Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: My husband and I want to adopt a baby. We are working with an adoption attorney, and we have to make a book about us and our lives to be shown to women and girls who are considering adoption for their baby. My husband has full-sleeve tattoos on both arms and on his neck. I am worried that it might be a turnoff for a girl choosing a family. Should we use pictures where his tattoos don’t show to up our chances? Resources:...
Aug 17, 2024•3 min•Season 18Ep. 66
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Does your child struggle with anger , and do you struggle with how to help them? Tune in to our discussion today with Jessica Sinarski, a certified adoption therapist and author of the picture books Riley the Brave and Your Magic Backpack series. She also serves on the editorial board for The Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma . In this episode, we cover: All kids get angry, in fact, all people get angry, so how do we know if...
Aug 14, 2024•56 min•Season 18Ep. 65
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: My husband and I are starting the adoption process, and so I recently reached out to Human Resources at my place of employment and learned that I do not qualify for short-term disability (STD), so I am not eligible for any type of paid time off when baby eventually comes. Are there any advocacy groups working on getting something similar to short-term disability for adoptive parents, where at least some portion of their...
Aug 10, 2024•7 min•Season 18Ep. 64
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Does your teen seem overly concerned about how they look? Do they seem to overeat or restrict their food intake without worrying about the consequences? This interview with Dr. Charlotte Markey will help. Dr. Markey is a professor of psychology and chair of the Health Sciences Department at Rutgers University, and a research scientist who has published over 100 scholarly articles and chapters about mental health issues. She has b...
Aug 07, 2024•47 min•Season 18Ep. 63
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: I just became a foster parent of a 14-year-old girl. She came with a cell phone paid for by her prior foster family. I told them I wanted to take over payments. I also want to sit down with her periodically and spontaneously and ask her to show me what she’s been doing on her phone while I show her what I do on my phone. I hope she will realize she can tell me anything and that I won’t hide things from her. Is this a go...
Aug 03, 2024•8 min•Season 18Ep. 62
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. If you are considering domestic infant adoption, you need to listen to this show to better understand the possibility that the expectant mom may change her mind. Our guest is adoption attorney, Lila Bradley , who has practiced law relating to adoption and child welfare law for the past 20 years. In this episode, we discuss: Distinction between failed match and adoption dissolution or sometimes known as disruption. What is the “ty...
Jul 31, 2024•41 min•Season 18Ep. 61
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: I’m a foster-to-adopt mom. I have 3 children. Two have already been adopted, and we are in the process of adopting one. My oldest son, who is 5 years old and turning 6 in Aug, had parental visits, but they were terminated when the parental rights were terminated, and he no longer sees them. It's been a year since the last visit. My daughter never had visits and doesn’t see her bio family, but I send the family a twice-a...
Jul 27, 2024•7 min•Season 18Ep. 60
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Does your child have a disability or have some label? If so, you need to listen to this interview with Dr. Deborah Winking, an educational psychologist and a special education teacher. She is the author of Capable: A Story of Triumph for Children the World Has Judges as “Different” and Raising Capable Kids . She is the mother of four, including one adopted child and one child with a neurological disorder. In this episode, we cove...
Jul 24, 2024•45 min•Season 18Ep. 59
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: I was just asked to take on a Spanish-speaking teen with a baby. Do you have any resources to address fostering a teenager with a language barrier, as well as supporting her in developing adult skills and independence? She comes with a complicated history involving immigrating here on her own. Resources: Welcome an Older Child to Your Home (Resource) Former Foster Youth Voices (Resource) Helping a Child Heal from Trauma...
Jul 20, 2024•5 min•Season 18Ep. 58
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. What do teachers understand about adoption? What are the misperceptions? We talk with two researchers on this topic: Dr. Hal Grotevant, the Rudd Family Foundation Chair in Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and Dr. Abbie Goldberg, a Professor of Psychology and current Director of Women’s & Gender Studies at Clark University. In this episode, we cover: How knowledgeable were teachers in understanding the im...
