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

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.What issues should you consider if you want to adopt as a single person? We talk with Susan Fremer, a licensed mental health intern and a single mom of five adopted girls; and Lee Varon, a LICSW specializing in adoptive parenting, a single mom to two sons through adoption, and author of two books on single parent adoption. In this episode, we cover:Single parenting is common. Are there distinctions between becoming a single parent through divorce, conception, and adoption? How easy is it to adopt as a single woman or single man? Are there any additional requirements for single parents to be able to adopt? Any additional questions in the home study?  Legal issues. Importance of a will and naming a guardian. What are some potential issues single parents should consider before they decide to adopt? Is there another single parent or family that you could partner with to provide mutual child care support either full time or babysitting type arrangem

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.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 the unique issues that kinship caregivers face and what do they need to succeed. We talk about these issues with LaNette Jacobs, an aunt raising her two nephews; Marla Galvan, a licensed clinical social worker and Foster Care Strategic Consultant for Child Welfare Information Gateway; Dr. Ali Caliendo, the Executive Director of Foster Kinship, a nonprofit support of kinship families in Nevada; and Jaia Lent, the Deputy Executive Director at Generations United where she provides direction for the National Center on Grandfamilies.In this episode, we covered:Kinship care, also often called grandparent care or grandparent-led families, is used to care for children whose parents are unable. And while we will often use the term grandparent, we fully recognize that it is often aunts, uncles, cous

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Should you consider freezing your eggs? What is involved and how much does it cost. We talk with Dr. Taraneh Nazem, Board-Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist with Reproductive Medicine Associates of NY.In this episode, we cover:Female Fertility Overview of female fertility.What impacts fecundity?How important is age in female fertility?Why does age negatively impact fertility in women?What other factors decrease a woman’s fertility?Fertility PreservationAt what age does fertility begin to decrease?What causes Diminished Ovarian Reserves?What are the symptoms of Diminished Ovarian Reserves?How to evaluate and diagnosis Diminished Ovarian Reserves?What can women do to support their fertility and maintain optimum fertility for as long as possible?Does birth control influence future fertility positively or negatively? Does exercise impact female fertility?Egg FreezingWho should consider egg freezing?At what age should women consider freezing the

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Have you ever wondered why a specific behavior by your child drives you crazy? What do we as parents bring to the relationship that could be part of the problem? We talk about how a parent's history with attachment and trauma impacts our parenting with Dr. Patrice Berry, a licensed clinical psychologist with specialized training in adoption and foster care and over 15 years of clinical experience. In this episode, we cover:·      Research has shown that our attachment style with our own parents is the biggest predictor of the attachment style we’ll have with our child.·      What do we mean by attachment style? Attachment style refers to the internal “working models” we develop of how relationships function. They influence the way we relate to important people in our lives. The attachments we form in our early relationships with parents or caretakers can have an impact on our feelings of insecurity, anxiety, fear, avoidance, and satisfacti

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.How can you talk full advantage of the Adoption Tax Credit? What changes are important when filing for this credit for your 2020 taxes. We talk with Becky Wilmoth, an Enrolled Agent and Adoption Tax Credit Specialist with Bill's Tax Service and Josh Kroll, the Adoption Subsidy Resource Center coordinator at the North American Council on Adoptable Children.In this episode, we cover: What is the Adoption Tax Credit for adoption being claimed on 2020 federal taxes $14,300It is a non-refundable tax credit. How to advocate for refundability.What is a “credit” and how does it differ from a deduction or some other form of tax savings? If you get a tax refund every year, how would you use the Adoption Tax Credit? If you don’t have any federal tax liability, should you still apply the credit to your federal income taxes? What type of adoptions are included or excluded? Stepparent adoption? Embryo adoption? Same-sex partner second parent adoption? U

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.We talk about evaluating the risk factors for foster care with Dr. Kimara Gustafson, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota with appointments at both their Adoption Medicine Clinic and Pediatric Emergency Department.In this episode, we cover:The common risk factor 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? Neglect, abuse, prenatal exposure, multiple caregivers, not having a reliable caregiver, constant stress What percentage of children in foster care have been exposed to drugs or alcohol prenatally? Impact of trauma on physical health.  Foster parents often have little information about prior health history. Overmedication of foster children and youth. Research has found that the average n

