

[03:18] – Why did Jillana foster children before having children biologically?

[06:33] – What was her mindset before she started fostering?

[09:11] – An honest discussion on birth parents.

[13:31] – Parents with kids in foster care were often kids in foster care themselves.

[15:06] – Jillana offers advice on how to walk alongside other foster parents if you aren't called to foster.

[16:50] – Hear about being welcoming but with boundaries.

[19:52] – What it's like parenting a child with special needs.

[29:52] – The beauty of interdependency.

[31:22] – What does a love-stretched life look like?

Links & Resources

• Books
• A Love-Stretched Life: Stories on Wrangling Hope, Embracing the Unexpected, and Discovering the Meaning of Family by Jillana Goble
• Other Resources
• 10 Days to Be a Happier Mom
• Sign up for the Hot Deals Email List
• MoneySavingMom.com
• My Instagram account (I’d love for you to follow me there! I usually hop on at least a few times per day and share behind-the-scenes photos and videos, my grocery store hauls, funny stories, or just anything I’m pondering or would like your advice or feedback on!)
• Have feedback on the show or suggestions for future episodes or topics? Send me an email: crystal @ moneysavingmom.com

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