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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 ...
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Welcome to the "Creating a Stronger Faith and Family" podcast, hosted by advanced certified life coach Jenie Hunter. This podcast is dedicated to helping you strengthen your faith and family relationships through practical tips and advice, inspiring stories, and engaging conversations. As a life coach, Jenie brings her expertise in personal development and her deep faith to each episode, providing insights and strategies that you can apply to your own life. Whether you're a parent struggling ...
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: How can prospective parents manage their thoughts and emotions while waiting to be matched with a child (especially in cases where the waiting period is a long one)? Resources: Suggested Books for Adoption Coping Mechanisms for the Waiting (Article) Creating a Family Onlin…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Are you considering adopting from foster care or becoming a foster parent? Join us to discuss this topic with Dr. Lindsay Terrell, a pediatrician and Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Duke University Medical Center, as well as the Clinical Director of their Fost…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: On the 2025 Adoption Tax Credit Episode, it was mentioned that they thought this would possibly be the year it becomes refundable. Does that only apply to finalizations in 2025, or will it make previous adoptions (if within the 5-year tax credit range) refundable too? For …
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Are you considering fostering but are concerned about how it impacts the kids already living in your home? Join us for a conversation with Michelle Snyder, a foster, adoptive, and bio mom, and her son, Ben, to hear their stories of fostering and how it impacted their family. They ar…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: How do I respond in the moment when my child is melting down, including physical or verbal aggression? Resources: Practical Tips to Help Your Kids Manage Stress The Ideal Response: How to Maintain Connection When Correcting Your Child How to Maintain Connection When Your C…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Have you thought about adopting a baby, but long for the experience of being pregnant, or want to control the intrauterine environment? Join us for this fascinating discussion about embryo donation/adoption with Dr. Craig Sweet with Embryo Donation International, Mark Mellinger with…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: Is it important to keep a young child or baby’s birth-given name? How often, if ever, do expectant mothers let adopting parents name the baby in private adoptions? Resources: Understanding the Birth Parent's Experience Open Adoption Creating a Family Online Facebook Suppor…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Do you want to raise kids who you will like and want to hang out with as adults? Listen to this interview with Dr. Ginsburg, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and professor of pediatrics at U Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine. He is the author of Lighthouse Pare…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: My husband and I started the adoption process a few months ago and we just matched with an expectant mom. We are obviously excited, but we also know that a lot can happen or change between now and her due date. My question is two fold. (1) Although a lot of people in our l…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Do you suspect (or know) that your child was exposed to alcohol or drugs during pregnancy? We discuss tips for how to best work with these children with Dr. Robin Gurwitch, a professor at Duke University’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Center for Child and…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: Hello, I am a single parent by choice and a hopeful adoptive parent. I've been working with an agency and waiting to be matched for a domestic infant adoption since this summer, and I haven't had much luck. I'm starting to wonder if expectant parents think single parents a…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Are you considering adopting or fostering a child who was exposed prenatally to opioids or opioid-use treatment medication, such as Buprenorphine, methadone, and Suboxone? Are you a grandparent or aunt raising a child who was exposed? Join our discussion with Dr. Jennifer McAllister…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: Can you talk about how being transracially adopted effects how adoptee’s children were raised? Both of my parents were transracially adopted and I don’t feel like there’s anyone else who can share this unique experience and I just want to understand better. Resources: Gene…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Do your kids fight? Does it drive you crazy. Join us to learn some helpful tips for handling sibling rivalry and fighting. Our guest is Dr. Laura Markham, a clinical psychologist and author of several books, including Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids and Peaceful Parent, Happy Siblings: …
