Creating a Family: Talk about Adoption, Foster & Kinship Care

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. This is a second question from a listener named Tabitha who adopted a baby boy last year. Tho the adoption looked like it might be at least semi-open, it's effectively closed for now because the baby's birth mom is no longer communicating even with the agency. Question: All our training spoke to the benefits of open adoption. We also know (our baby) has two older siblings living with grandparents. There is also a toddler-aged sibling who was adopted. Like us, first mom is in her early 40s, so she’s got life experience. How do we handle questions that arise when baby G is older, with so little info? We seem to be a rarity in this day and age, with a closed adoption not of our choosing. I definitely respect mom’s choices, but I know questions will pop up on our little one’s end down the road. Resources: Strategies for Maintaining Sibling ConnectionsHelping Siblings Separated by Adoption or Foster CareHandling Social Media & Birth Family Contact with Your Adopted, Foster, or Kinship KidsSupport the show Please leave us a rating or review. 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 who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: podcastsarticles/blog postsResource pages

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Is the idea of attachment parenting new to you and your family? Or could you use a refresher on what secure attachment is and why it matters? Listen to this conversation with Samantha Farris, LMSW, from the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development. She's helping us understand the basics of building secure attachment between parent and child to strengthen our families. In this episode, we talk about: Support the show Please leave us a rating or review. 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 who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: podcastsarticles/blog postsResource pages

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: When you are preparing your taxes and working out how to maximize this credit and get that $5,000 back, you might find that you want a tax professional to guide you through the filing process. How do you find a qualified, reputable tax specialist who can handle your claim? Resources: Finding a Tax Specialist to File Your Adoption Tax Credit ClaimThe 2025 Adoption Tax CreditWhat Documents Do I Need to File for the Adoption Tax Credit - Weekend WisdomAdoption Tax CreditSupport the show Please leave us a rating or review. 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 who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: podcastsarticles/blog postsResource pages

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Should you consider adopting or fostering a child who is older than a child already in your family? Are there things you can do to make it easier for all the children? We talk to Elizabeth Bohlken, Director of Education and Support at Children's Home Society and Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota, to talk about the preparation, joys, and challenges of disrupting birth order. In this episode: Resources: Sibling RelationshipsSupport the show Please leave us a rating or review. 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 who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: podcastsarticles/blog postsResource pages

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: How do we handle an adoption that has been closed from the first mom’s end? We don’t even have a photo of her despite our request. Our #1 Secret Tip for Navigating Open Adoption5 Tips for Navigating Sticky Situations with Birth ParentsWho Holds the Power in Adoption: Birth Parents or Adoptive Parents?Where is Mommy? Helping Kids Cope with Absent ParentsSupport the show Please leave us a rating or review. 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 who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: podcastsarticles/blog postsResource pages

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Did you know that the current reigning Miss Kentucky is a foster alum? We spoke with Ariana Rodriguez about her life leading up to the pageant circuit, what motivates her, and how her foundation, The Lucky Ones, is changing foster care experiences for foster kids in Kentucky. In this episode, we talk about: The Lucky OnesSupport the show Please leave us a rating or review. 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 who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: podcastsarticles/blog postsResource pages

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: I recently listened to a podcast featuring an adoptee, a birth mother, and an adoptive parent, which was great. The adoptee talked about when it hit her that she was adopted and feeling like her birth mother threw her away. My sons are adopted through the foster care system. One is technically still a foster child. My oldest was removed from his birth mother immediately after being born and placed with us. My second son spent about a year with his parents in a very neglectful situation, and drugs were a factor in both situations. I'm wondering how to respectfully have that conversation with my sons when the time comes. Note, please, that we are a two-dad household, so there's no hiding the adoption from them. Resources: Talking about Adoption at Different AgesHow to Make and Use an Adoption LifebookTalking with Young Children About Adoption and Birth ParentsBooks for Kids Adopted from Foster Care9 Things Adoptive Parents Must Do Before Age 13Support the show Please leave us a rating or review. 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 who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: podcastsarticles/blog postsResource pages

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Are you familiar with pathological demand avoidance? Do you need helpful strategies to raise a child with the challenging behaviors that characterize PDA? Listen in to this conversation with Dr. Cynthia Martin, a clinical psychologist, the former Senior Director of the Autism Center at the Child Mind Institute, and founder of CM Psychology in Manhattan, NY. In this episode, we discuss: can’twon’tResources: Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) in KidsDemand Avoidance: Why Kids Refuse to Follow DirectionsIs Your Child Showing Signs of Pathological Demand Avoidance?Unstuck & On TargetSupport the show Please leave us a rating or review. 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 who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: podcastsarticles/blog postsResource pages

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: How to talk to your child about their conception story when embryo donation/embryo adoption is involved in forming your family? Resources: Embryo AdoptionSuggested BooksDisclosing Donor Conception to Our KidsSupport the show Please leave us a rating or review. 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 who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: podcastsarticles/blog postsResource pages

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Talking about the difficult parts of our child's story, like abuse or prenatal substance exposure, can be overwhelming. Kelly Weidner, the co-founder and Executive Director of Haven Adoptions & Family Services in Ambler, PA. She has 28 years of experience in foster care, residential care, and adoption, which will help us navigate these challenging conversations with our kids. In this episode, we discuss: Resources: Suggested BooksUsing Lifebooks to Explain Complex Issues in Adoption to KidsBuilding the Framework for Adopted & Foster Children to Process the Hard Parts of Their StoriesSupport the show Please leave us a rating or review. 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 who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: podcastsarticles/blog postsResource pages