Jul 17, 2024•41 min•Season 18Ep. 57
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: We have applied to adopt a baby. We’re more or less being told that if we don’t agree to an open adoption, we’ll never get chosen by a birth mom. But, I really don’t want an open adoption. I think kids need just one mom and dad and opening up our family to others will just be confusing for everyone. But, I’m afraid that we’ll never get chosen if I say this. Resources: Open Adoption (Resource page) Listening to Adoptee V...
Jul 13, 2024•6 min•Season 18Ep. 56
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Do you have a child who acts out at school? Do you struggle with how to work with the school to help your child? If so, don't miss today's interview with Sarah Naish, the CEO and Founder of the Centre of Excellence in Child Trauma and the author of many books on foster parenting, including The A-Z of Trauma-Informed Teaching . In this episode, we cover: Why do our kids often have behavioral problems? What are some typical behavio...
Jul 10, 2024•42 min•Season 18Ep. 55
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: We are planning to adopt our third child. We have reason to believe that my husband’s parents will oppose this idea. Do you have any advice on how to approach them? Resources: Transitioning Your Child to Your Home Winning Over Reluctant Extended Family to Your Adoption Plans Sibling Relations (Combing Children by Birth & Adoption) Support the show Please leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.C...
Jul 06, 2024•7 min•Season 18Ep. 54
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Join us for this discussion with Dr. Gretchen Sisson, the author of Relinquished, the Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood . In this episode, we cover: Book focuses on private adoptions between 2000-2020. Not on parents where parental rights were terminated by the state and not on international adoptions. Full of first-person stories from birth moms. How many women are currently placing a child for adopti...
Jul 03, 2024•47 min•Season 18Ep. 53
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Prior to Russia invading Ukraine, it was possible to adopt from Ukraine. In fact, depending on the year, it was one of the top 10 placing countries to the US. However, the government of Ukraine has said that intercountry adoption will not fully resume while martial law is in place. However, the government of Ukraine confirmed they will process intercountry adoptions in limited circumstances. Resources: Top Ten Placing Countries t...
Jun 29, 2024•4 min•Season 18Ep. 52
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Join this interview with Dr. JaeRan Kim, an adoption researcher who also blogs at Harlow's Monkey. In this episode, we cover: Research: Intercountry adoptees with adoption disruption and displacement histories – Adoptee perspectives Korean adoptees as parents Adoptees who adopt Transracially adopted Korean American adults raising multiracial children Adoptive parents of children with disabilities Support the show Please leave us ...
Jun 26, 2024•46 min•Season 18Ep. 51
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Summer break is just around the corner for families of school-aged children – whether you are ready or not. You may already be planning your annual vacation, buying pool passes, and buying tickets online for local venues to enjoy together as a family. However, you may also dread your child’s hours of unscheduled time. It’s understandable – transitioning from your predictable, regimented school-year routine to a less structured su...
Jun 22, 2024•7 min•Season 18Ep. 50
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Join this inspiring discussion with two former foster youths who talk about their time in foster care and how that experience shaped them. Lanitta was a pregnant and parenting teen growing up in the North Carolina foster care system. In May of 2022, she joined the 2% population of former foster youth that graduate from post-secondary education with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and finance. Mayia Warren was in fo...
Jun 19, 2024•1 hr•Season 18Ep. 49
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for 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 your family, and his Lifebook tells this part of his story. Resources Adoption Lifebooks (Suggested Books) Welcoming an Older Child to Your Home (Resource Page) Transitioning a Child to Your...
Jun 15, 2024•6 min•Season 18Ep. 48
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Are you considering adopting internationally. If so, you really should listen to this interview with the great Dr. Dana Johnson, MD, PhD. He is a Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Dr. Johnson founded the International Adoption Clinic at the University of Minnesota. In this episode, we discuss: Prenatal exposure to alcohol and drugs: How common in international ad...
