Foster Parenting Podcast

Curious what foster parents think of Instant Family? We’ve got an early movie review for you here from a real life foster-adoptive family.  Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne play a childless couple who decide to enter parenting through the foster care system and encounter all the struggles of parenting kids who have experienced trauma.  We […] The post Episode 122 – What Do Foster Parents Think of Instant Family first appeared on Foster & Adoption Parenting Podcast.

T interviews Zach about their adoption and its many unusual circumstances. Their story will leave you inspired and stretch your imagination about what is possible in creating a family. Before listening to this episode make sure to watch this great video of “Meredith’s Big Surprise”

The post Episode 116 – Unusual Adoption Story first appeared on Foster & Adoption Parenting Podcast.

The post Episode 116 – Unusual Adoption Story first appeared on Foster & Adoption Parenting Podcast.

Have you heard of special laws governing the adoption of children who are of Native American descent? In the US, children who are Native American fall under a specific law called the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), which can govern their adoptive and foster placements. T interviews Johnston Moore about ICWA. They discuss the origins […] The post Episode 115 – Indian Child Welfare Act first appeared on Foster & Adoption Parenting Podcast.

Many foster parents draw firm boundaries between themselves and their foster children’s birth parents. But is this right? In this interview with Saint Fults, a social worker in St. Louis, Missouri, we learn of another perspective of openness toward birth family relationships from the beginning of the child’s placement. Fults advocates that foster parents should […] The post Episode 112 – Opening Up to Birth Parents first appeared on Foster & Adoption Parenting Podcast.

We recently were able to participate in the annual Together for Adoption Conference. This episode is based on the breakout session we led there.

We’ve heard a lot of stories about foster care. Sometimes the stories are in the news, sometimes we hear them from people we know, and sometimes strangers volunteer their perspectives. Rather than sweeping the dirt under the rug, we think we should talk about it.

So this episode is our attempt to confront negative stories about foster care experiences. We talk about abusive foster parents, delays in the adoption process, biased social workers and judges, and the pain of getting attached and having to say goodbye.

Come see us in person and enjoy other great speakers at the KidBridge Seminar in Rolling Hills Estates, CA on Saturday, October 29!

The post Episode 109 – All the Dirt on Foster Care and Why You Should Still Do It first appeared on Foster & Adoption Parenting Podcast.

The post Episode 109 – All the Dirt on Foster Care and Why You Should Still Do It first appeared on Foster & Adoption Parenting Podcast.

T interviews Jacob, a counselor at Royal Family Kids Camp, a summer program run by churches for foster kids throughout the country and internationally. Jacob mentioned his film project CAMP. You can contribute to his Kickstarter Campaign here. Help him reach his goal! The post Episode 105 – Royal Family Kids first appeared on Foster & Adoption Parenting Podcast.

We recorded our 100th episode in front of an audience at Olive Crest Foster and Adoption Agency. It was such a pleasure to meet and connect with our listeners.

In this episode we tackle some of the toughest doubts and questions thrown at the foster care system. We respond to questions about inept social workers, the rights of birth parents and the limbo that kids are left in as they wait for the courts to decide their futures. We also share some thoughts on risk and what type of person it will take to reform the system.

“To Risk”

by William Arthur Ward

To laugh is to risk appearing a fool,

To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.

To reach out to another is to risk involvement,

To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self.

To place your ideas and dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss.

To love is to risk not being loved in return,

To live is to risk dying,

To hope is to risk despair,

To try is to risk failure.

But risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.

The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing.

He may avoid suffering and sorrow,

But he cannot learn, feel, change, grow or live.

Chained by his servitude he is a slave who has forfeited all freedom.

Only a person who risks is free.

The pessimist complains about the wind;

The optimist expects it to change;

And the realist adjusts the sails.

The post Episode 100 – Doubts, Questions and Hurdles first appeared on Foster & Adoption Parenting Podcast.

The post Episode 100 – Doubts, Questions and Hurdles first appeared on Foster & Adoption Parenting Podcast.

Everyone seems to love the “Starfish Story” by Loren Eiseley. We’ve got a new take on this old classic and promise you’ll never see starfish the same way again.  This is an episode you won’t want to miss; it matters to this one!

Photo courtesy of OrangeCounty_Girl

The post Episode 90 – A New Starfish Story first appeared on Foster & Adoption Parenting Podcast.

The post Episode 90 – A New Starfish Story first appeared on Foster & Adoption Parenting Podcast.

We interview Amy, a fost-adopt parent who has had the experience of adopting four siblings consecutively. Her most recent adoption is being completed across state lines. Amy shares some personal experiences including infertility, pregnancy after adopting, and the death of a child. Also in this episode, we answer listener Kim’s question about how to help […] The post Episode 70 – Interview with Adoptive Parent Amy first appeared on Foster & Adoption Parenting Podcast.

We sit down and interview Jeremy, a former foster child, about his experiences in the system and any wisdom he can pass on to foster parents. We also give a brief review of “The Miracle Worker” and highly recommend watching it. At least watch this scene and catch the pay off line at the end […] The post Episode 68 – Jeremy, Former Foster Child first appeared on Foster & Adoption Parenting Podcast.