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

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Should you adopt a child of a different race? What things should you consider? Join our conversation with Dr. Gina Samuels, an adult transracial adoptee and a Professor at the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice at the University of Chicago. She is also the Faculty Director of the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture. Her scholarly interests include transracial adoption and mixed-race and multiethnic identity formation. We are honored to have Dr. Samuels as the Chair of the Creating a Family Board.In this episode, we cover:If you are a White parent, are there different issues you need to consider depending on the race of the child you adopt?Some families prefer to adopt a bi-racial child rather than a child who is all Black or all Latinx. What are the issues to consider?Is there a difference between transracial and transcultural adoption?What does it take to raise a child to have a healthy self and racial ide

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Question: My husband and I are nearing finalization of our five-month-old adopted son. We don't currently have any other children. Throughout our time in the adoption process, I have spent time learning about adoption trauma and the complexities of adoption. I want to be well-informed as our son grows up and aware of the difficulties he may face. However, my question is, are there stories of adoptees, especially males, who have experienced emotional health and emotional success in life? I have heard many stories, both about and from, adoptees who have challenges with identity, maladaptive behavior, and experiences with other trauma, which make them at risk for suicide, addiction and depression. Are there any adoptive parents out there who are doing it right, whose adopted kids grow up to be well-adjusted adoptees, emotionally healthy adults who can form good relationships? Is our child doomed for a future of emotional trauma and struggle?

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Does your child struggle with planning/organizing, time management, and impulse control? Join us for our interview with Dr. Joyce Cooper-Kahn, a clinical child psychologist who specializes in the treatment of children and adolescents with ADHD, executive functioning challenges, and other learning disabilities. She is the author of Late, Lost, and Unprepared: A Parents' Guide to Helping Children with Executive Functioning.In this episode, we cover:What is executive functioning?Example of executive functioning skills?What is it like for kids, youth, and adults who struggle with executive functioning?What is the experience of families with a child/youth with executive functioning difficulties?Why do some kids struggle with executive functioning? What other disabilities often occur with this deficit?At what age do we usually expect executive functioning skills to start developing?Who can diagnose an executive functioning disability, and why is

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Question: My niece has been living with her paternal grandparents for two years. She is now four and they have decided that it is getting too hard for them. We’ve agreed to take her in. She knows us, but we haven’t spent much time with her. What’s the best way to move her to our home that will cause the least psychological damage to her. She is very attached to her grandparents.Resources:Kinship Parenting ResourcesTransitioning a Child to Your HomeCreating and Cultivating AttachmentSupport 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.Join us to talk about how kids understand adoption and how best to talk with them about adoption. Our guest is Camillia Whitehead, is a MSW and a licensed clinical social worker, and the Founder of Wise Care Consulting, LLC.In this episode, we cover:How does a child’s understanding of adoption differ by age?Toddlers & PreschoolersSchool AgeTweens/TeensYoung AdultsHow does openness or lack of openness impact a child’s understanding of adoption?How does transracial adoption impact a child’s understanding of adoption?How to talk about adoption at different ages?What are the important points you want to make sure your child understands at each stage?What are some common questions children ask at different developmental stages?Why didn’t my birth parents parent me?Can I go back to my birth parents?Do my birth parents think about me?Did my birth parents love me?Who do I look like?Why did they parent my sibling?How am I like my birth parents, and

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Question: Do you have any suggestions for articles or posts on telling a sibling that their new baby sibling is third-party conceived (e.g. donor egg)? We haven't told our 5-year-old son that we are pregnant yet, and I'm wondering if it is appropriate to tell him we used donor eggs at the same time we drop the big news that he will be a big brother. He will already have questions about conception. Too much info all at once? Suggested Books on AdoptionBooks for Children Conceived Through Embryo DonationMore information on Embryo Donation/Embryo AdoptionSupport 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 Resour

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Teens and sex are a scary topic for lots of parents. How can we impact our kids' decisions and what do we say? Join our conversation today with Dr. Debby Herbenick, a Provost Professor at the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, where she leads the National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior. She is the author of Yes Your Kid: What Parents Need to Know About Today’s Teens and Sex.In this episode, we cover:What do you believe a parent's role should be in sex education?How do you become an askable parent?How to talk with our kids about sex without sounding overly judgmental but also convey your values.5 minutes a week conversations.The importance of having high-quality books on puberty and sexuality around the house.When to start talking about sex with kids?How to talk with young people about consentImpact of technology (internet, social media, ubiquitous cell phones, etc.) on sexual development.What are reasonable

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Question: We are seriously considering becoming foster parents.  We have 2 children by birth, and I am really worried about how this will affect them and what I can do to prevent some of the negative effects. Resources:The Impact of Fostering and Adoption on Kids Already in the Family (Resource)Talking with your Resident Kids about Foster Care or Kinship Care (Resource)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.Are you often bewildered by your child's behavior? Check out this interview with Dafna Lender, a LCSW and a certified trainer and supervisor/consultant in both Theraplay and Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy. She is also an EMDR therapist. She is the author of “Theraplay® – The Practitioner’s Guide” and “Integrative Attachment Family Therapy: A Clinical Guide to Heal and Strengthen the Parent-Child Relationship.”In this episode, we cover:Impact of TraumaWhat is trauma? Trauma vs PTSD vs. Development Trauma DisorderNeglectHow does trauma impact the brain?How does this impact affect the child?Does the age of the child, when they experienced trauma, or the type of trauma affect the degree to which the child will be impacted?Impact of preverbal trauma- before the child has language and memory.If a child is able to leave the abusive situation, can it lower the impact of trauma or PTSD?Attachment trauma. How to Best Parent a Child Who Has Exper