Jun 12, 2024•50 min•Season 18Ep. 47
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: We’re 5 years in trying to conceive and I’m TIRED. I have an opportunity to adopt an unborn baby girl. My question is, does it get any easier dealing with the infertility, the failure, the empty feeling? Does your heart stop breaking every month when you know you’re not pregnant? I’m so afraid that I’m gonna get this little baby but still need more…. hope I didn’t offend anyone! Resources: Coming to Terms with Infertili...
Jun 08, 2024•5 min•Season 18Ep. 46
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Join us to talk with Cam Lee Small about his new book, The Adoptee's Journey: From Loss and Trauma to Healing and Empowerment . In this episode, we talk about: You wrote this book for Christian adoptees. Why that specific audience? Adoptees have been objectified, scrutinized, and infantized. Can you give examples of where you see this? The narrative surrounding adoption, especially international adoption: you were saved, you are ...
Jun 05, 2024•40 min•Season 18Ep. 45
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: Hello! I’ve been listening to the podcast for a little while now as I consider my desire to adopt. I’ve had many models around me who adopted their children, and although the process is difficult, I have a desire to provide a home to children in need. It seems like now adoptions are declining for various reasons, and I’m trying to consider my motivations and whether it is right for me and my husband. One of our consider...
Jun 02, 2024•10 min•Season 18Ep. 44
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Do you want to help your adopted or foster child work through the big issues they may face in life? Join our discussion of the seven core issues with Allison Davis Maxon, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She is the co-author of Seven Core Issues in Adoption and Permanency , The Seven Core Issues Workbook for Parents of Traumatized Children and Teens , and The Seven Core Issues in Adoption and Permanency Workbook for Chil...
May 29, 2024•58 min•Season 18Ep. 43
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Are you in infertility treatment but possibly considering adoption? Dawn outlines what couples may be considering, which indicates they are ready to consider adoption. Resources: Parenting After Infertility Types of Adoption Affording Adoption 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 wh...
May 26, 2024•3 min•Season 18Ep. 42
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Join us to talk with Dr. Kimberly McKee about her book, Adoption Fantasies: The Fetishization of Asian Adoptees from Girlhood to Womanhood. In this episode, we cover: This book explores how Asian women and girls, specifically Asian adoptees in the US, negotiate the sensationalism and fictional portrayal of adoption in US popular culture. “Modern Family” and “Sex and the City” (and “And Just Like That…”) “Sideways” Soon-Yi Previn ...
May 22, 2024•52 min•Season 18Ep. 41
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. As a mom of four children through birth and adoption, I’ve been there and done that in terms of parenting. I’ve made more than my share of mistakes and have had my share of successes as well. I’ve also had the privilege of interviewing the top parenting experts over the last almost 17 years we’ve been doing the Creating a Family podcast. It can be hard in the heat of the moment (and there are plenty of hot moments in parenting) t...
May 19, 2024•9 min•Season 18Ep. 40
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. In 2015, we interviewed 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. In this episode, we cover: Why is parenting kids who have been abused or neglected dif...
May 15, 2024•52 min•Season 18Ep. 39
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: My foster child only likes junk food and will not eat anything that doesn’t come out of a box. We aren’t fanatics, but we try to eat pretty healthily. I don’t want to feed the rest of my family the boxed junk, and I don’t want to feed him separate stuff. Help! Resources: Food Issues (Resource page) Raising Foster Children (Resource page) Creating a Family Online Support Group This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFam...
May 12, 2024•4 min•Season 18Ep. 38
Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. We talk a lot about the child's experience in foster care, but what is this experience like for the child's birth parents? You may be surprised! Join our conversation with Dr. Darcey Merritt, a professor at the University of Chicago School of Social Work who researches this topic. In this episode, we cover: What is a typical scenario, if there is such a thing, of how a parent finds themselves connecting with the child welfare sys...
May 08, 2024•39 min•Season 18Ep. 37
