Adoption Unscripted

What is Adoption Disruption? On today's show we will take a deep dive into Adoption Disruption.why it occurs ,how and why it occurs and what families can do to stop it from happening. Let's get started.

Join me Micah Johnson and my guest Shannon Murphy- Johnson from A Step Ahead Adoption Services as we launch the very first episode of Adoption Unscripted Radio. So many of us have a personal connection to adoption, and we all have a story. Adoption Unscripted is the place for us to share those stories. On today's show we'll explore your adoption options and where you should start. Is Domestic, International, or adopting from Foster Care better for your family? Should you use an adoption agency or an attorney, what is the home study process like, how long does it take. What's the average cost for adoption and how your can finance it? Shannon has spent the past 13 years guiding families every step of the way as they begin this journey and she can help us answer these questions and more. Join me every Friday morning for insightful and interesting conversations where we talk All Things Adoption with folks who are living this real life everyday. Welcome! We're So Happy Your Here!

What are they staring at? In today's episode we'll discuss Transracial Adoption and what it means to be a Conspicuous Family, the stares, unsolicited comments, & YES the nosy and sometimes inappropriate questions. I'll share stories, talk strategies & discuss what it's like navigating as a Conspicuous family. We'll also discuss how to talk with family and friends about your decision to adopt Transracially or Transculturally and how that decision can impact the entire family.

Is there life after you make an adoption plan for your child? Absolutely! But it's the unknown that can be scary, right. What will your New Normal look like? On today's show I'll chat with Lynea Krukiewicz-Founder of 'Life After Placement an On-line Support Network Committed to Serving Women after they've made an adoption plan and placement. Lynea is a birth mom herself and a Warrior Princess win it comes to fighting along side of birth moms! She has an incredible story to share, which became the foundation for her mission- to help Birth Moms Get There Lives Back. She's authentic and honest, no BS form this lady! Nothing but love! Join Us!

Ok, So it's time to Do your black child's hair.. Now What? I know caring for your child's hair, especially if they are a different race than yourself, can be nothing less than overwhelming. It's a journey in unfamiliar territory right? But, I believe there is a better way. What if you had help? A blueprint for you to navigate those locks. We all need a little hand holding sometimes, right? But we know that this stuff is important and each of us has the same goal. We want our children to really like the face looking back at them in the mirror. With the proper understanding, education, the right products, and a maintenance plan I can help you care for your child's beautiful tresses. (Smiles for everyone!)​​ Friends get your pen and paper out because school is in session! We're creating a Blueprint for Your Black Child's Hair! (and their Soul!)

As Promised, Kevin Hofmann author of Growing Up Black in White is Back!! Let's face it, parenting can sometimes be challenging, especially when we're doing it well! Transracial parenting is no different. ALL Parenting can be a little tricky. So I love it when I can ask for help from folks I trust. Folks who've been there and can provide not only the good word and support, but most importantly strategies and solutions when I'm feeling stuck. So that's what we're doing on today's show. We're not reinventing the wheel, just ofering some help if you need it. Join Kevin and I as we help you Step Up Your Transracial Parenting Game!!

Our kids are back to school everything is going great until the DREADED FAMILY TREE PROJECT!! Let's tackle that beast together! On today's show we'll talk tips and tricks or getting our kids back to school happy and healthy.

Most adopted and foster children have been exposed to some form of trauma. The very act of being adopted or put in foster care can be traumatic for children, because it means the loss of their birth family. Join me and my guest, Sean Delehant,Program Director of the Prince George's County Office of CASE ( The Center for Adoption Support and Education) and Adoption-Competent Therapist. In my chat with Sean we take a deep dive into trauma from the clinical perspective. We discuss it's affects not only on the adopted child but the entire family and support network. Sean explains trauma, what signs to look for in our kids, and provides some strategies we can take to benefit our children when they are suffering. This could be one of my most important, interviews yet. A most for anyone who loves a foster or adopted child.

As so many parents know, deciding to adopt is a life changing decision no matter where you are in the process or what route you choose, be it domestic, international or foster care. Forming your family through adoption may be the most profound decision you've ever made and may have changed your life in ways you never expected. But let me ask you; were you ready for all of those changes? Do you have unanswered questions? Can you effectively parent your child and meet his needs? Is your choice affecting your family in ways you didn't expect? Do you feel supported? Are you OK with people's questions about your choice? With all it's wonder, there are aspects of adoption that are rarely talked about. As an adoptive parent this may lead to feelings of confusion, doubt, and isolation. In today's show were going to do an Adoption Gut Check. We're tackling some of these questions, creating solutions and easing troubled minds so we can continue on our perfectly imperfect path of parenthood.

Join me and my guest Abigail, She's a wife, AWESOME mom to amazing kids and blogger extraordinaire! If you haven't checked out her blog heardingchickens.wordpress.com ya need to! We're chatting about transracial adoption,raising kids with trauma, self care, family and holding it ALL TOGETHER!! Can't Wait!!

There are plenty of books, websites, and wonderfully well-meaning people that will try to provide support and advice to transracial parents when raising children of color. We know that adopted children of color need to know their own culture and have a diverse community of folks around them. When this doesn't happen, these kids can feel insecure, lonely and isolated. But when it does, children grow up with a strong sense of who they are which can transcend every aspect of their lives in the most positive way. As parents, you want to raise strong and racially competent children, but how do you accomplish that? You want Real Life strategies and solutions. Where do you start? There's no How to Manual. Well, how about we create one for your family?. In today's episode well discuss the top five strategies parents raising black and brown children can do now to transform their lives and raise Strong, Happy and Confident Children of Color.

Join me and my guest Kevin Hofmann, author of Growing Up Black in White. Kevin's novel is a moving and sometimes humorous look into the life of one man with a fascinating past. Born into the racially-charged Detroit of 1967 to a white mother and a black father, the author was placed into foster care and then adopted by a white minister and his wife, the parents of three biological children. Hofmann’s memoir reveals the racial tensions, the difficulties of feeling neither black nor white, his family’s loving support, and his struggles to define and embrace his own identity as he grew to be a man. This is a story of hope and promise, and how we are able to define ourselves not through the racism and judgments of a challenging Kevin takes us on his journey of growing up as a young by-racial child growing up in a all white family. His book chronicles being adopted as an infant throughout his young adult years

In today's show we'll chat with Barry Farmer an awesome dad of three young boys he adopted from foster care and the creator of a popular Facebook community for Foster and Adoptive parents. Barry will talk with us about his WHY. Why he started he's journey to becoming a foster parent. What's it like to parent older children, Open Adoption and working with birth parents? How his boys have adjusted to being raised by a single father? And, the unique issues he's experienced working within the foster care system. We'll also talk about his private Facebook community for foster and adopted parents and what drove him to take on such a big responsibility that has come to mean so much to so many people.

Our guest on last weeks show, Shannon Murphy-Johnson, from A Step Ahead Adoption Services will join us again to continue our conversation and answer your questions about where to start when you are considering adoption.