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Question: I wanted to bring up something about your article on the risks for an expectant mom changing her mind. You have a point that says any placement before five months into the pregnancy is a risk. We recently had a match with a woman who was only four months along. We asked about this, and our agency tells us that there is no correlation between the time of the match and disruption. What is the truth?Resources:Understanding the Birth Parent's Experience (Resource)Evaluating Risk Factors in Adoption (Resource)Choosing an Adoption Agency (Resource)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 pa

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.One of the hardest parts of being a kinship caregiver is navigating the relationship with the child’s birth parent. We talk with Dr. Joseph Crumbley, a social worker, family therapist, and author of “An Overview of Kinship Care.”In this episode, we cover:Creating a Family listening sessions with kinship caregivers in rural counties.What are some of the complicating factors in the relationship between kinship caregivers and the child’s parents?Grandparents and other caregivers sometimes feel that the child’s parents will threaten them with taking the child away if they do something that the parent disapproves of.How to not enable the child’s parent but still have a relationship.How to set healthy boundaries for the caregiver’s and child’s best interest when you have years of experience not setting healthy boundaries?How to handle others in the family who interfere with the boundaries you’ve established?I don’t know if this is a question, but I r

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Question: Can I use my home study for a different type of adoption?This question arises in the following types of situations. Someone is applying to adopt an infant domestically and gets a home study from a domestic adoption agency. They then decide that they want to adopt from foster care and ask if they can use their domestic home study for foster care adoption. Or, they have applied to adopt internationally and want to know if they can use their international home study for a domestic adoption or an adoption from foster care. Or getting a home study from a foster care agency and wanting to use that for domestic infant or international adoption.Resources:Types of AdoptionAdoption AgenciesAdoption AttorneysSupport 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

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Are you an aunt or uncle raising your nephew or niece? Or are you curious about the unique challenges these families face? Check out today's podcast with a panel of four aunts raising their sibling's child.In this episode, we cover:Who are you raising? How old were they when they moved in? How long have they been with you?Didn’t ask for this.Less of a feeling of obligation than grandparents feel.Navigating relations with the child’s parents.Frustration with your sibling (the child’s parent)Long-standing resentment of the child’s parents.Navigating boundaries.Resentment if it’s your spouse’s niece/nephew.Navigating relations between other family members who have an opinion.Raising your own kids while raising your nephews and nieces.JealousiesBehaviors rubbing off on kids already in the familyLack of time for the kids who aren’t acting outComplications of being single and raising nephews and nieces.Putting off having children because of

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Question: I’m a single 38-year-old woman. I’ve always been interested in fostering, but I thought I’d wait until I got married. That doesn’t seem to be on the horizon, and I’m tired of waiting. Is it possible to foster as a single woman? Will it be too hard? I prefer a baby placed with me since I'm new to parenting.Resources:Becoming a Foster ParentFostering as a Single ParentSelf-Care for Foster ParentsSupport 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 can something that happened in past generations impact us now and affect the way we parent? Join our conversation with Beth Tyson, a childhood trauma consultant and former family-based trauma therapist. She is the author of the children’s books A Grandfamily for Sullivan and Sullivan Goes to See Mama.In this episode, we cover:What is intergenerational trauma? In essence, intergenerational trauma is the passing of the emotional pain of one generation to another.What are some other names it goes by? (generational trauma, historical trauma, or multigenerational trauma)What types of events can cause intergenerational trauma? (personal and more widespread events)How can trauma that happened 100 years ago impact us now?What are the symptoms of intergenerational trauma that we might see in future generations?How to recognize behavior that is triggering intergenerational trauma?Researchers are also looking into the possible role of “epigenetic chan

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Question: My husband and I have been married two years. I'm 44 and he’s 61. Is there an age limit to be able to adopt a baby?Resources:Domestic Infant Adoption (Resource page)Foster Care Adoption (Resource page)Adoption OptionsSupport 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.What should you expect when adopting internationally or bringing a child into your home from foster care? Check out our discussion with Dr. Robin Gurwitch a licensed clinical psychologist with close to 30 years of experience in evidence-based treatments and the impact of trauma/disaster/terrorism on children. She is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University Medical Center and the Director of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) and Child-Adult Relationship Enhancement (CARE) Training at the Center for Child & Family Health. She has been a National Child Traumatic Stress Network member since 2001.In this episode, we cover:While there are some distinctions, children adopted from US foster care and children adopted internationally have much in common.We say that the vast majority of children adopted through foster care or internationally have special needs. In addition to the medical or physical

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Resources:Adoption Comparison ChartsAdoption Agencies (Resource page) International Agencies (Creating a Family partners)Types of Adoption (Resource page)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.Have you ever wondered what adult adoptees really think about adoption? Join us to hear about the Profiles in Adoption: Adult Adoptee Experiences report, based on research by the National Council for Adoption. In this episode, we cover:Who did you interview for the Profiles in Adoption: Adult Adoptee Experiences report, and how did you find them?You separated your responses by type of adoption.How satisfied are adult adoptees in general—life satisfaction?Did they think that adoption could and did work in their best interest? In the best interest of their birth family? In the best interest of their adoptive family?What were their thoughts on openness in adoption?For transracial adoptions: Do you believe your adoptive parent(s) did a sufficient job at discussing issues of race/ethnicity with you?What were their thoughts on whether to allow transracial adoptions?Were adoptees in favor of their families having an annual recognition of adoption?Spec

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Question: We have two boys, ages 10 and 12. We’ve been told that if we become a foster family, the foster children will have to have a room to themselves. Our boys can share a room for another year, but then we want to separate them. Can we just foster for one year? How long do foster kids usually stay?Resources:Becoming a Foster ParentRaising Foster ChildrenWorking with Birth Parents for the Child's Best InterestSupport 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