In this episode of the Foster Friendly Podcast, hosts Courtney and Travis engage with Abby Crooks, a veteran foster parent and founder of Fostering Faithfully. Abby shares her personal journey into foster care, the challenges and rewards of fostering, and the importance of community support for foster families. The conversation highlights the significance of celebrating foster children's birthdays and the emotional complexities of being a foster parent.

Abby emphasizes the need for realistic expectations and the importance of finding joy in small victories while navigating the foster care system. She shares personal experiences and insights on fostering, emphasizing the importance of balancing personal life with parenting, the role of play in family dynamics, coping with grief and emotions associated with fostering, navigating the foster care system, and the key messages from her book 'Simply Available'. She highlights the need for foster children to feel loved and supported, and the importance of self-care for foster parents.

Learn more about Fostering Faithfully and checkout their resources.

Checkout Abby's guest blog for AKB on trauma and parenting.