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: I wish I had known what to expect when a child with trauma hit the teen years. Maybe a book suggestion of what to expect or resources on what may show up and how to handle it. Puberty and the teen years have hit our family HARD. I also notice other families with adopted ch…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Why is kinship care important, and what are some of the challenges? Our guests are Gregory Jones, a granddad raising five grandkids from birth to now ranging in age from 9 to 12; Ana Beltran, an attorney, and director of the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network: A National Techni…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: My husband and I are in the process of growing our family through adoption. It would be a domestic infant adoption, and we are hoping to cultivate a long-term relationship with the future baby’s birth family. I noticed that whenever I feel hesitation when thinking about op…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Are your child's birth parents struggling with addiction, mental illness, or intellectual disability? If so, join us for this discussion with Teresa Bradley, a psychotherapist with over 17 years of experience in addiction counseling and mental health. She is a Master Addiction Couns…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. I have been listening to your podcast and supporting your mission for several years. We adopted our daughter at birth through an open adoption. We began caring for her on day two; she is now 9 years old. She knows she is adopted and has seen photos of her biological parents. Her par…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Are you considering adopting a sibling group? Join us for this interview with Deborah Bass Artis, MSW and Senior Program Director of Foster Care to Permanency with Children’s Home Society of NC. In this episode, we discuss: Why is it important to keep siblings together when placed f…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: I have a daughter who has dealt with trauma from consistent experiences of neglect and abandonment. While our home is loving and supportive, she continues to exhibit a victim mentality and has a hard time taking responsibility for her actions. She's a sweet girl, but she m…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Are you really struggling with your adoption and feeling you've made a huge mistake? Listen to this interview with Lindsay Lanham, MSW. She works at Holt International and is the author of the online article “Predictors of Adoption Disruption and Dissolution: A Literature Review.” I…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: I've been an adoption social worker for almost seven years and just experienced my 2nd situation where the birth mother in a match had a stillbirth after selecting a family through our agency. Both situations were such a difficult loss for both parties. I'm curious if you'…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Are you thinking about adopting a baby? Are you worried about what risk factors exist that you should know about? Join us to talk about these issues with Dr. Lindsay Terrell, a pediatrician at Duke University Medical Center and an Assistant Professor in their Department of Pediatric…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: I've been listening to your podcast for a few years! Our 10-year-old kinship adopted daughter has lived with us since she was 2 months old. For a variety of reasons, there hasn't been any in-person visits or phone calls with her birth mom (my sister). Communication has bee…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. How do some kids survive a life of poverty, homelessness, abuse, and foster care and eventually thrive? We talk about courage & resilience with David Ambroz who is a national poverty and child welfare expert and advocate and the author of the memoir, A Place Called Home. He was reco…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: This was a question from someone in South Dakota. She says, "I haven't listened to all your back episodes, but can you address ICWA, the Indian Child Welfare Act, as it pertains to adoption? I live in a state where the majority of children in foster care are Native America…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Are you considering adopting a baby? To understand what is involved legally, listen to this podcast with James Fletcher Thompson, a South Carolina attorney with extensive experience in adoption. In this episode, we discuss: What are some of the differences in domestic infant adoptio…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: My husband and I have two adopted twin boys who are 8 months old, and we've had them since birth. We've been on the fence for years about a big move outside of the country, but we're currently leaning towards leaving. My husband and, by extension, our kids have dual nation…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Are you considering adopting a child over the age of 5? Join our discussion with Dr. Stephanie Bosco-Ruggiero. She has a PhD in Social Work from Fordham University and is co-author of the book Adopting Older Children: A Practical Guide to Adopting and Parenting Children Over Age Fou…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: My father-in-law was just diagnosed with terminal cancer and given a maximum of 6 months left to live. We learned this right before our home study for older child/foster care adoption was finalized. Do you have any advice for what we should do with our adoption process mov…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Are you considering adopting or fostering a child with Down Syndrome? Join our conversation with Dr. Sara Williams, a developmental-behavioral pediatrician at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. She provides developmental evaluations and follow-up care for children with a…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: My 4-year-old foster son moved in 9 months ago. He will likely remain with me permanently, and the application is in progress. I was his 5th foster home when he moved in. There was neglect at his birth parents and abuse in a previous foster home. Last weekend he was being …
