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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
799 episodes
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...
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Season 20
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Episode 21
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7:07
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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...
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Season 20
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Episode 20
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59:01
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 ...
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Season 20
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Episode 19
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14:52
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...
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Season 20
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Episode 18
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1:20:29
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...
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Season 20
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Episode 17
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11:51
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...
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Season 20
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Episode 16
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1:02:35
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...
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Season 20
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Episode 15
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7:16
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'...
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Season 20
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Episode 14
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59:49
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.
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Season 20
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Episode 13
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14:27
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...
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Season 20
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Episode 12
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51:34
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 ...
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Season 20
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Episode 11
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14:49
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...
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Season 20
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Episode 10
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1:00:40
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:
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Season 20
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Episode 9
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13:44
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...
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Season 20
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Episode 8
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52:45
What Documents Do I Need to File for the Adoption Tax Credit? - Weekend Wisdom
Having the right documentation, signed, dated, and completed, is crucial to maximizing the claim and avoiding delays or audits. But before we jump into the actual documents, let's start with the big changes to this year's adoption tax credit, b...
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Season 20
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Episode 7
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8:21
The 2025 Adoption Tax Credit
Let us know about your adoption journeyDid you finalize an adoption in 2025 or within the last several years? Are you eligible to claim the Adoption Tax Credit? Listen to this...
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Season 20
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Episode 6
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51:43
Dealing with the Emotional Roller Coaster of Trying to Adopt - Weekend Wisdom
Question: An aspect of adopting that we didn’t hear about was how your mental health is challenged throughout the process. It’s a roller coaster of emotions, and this isn’t discussed as often as organic issues such as drug or alcoho...
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Season 20
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Episode 5
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7:34
How to Afford Adoption
Are you considering adoption this year but concerned about how to swing the cost? Join us for a practical conversation about managing the expenses of adoption with Ryan Hanlon, PhD, former president of the National Council for Adoption, an adop...
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Season 20
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Episode 4
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42:28
What If My Partner Doesn't Want to Adopt? - Weekend Wisdom
Question: How do you deal with the emotions of not being able to adopt or foster because your husband doesn't share the desire?Resources:
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Season 20
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Episode 3
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15:12
How to Adopt in 2026
Are you considering adoption to create your family this year? We’ve got answers to all (or most) of your questions. Join our discussion with Molly Berger, MSW, who has been with the Adoption Center of Illinois for 12 years as an adoption social...
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Season 20
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Episode 2
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49:46
My Adopted Child Is Rejecting Me - Weekend Wisdom
Question: Hello, thank you sincerely for your podcast and the work you do. It has helped me feel less alone and allowed me to better navigate foster parenting and adopting from foster care. My husband and I have two amazing boys; th...
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Season 20
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Episode 1
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18:02
Rituals to Build Strong Families
Join us to learn about family rituals—how to create and why they can help build strong families. Our guest will be Elizabeth Barbour, the author of a new book, Sacred Celebrations: Designing Rituals to Navi...
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Season 19
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Episode 105
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46:54
Should We Let Our Adopted Babies Cry It Out? - Weekend Wisdom
Question: We have been matched with an expectant mom due in a couple of months. She is having twins. As we are preparing for the next steps, sleep training has come up frequently in newborn care books. What research is there on the cry-i...
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Season 19
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Episode 104
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18:53
Healing & Strengthening Your Family Dynamics
Are you looking for practical ways to build your child's resilience and sense of safety, and to strengthen your family's connectedness? Listen to this conversation with Ginger Healy, MSW, LCSW, director of programs for the Attachment & Trau...
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Season 19
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Episode 103
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54:34