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Creating a Family: Talk about Adoption, Foster & Kinship Care
Are you thinking about adopting or fostering a child? Confused about all the options and wondering where to begin? Or are you an adoptive or foster parent or kinship caregiver trying to be the best parent possible to this precious child? This is the podcast for you! Every week, we interview leading experts for an hour, discussing the topics you care about in deciding whether to adopt/foster or how to be a better parent. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are the 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, and resource pages on all aspects of family building at our website, CreatingaFamily.org. We also have an active presence on many social media platforms. Please like or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).
Episodes
810 episodes
Maintaining Secure Attachment While Disciplining Misbehavior
Could you use a few new strategies to help your child improve misbehavior? Listen to this conversation with Dr. Casey Call, the Associate Director of Education at the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development at TCU and Associate Professor of...
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How Do I Handle All These Big Feelings & Big Behaviors? - Weekend Wisdom
Question: My 2nd grader, adopted domestically, has some pretty big, hard behaviors, like tantrums, clingy whining, and difficulty cooperating or sharing. We know there was prenatal substance exposure. I feel stuck to help them with their...
Celebrating & Supporting Men in Foster & Kinship Care
Join us for a conversation about why men in foster and kinship care matter - to the family unit, to the system, and most importantly, to the kids. Our guest is Tony Craddock, a Prevention Social Worker in Wake County, NC, with more than 25 year...
What Is Blocked Care? What Can I Do About It? - Weekend Wisdom
Question: I love my child so much, but lately I feel emotionally worn down and shut down in my parenting. Someone mentioned they recently learned about blocked care, and now I’m wondering if that's what’s happening. What is blocked care,...
Raising Kids Impacted by Opioid Exposure to Thrive
Are you raising a child with known or suspected prenatal opioid exposure? Understanding the impacts and how to parent them will help you set your child up to thrive! We are joined by Lenette Serlo, an adoptive mom of four children impacted by p...
Is My Teen Lazy, Depressed, or Stuck? - Weekend Wisdom
Question: Should I tell my nephew that by the time he turns 18, he has to be in school and passing his classes, or have a job, to continue living with us? He will turn 18 at the end of this school year and will inherit a small amoun...
How Can We Equip Foster & Kinship Youth for Adulthood?
Helping young adults in foster or kinship care transition toward adulthood can feel overwhelming for foster parents and relative caregivers. Join us today for a conversation with Vernell Gore of Youth Vi...
How to Make and Use an Adoption Lifebook - Weekend Wisdom
A Lifebook is the story of how your child came to be yours and the story of his life before he came to you. Adoption is only one aspect of your child, and at some point, his life merges into your life. However, he had a life before he came to y...
Strategies for Maintaining a Healthy Marriage or Partnership (While Raising Adopted, Foster, or Relative Children)
Raising kids impacted by adoption, foster care, or kinship care can do a number on your marriage or life partnership. Join us for a conversation with Jeremy & Jara Walden, authors of The Heart Work of F...
Help! No One Is Sleeping In Our House! - Weekend Wisdom
Question: We have two children adopted through the foster care system as infants - an almost 10-year-old (AudHD) and a 4.5-year-old (neurotypical). They both come into our room every night in the middle of the night, and it really d...
Parenting with Love, Joy, and Connection with Bryan Post
Would you like to learn how to build a culture of joy, connection, and healing in your home? Join us for a conversation with Bryan Post, an adoptee and therapist specializing in child behavior, adoption trauma, and love-based parenting. He's th...
How Do I File Taxes Without My Child's Social Security Number? - Weekend Wisdom
Question: My husband and I finalized our adoption in December 2025, and we’re still waiting for our son’s birth certificate in the mail. Then we’ll need to take it to file for an SSN and wait for that to arrive. How can we file taxes, in...
Problematic Sexual Behavior
Do you worry about what is normal in your child’s sexual development? Join us to talk with Roy Van Tassell, a Licensed Professional Counselor in Oklahoma and Director of Trauma and Evidence-based Interventions for Centene Health. He co-chairs t...
I'm a Single Mom. How Do I Find Good Male Role Models for My Kids? - Weekend Wisdom
Question: As a single mom, how do I find good role models for my kids?Resources:Finding Male Role Models ...
Raising a Child with FASD to Thrive
Are you raising a child with known prenatal exposure to alcohol? Does your child have a diagnosis for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder? Listen to this conversation with Barb Clark, Founder and CEO of FASD Mosaic. She offers coaching, training, a...
Answering My Child's Questions When I Have No Information to Share - Weekend Wisdom
This is a second question from a listener named Tabitha who adopted a ba...
Understanding Attachment Between Parent and Child
Is the idea of attachment parenting new to you and your family? Or could you use a refresher on what secure attachment is and why it matters? Listen to this conversation with Samantha Farris, LMSW, from the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Devel...
How Do I Find an Adoption Tax Credit Specialist? - Weekend Wisdom
Question: When you are preparing your taxes and working out how to maximize this credit and get that $5,000 back, you might find that you want a tax professional to guide you through the filing process. How do you find a qualified, reput...
What You Should Know About Disrupting Birth Order in Adoption & Foster Care
Should you consider adopting or fostering a child who 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 to Elizabeth Bohlken, Director of Education and Support at Children'...
How to Handle Open Adoption Even When the Birth Parent Chooses to Close It - Weekend Wisdom
Question: How do we handle an adoption that has been closed from the first mom’s end? We don’t even have a photo of her despite our request.
Talking with Miss Kentucky: Ariana Rodriguez
Did you know that the current reigning Miss Kentucky is a foster alum? We spoke with Ariana Rodriguez about her life leading up to the pageant circuit, what motivates her, and how her foundation, The Lu...
Talking to Your Child About the Hard Parts of Their Adoption Story - Weekend Wisdom
Question: I recently listened to a podcast featuring an adoptee, a birth mother, and an adoptive parent, which was great. The adoptee talked about when it hit her that she was adopted and feeling like her birth mother threw her away. My ...
What is Pathological Demand Avoidance and How Do I Parent This Child?
Are you familiar with pathological demand avoidance? Do you need helpful strategies to raise a child with the challenging behaviors that characterize PDA? Listen in to this conversation with Dr. Cynthia Martin, a clinical psychologist, the form...
When and How to Tell My Child About Their Conception Story - Weekend Wisdom
Question: How to talk to your child about their conception story when embryo donation/embryo adoption is involved in forming your family?Resources:
How to Talk with Our Kids About the Difficult Parts of Their Stories
Talking about the difficult parts of our child's story, like abuse or prenatal substance exposure, can be overwhelming. Kelly Weidner, the co-founder and Executive Director of Haven Adoptions & Family Services in Ambler, PA. She has 28 year...