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Join our panel of four former foster youth to learn what they wished foster parents and others knew about being in foster care. In this episode, we discuss: Tell us the story of your involvement with foster care and the child welfare system. What was something that your foster paren…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: First, I wanted to thank you for your incredible podcast. I’m not a parent (I only recently graduated from college), but I have volunteered in group homes for foster care children for the past couple of years. Your podcast has not only helped me to work more effectively wi…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. If you are adopting or have adopted within the last several years you should join our conversation today about claiming the Adoption Tax Credit for 2024. Our guests will be Becky Wilmoth, an Enrolled Agent and Adoption Tax Credit Specialist with Bill’s Tax Service; and Josh Kroll, t…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: My husband and I adopted our now seven-year-old son from South Africa two years ago. He is the best. We cannot believe how lucky we are to have this joyful little boy in our family, and we owe much of our success to what we've learned from your show and resources, so thank…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Are you considering adopting a child this year? We've got answers to all (or most) of your questions. Join our discussion with Teresa Bernu, the Executive Director at Adoption Center of Illinois. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has worked extensively in the areas of dom…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: My husband and I are licensed to foster/adopt, but there have been no placements yet. We initially thought our age preference was 2-6 year olds, but as we have gotten more information/education we think we may be a good home for teenagers. We have no children (adopted/fost…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Join our discussion with an adult adoptee about her search for her birth family and her identity. We will talk with Julie Ryan McGue, a domestic adoptee and an identical twin. She is the author of Twice a Daughter, which explores her coming to terms with her adoption and her search …
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: How do you speak to family members about open adoption? My entire family supports my intention to adopt as a single parent and has been very excited and generous as I have been working towards becoming a parent. My siblings were both adopted and there is a history of adopt…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. We talk today with Sarah Naish, the CEO of the Center of Excellence in Child Trauma and founder of the National Association of Therapeutic Parents. She is the author of The A-Z of Therapeutic Parenting and The A-Z of Survival Strategies for Therapeutic Parents. She is the adoptive m…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: How can I support siblings who have been separated by foster care or adoption? How can I help them build long-term secure attachments? Resources: Sibling Relationships (Resource page) Working as Part of the Foster Care Team (Resource page) Creating a Family Online Facebook…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Children who have been sexually abused can heal. Join our conversation with Dr. Eliana Gil to learn how. Dr. Gil is the founder of the Gil Institute for Trauma Recovery. She specializes in the assessment and treatment of trauma in children, especially those who have been sexually ab…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: For someone who is looking to become a foster parent should they go with a public or a private foster care agency? Which is best? Resources: Choosing a Foster Care Agency Becoming a Foster Parent Working as a Part of the Foster Care Team Support the show Please leave us a …
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Do you struggle with getting your child to sleep? Join our conversation with Macall Gordon and Kim West, co-authors of the book, Why Won’t You Sleep?!: A Game-Changing Approach for Exhausted Parents of Nonstop, Super Alert, Big Feeling Kids. In this episode, we cover: This is not a …
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: I'm interested in adopting an older teenager (16 or 17). An agency worker shared that many older teens don't want to be adopted, and just want to age out of foster care. Is this true, and if so, is adopting an older teen a reasonable goal? Resources: Foster Care Adoption (…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Join us for this interview with former NFL Running Back and Super Bowl Champion Ricky Watters. He is an adoptee, an adoptive dad, and author of a new children's book on adoption, A Gift Called Shane. In this episode, we discuss: How old were you when you learned you were adopted and…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: My husband Sean and I are here in Canada and early in the adoption process. We are looking at private infant adoption through an adoption agency. My question is around getting ready. When we successfully match it is almost a certainty it will be with a newborn and there’s …
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Can our kids heal from all the hard things they've experienced? Is there something we can do to help? Join us today to learn about the power of positive childhood experiences with Dr. Robert Sege, the director of the HOPE National Resource Center at Tufts Medical Center. He holds a …
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