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.We don’t just bring kids into our homes; we bring them into our marriage and relationships. And marriages or relationships are particularly challenged when we are parenting kids who have been exposed to trauma. We talk with Amy Garber, MSW and LICSW, the Manager of the Post Adoption Program with Wide Horizons for Children, a child welfare organization. We also talk with Anne Meijers, a licensed clinical social worker, specializing in adult and couples therapy.In this episode, we cover:Our goal should be for our marriage or relationships to be around long after the kids leave home. This takes being proactive because if we’re not careful our relationship becomes all about parenting or fostering.How can kids enhance a marriage or relationship? We know that kids who’ve experience trauma can be challenging to parent and can test a marriage or a relationship.Why are children adopted or fostered past infancy, children with prenatal exposure, and kids

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.What should you expect as you return home with a newly adopted baby or child? What are the common emotions? We talk with Laura Jean Beauvais, a licensed professional counselor and mother of two adult daughters through adoption. She has conducted domestic, foster, and international adoptions for more than 25 years.In this episode, we cover:Adopting a NewbornWhat are some common emotions when adopting a newborn?What are some common stresses when adopting a newborn?How may the revocation period affect the transition to new adoptive parenting?Expectations of extended family during this transition period.How do the stresses of newly adopted families differ from a family that gives birth to their child?How does the pre-adoption process affect this transition to new parenthood?What are some feelings that come up about birth parents after the baby comes home? Realities of open adoptions Handling grief of birth family Feeling like the presence of a birt

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.What foods and supplements help improve fertility for those trying to conceive naturally and for those undergoing fertility treatment. We talked with Dr. Jorge E. Chavarro, Associate Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health and Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Chavarro’s research is focused on understanding how nutrition and lifestyle impact human reproduction. He is the Principal Investigator of the Nurses’ Health Study 3 – an ongoing prospective cohort of young professional women started in 2010 designed to investigate the role of lifestyle and biologic factors on women’s health – and leads the nutritional component of the EARTH Study, an ongoing prospective cohort of couples undergoing infertility treatment at the Massachusetts General Hospital.In this episode, we cover:How Does Nutrition Impact FertilityWe know that women are born with all the eggs they are ever going to have so how does nutritio

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Children adopted from foster care or from abroad have often experienced abuse, neglect, or trauma. These children require a different form of parenting.  This is a re-air of an older interview we did with the late Dr. Karyn Purvis, author of The Connected Child: Bring Hope and Healing to Your Adoptive Family, and the founder and Director of the TCU Institute of Child Development, about how to help children from hard places heal.  In this episode, we cover:Why is parenting abused children different from traditional parenting?What are the 3 most important things you should do during the first 6 months home with a newly adopted child?How can we discipline our children while still remaining connected and create attachment?How can we help a child who has tantrums whenever he hears the word “no,” or is told he can’t do something?How long should parents stay home (if possible) after adoption?How can parents be proactive with children who have experien

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.How do you find and adopt a baby or child in another state and what is the Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children (ICPC)? We talk with Chantilly Wijayasinha, MSW and MPH and Interim Director of Adoptions and Foster Care at Vista Del Mar Child & Family Services; and Jim Thompson, adoption, foster care, and assisted reproduction attorney at the Thompson Dove Law Group, and a Fellow at Academy of Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Attorneys.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 Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.How is the COVID-19 pandemic impacting those people who are trying to create their family through surrogacy —both those seeking surrogates in the US and those going abroad. We talk with Dr. Barry Witt, the Medical Director of WINFertility and Greenwich Fertility.In this episode, we cover:How is surrogacy practiced in the US?What is the distinction between gestational surrogate and a traditional surrogate?Is it possible to go abroad to find a surrogate?Why do people go abroad?What are the most popular countries for people to go to for surrogacy? (including the US)How has COVID-19 impacted intended parents seeking surrogates in the US?How has COVID-19 impacted people seeking surrogates in another country, including those coming to the US?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 pare

