The Reasons Why I Started This Whole Blogging Thing.

Author of 5 books, podcaster, parent trainer, husband and father.

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I used to be against blogging, if you can believe that!? I'm serious. Back in 2005 I heard about blogging for the first time from a friend and I shook my head. "Why would anyone want to read someone's open thoughts?" I said to myself. "Seems like a silly means to get attention!" Those were really my thoughts. I'm not kidding.

Oh how the times have changed. And so has my perspective (obviously). Actually, I did start a blog, before this one, back in 2010, and one underlying intention was to get attention… I’ll be honest about that. I shutter when I go back and read some of those posts every now and then :-).

I started Confessions Of A Parent in September, 2012. The idea was actually born a year and half earlier during a support group meeting (that I didn’t want to be a part of at all! You can read about that experience here.) Beyond all of the reasons I started a blog about parenting, the biggest was hope. I realized how hopeless parenting, and marriage, and family can feel at times. But when you have hope, you can keep moving, and find strength. I also recognized a big need for parents to just be able to laugh at times. To read something and say, “Ah, I’ve been through that with my kids and I know how funny that can be!”

But hope and humor were just the beginning. Parents worldwide, needed a voice. And they needed to know they’re not alone on the parenting road! My reasons for this blog became very simple. Really, they’ve become hills that I’ll die on.

HOPE.

We all need hope. Hope is what gets you up in the morning, the day after you’ve said goodbye to a loved one. Hope is what gives you the strength to face your biggest challenge or move forward in-spite of your greatest fears. Hope is woven into the very fibers of our souls, waiting to be awakened.We need hope to survive. We need hope to grow, even when the outlook is bleak.

When your child is throwing a huge tantrum, you haven’t slept in days, or weeks, or your teenager is making awful choices, it seems hopeless! You want to quit. But if you’re breathing, and there’s a heartbeat in your chest, there’s hope! Tomorrow’s a new day.

A VOICE.

This has become so huge for me in the past month. My wife wrote a post a few months ago called Don’t Save My Child, and it went viral (Over 22,000 views across 12 countries in a week!). Why? Because in the post she voices something that so many parents (especially adoptive and foster parents) have struggled with in raising children with special needs or from difficult backgrounds. The comment section of the post was what really fascinated me.

People poured out their hearts by the paragraph! Seriously. We had comments from people saying things like, “This is exactly what I’ve been trying to say,” or “Thank you for putting my thoughts in a post! This is what I’ve tried to get my son’s school to understand!”

People found a voice. That moves me!

NOT ALONE.

There’s something unbelievably healing in finding out you’re not alone, isn’t there? The isolation we feel when we are struggling or hurting deeply is all-consuming. We feel like no one else in the whole world could be going through what we are going through and it’s lonely. But when you discover that someone else hurts the same way you do, or deals with the same struggle, or has made the same mistakes that you have, it’s healing. Because…you’re not alone.

There is more healing in discovering this than there is in attending a class, or reading a self-help book, or seeking counseling. In parenting it’s easy to feel like you’re the only mom or dad who’s son throws embarrassing tantrums in public. Or your daughter is the only kid in the world with a special need like hers. But the reality is, you’re not the only one. There are thousands of parents who feel the same way you do, and struggle the same way you struggle. You are not alone!

I said in the very first post I ever wrote for this blog that this blog does not exist to be a “How-to” on parenting, it’s exists to be an “I know, I’ve been there” on parenting.

RECLAIM.

With all of my heart I believe in families! I believe the family unit is the strongest, most influential, unit in the world! When a  family is strong they can accomplish anything. Unfortunately, though, today’s family is suffering. It’s time for parents to step up and fight for the heart of their family! It’s time that husbands and wives stop fighting against one another and start fighting for one another! It’s time to reclaim the family. I challenge parents to intentionally, unashamedly, and boldly fight to the death for the heart of their family. This, I believe, will change the world as we know it!

Someone once asked me if I made money off of Confessions Of A Parent. While that would be nice, and possibly something in the future, I don’t make a dime off of this blog. In fact, I lose money on this blog every month. And, I’m completely fine with that. Because, reaching parents with a message of hope, and humor, and life stories, is worth more than any amount of money could buy!

Being a voice that simply lets hurting parents know, “It’s okay, I know what you’re going through, I’ve been there too,” cannot have a price placed on it.

What are some things that help you find hope? What else would you like to see posted on this blog that could encourage parents?

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Mike and Kristin Berry are the Co-Founders of The Honestly Adoption Company and have been parents for nearly two decades. They are the authors of six books, and the host of The Honestly Adoption Podcast.

Sarah Gray

Sarah Gray is the executive assistant to Mike and Kristin Berry. And she is the best in the land. In addition to providing a warm and friendly response to the many emails our company receives on a weekly basis, she also manages Mike and Kristin’s speaking and meeting schedules, and makes sure that team events go off without a hitch.

Nicole Goerges

Nicole Goerges is a Content Contributor & Special Consultant for The Honestly Adoption Company. She works with Mike and Kristin as a recurring co-host for the Honestly Adoption Podcast, and co-host of Kitchen Table Talks, exclusive video content for Oasis Community, along with Kristin. She is a fellow adoptive mom, and former foster parent.

Matt McCarrick

Matt McCarrick is the Content Production Specialist for The Honestly Adoption Company. If you’ve loved listening to our podcast, or enjoyed any of the videos trainings we’ve published, you have Matt to thank. He oversees all of our content production, from video edits, to making sure the tags are correct on YouTube, to uploading new videos to Oasis, to hitting publish on a podcast episode, he’s a content wonder!

Karen Anderson

Karen Anderson is the Community Engagement Specialist for The Honestly Adoption Company. She spends the bulk of her time interacting with, and helping, people through our various social media channels, as well as providing support for Oasis Community members through chat support or Zoom calls. In the same spirit as Beaver, Karen is also passionate about connecting with parents and making them feel loved and supported. Karen is also an FASD trainer and travels often, equipping and encouraging parents.

Beaver Trumble

Beaver Trumble is the Customer Care Specialist for The Honestly Adoption Company. Chances are, if you have been in need of technical support, or forgotten your password to one of our courses, you have interacted with Beaver. He is an absolute pro at customer care. In fact, he single-handedly revolutionized our customer care department last year. Beaver is passionate about connecting with parents and making them feel loved and encouraged.

Kristin Berry

Kristin Berry is the co-founder of, and Chief Content Specialist for, The Honestly Adoption Company. She spends most of her time researching and connecting with guests for our podcast, as well as direction, designing and publishing a lot of the content for our social media channels, blog and podcast. She loves to connect with fellow parents around the world, and share the message of hope with them.

Mike Berry

Mike Berry is the co-founder of, and Chief Marketing Specialist for, The Honestly Adoption Company. He spends the bulk of his time and energy designing and building many of the resources you see within our company, as well as social media and email campaigns. His goal is to use media as a means to encourage and equip parents around the world. He is also the co-host of The Honestly Adoption Podcast.