It’s been a month since we were in Seattle, Washington for The Refresh Conference and we are still overwhelmed by everything we experienced. Take a look at the highlight video below…
Through this blog, and on our podcast, we have given hundreds, if not thousands, of tips on entering the foster care system for the first time. But what about when you are planning to re-enter after being away for a while? Re-entry is rarely something folks consider when they’re on the foster care journey. Mostly because, the statistics of families who stop fostering, or suspend their license, and never return are greater than those who take a break and then jump back in later on. But how do you successfully re-enter the system when you’ve been away from it for
It’s been a difficult 13 years with our oldest son. Some would have told us to give up a long time ago. On paper he seems like a hopeless cause. But we’ve found hope. And we refuse to believe his story is over.
When you’re a foster or adoptive parent, you simply can’t walk into any pediatrician or therapist’s office and expect them to understand your child, or your family dynamic. So, how do you find the right provider?
It’s a hot topic question in the foster and adoptive community right now. Should I medicate my child? And if so, what medications are right? We’re discussing this on today’s podcast episode. We’ve all been down the medication route. Several times, in fact. We’ve learned what works, what doesn’t work, and what should be avoided altogether. Beyond that, we’ve also found helpful alternatives to medication. We fully understand this is a gray area in the foster and adoptive community, but on today’s episode of Honestly Speaking, we’re talking openly from all sides of this discussion.
I know what you want to do, and what feels natural, when all hell breaks loose with your child. But I’m here to tell you, you don’t have to do that anymore.
We talk often about forming positive relationships with birth families. But what do you do when you can’t get past the anger you feel toward them? If you know us, you know we are strong advocates for open adoption. We often write and speak in favor of open relationships with a child’s birth family. In our own family we have regular contact with biological parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and even brothers and sisters. We feel that if it is possible and safe to have an open relationship with a child’s birth family, you should.
It’s a big question we receive often, from church leaders and families in the trenches: how can the church better support foster and adoptive families? Unfortunately, over the past 15 years we’ve been on this journey, we’ve seen a few churches get this extremely right, but many get it extremely wrong. Personally, our family has walked through a few situations where the church was no support at all. But, we believe in the church and the impact it can have in this world, and for foster and adoptive families.
It’s really hard to not take your child’s meltdowns, outbursts, or aggression personally. In the heat of the moment how do you differentiate between trauma and a personal attack on you?
As much as we wish we were called into a journey that was easy, problem free, and had a lot less pit falls, we’re just not. It’s far from perfect and there’s a reason for this.