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Do you know how the legal process of adoption works? How do you get an original birth certificate? How do you get a social security number for your adopted child? We talk with Brinton Wright, an adoption attorney and Fellow in the Academy of Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Attorneys about the legal and social implications of adoption.In this episode, we cover:Different types of adoption.The difference between voluntary and involuntary termination of parental rights.What is meant by a "legal risk" adoption.What is meant by open adoption.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 Resource pages on

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.We talk about Coping with the Stress of Infertility with Dr. Tonya Wood, a clinical psychologist specializing in family planning,  pregnancy loss and infertility. She is the Director of Clinical Training at Pepperdine University and is 2020 President of the California Psychological Association.In this episode, we cover:Why is infertility so stressful?What are the losses women experience when they realize that either they or their partner is infertile?What are the losses men experience when either they or their partner is infertile?Why do some patients feel shame or guilt surrounding their infertility?What is ambiguous loss and why is that type of loss more stressful?How can infertility impact marriages and partnerships?How do men and women deal with the stress of infertility in different ways?What are healthy techniques to deal with the stress of infertility?Importance of not postponing life while in infertility treatment.Should patients share

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Talking with your adopted or foster child about the hard parts of their story can feel like a daunting task.  Should you tell your child that her birth father is in jail or that her birth mother is addicted to drugs, or that she was conceived by rape? If so, how in the world do you share this news. We talk with Lesli Johnson, an EMDR therapist who specializes in adoption and foster care and an adult adoptee; and Susan Myers, a licensed Master Social Worker with Adoptions from the Heart Adoption Agency with offices throughout the northeast.In this episode, we cover:1.     Adopted and foster children often come to us with hard back stories: his birth parents are in jail, her birth mother used drugs or drank alcohol when she was pregnant, he was conceived via rape, siblings were kept by first family, it’s not known where siblings are, her first mother abused him, his birth father abused his mother, her first parents are addicted to drugs or alcoho

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Does it feel like your adopted or foster child is sabotaging the holidays? Are there more tantrums, sullenness, and anxiety during the holiday season? In this episode, we explore why holidays are difficult for kids who have been exposed to trauma and what to do about it.  We talk with Rebeccca Robotham, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at Beehive Counseling & Wellness in Connecticut. She is also an adoptee and former foster child.In this episode, we cover:There are many sources of trauma for children, and many adopted and foster children have experienced trauma before they come to our homes. Trauma can include neglect, prenatal exposure, abuse, domestic violence, and the actual act of being removed from your parents.How can trauma impact children both physically and emotionally?What is it about the holidays that makes it hard for kids with trauma? (change in routine, lots of people, bringing up memories, over-stimulation, change in diet, d

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Is your child more challenging than most? Do typical parenting approaches not work? We talk about how to parent harder to parent kids with Dr. Ross Greene, the originator of the Collaborative & Proactive Solutions parenting model, a non-punitive, non-adversarial, trauma-informed model of care. Dr. Greene is a clinical psychologist, former Harvard professor, and the author The Explosive Child and Raising Human Beings.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 Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Should you consider adopting or fostering a child that is older than a child already in your family. Are there things you can do to make it easier for all the children. We talk with Teresa Bernu, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at Adoption Center of Illinois, and Mark Lacava, LCSW and Chief Clinical Officer at Spence Chapin Services to Family and Children an Adoption organization in NYC.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 Resource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Do you dread the teen years? Do you want to keep your kids little forever or go back to that sweet stage when they were still in footy pajamas? Listen to this fantastic interview with Dr. Ken Ginsburg to help you embrace the wonderful years between 11 and 20. Dr. Ginsburg is the Co-Founder and Director of Programs at the Center for Parent and Teen Communication and Professor of Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He is the author of 5 award-winning books including: Building Resilience in Children and Teens: Giving Kids Roots and Wings.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 Resource pages on

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.We talk about the 7 core issues in adoption and foster care with Allison Davis Maxon, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and co-author of Seven Core Issues in Adoption and Permanency: A Guide to Promoting Understanding and Healing in Adoption, Foster Care, Kinship Families and Third Party Reproduction.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 Resource pages on all aspects of family building