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Having the right documentation, signed, dated, and completed, is crucial to maximizing the claim and avoiding delays or audits. But before we jump into the actual documents, let's start with the big changes to this year's adoption tax credit, because these are important details for families to know this year. Resources: Adoption Tax Credit Resource PageFinding a Tax Specialist to File Your Adoption Tax Credit ClaimAdoption Tax Credit 5 Things to Know About the Adoption CreditSupport the show Please leave us a rating or review. 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 who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: podcastsarticles/blog postsResource pages

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Let us know about your adoption journey Did you finalize an adoption in 2025 or within the last several years? Are you eligible to claim the Adoption Tax Credit? Listen to this conversation about the 2025 Adoption Tax Credit. Our guests are Becky Wilmoth, an Enrolled Agent and Adoption Tax Credit Specialist with Bill’s Tax Service, and Josh Kroll, the Adoption Subsidy Resource Center coordinator at Families Rising. In this episode, we discuss: https://adoptiontaxcredit.orgSupport the show Please leave us a rating or review. 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 who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: podcastsarticles/blog postsResource pages

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: An aspect of adopting that we didn’t hear about was how your mental health is challenged throughout the process. It’s a roller coaster of emotions, and this isn’t discussed as often as organic issues such as drug or alcohol use. Resources: Creating a Family Online Support GroupAdoption Process & Important ConsiderationsSelf-Care for Parents and CaregiversSupport the show Please leave us a rating or review. 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 who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: podcastsarticles/blog postsResource pages

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Are you considering adoption this year but concerned about how to swing the cost? Join us for a practical conversation about managing the expenses of adoption with Ryan Hanlon, PhD, former president of the National Council for Adoption, an adoption advocacy organization dedicated to research, education, and policy in the service of all members of the adoption community. In this episode, we discuss: Resources: The Adoption Tax CreditFoster Care Adoption Subsidies: What is Reasonable and How to NegotiateNational Council for AdoptionSupport the show Please leave us a rating or review. 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 who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: podcastsarticles/blog postsResource pages

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: How do you deal with the emotions of not being able to adopt or foster because your husband doesn't share the desire? Resources: A Reluctant Spouse: When Only One Partner Wants to AdoptI Want to Adopt. My Partner Does Not.Online Support GroupSupport the show Please leave us a rating or review. 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 who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: podcastsarticles/blog postsResource pages

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Are you considering adoption to create your family this year? We’ve got answers to all (or most) of your questions. Join our discussion with Molly Berger, MSW, who has been with the Adoption Center of Illinois for 12 years as an adoption social worker. She counts it an honor to work with adoptive families and expectant parents. In this episode, we discuss: Part 1: Domestic Infant Private Adoption in the US Part 2: Adoptions From Foster Care in the US Part 3: International Adoptions to the US Support the show Please leave us a rating or review. 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 who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: podcastsarticles/blog postsResource pages

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: Hello, thank you sincerely for your podcast and the work you do. It has helped me feel less alone and allowed me to better navigate foster parenting and adopting from foster care. My husband and I have two amazing boys; they have the same bio mom, and two older siblings each in a different family. Our youngest is 5. We met when he was 3 months. Our oldest is 8. We met when he was 3. He was removed at birth, then placed with his bio mom at 2 months, removed at 8 months, moved to a new foster family at 10 months, and placed with his legal father at 2.5. His bio mom took him illegally after a few months (with the legal father's consent). When he and his baby brother were removed and placed with us, he was sad and scared. We formally adopted our boys three years ago. He has grown into a beautiful, highly intelligent, and athletic boy. However, he has never accepted me as his mother. He refuses affection, pulls away, and looks at me with what I perceive as disgust. We are close with his bio family (siblings and mom), and he is regularly upset that he can't live with his bio mom. Sometimes he blames me. I try to explain, but he shuts me out. His siblings are not with their bio mom either. I keep trying to build a connection, but after 5 years, I am losing hope. It is very easy and natural with my youngest. When we are affectionate, I am afraid my older son will feel left out, but he pushes me away and often won't even let me be near him. When we have special time (just the 2 of us), I plan activities with him that he likes and is excited for, but he often complains and is unhappy during his time with me. He does not remember his life before we met very well, but will recollect things we did and say it was his bio mom. His professional evaluations report that he is well adjusted, but my husband and I have concerns. I know this may be normal, but I desperately want to connect with him. The constant rejection is painful. Any tips or advice are greatly appreciated. Resources: Why Foster Kids Create Fantasy FamiliesAttachment-Informed Tools for Working with Kids6 Tips for Creating Attachment8 Ways to Strengthen Attachment with Your ChildNavigating Challenging Behaviors: Practical Strategies for ParentsSupport the show Please leave us a rating or review. 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 who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: podcastsarticles/blog postsResource pages

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Join us to learn about family rituals—how to create and why they can help build strong families. Our guest will be Elizabeth Barbour, the author of a new book, Sacred Celebrations: Designing Rituals to Navigate Life’s Milestone Transitions. She’s also a reunited adoptee and an adoptive mom. In this episode, we discuss: Tips Support the show Please leave us a rating or review. 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 who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: podcastsarticles/blog postsResource pages

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: We have been matched with an expectant mom due in a couple of months. She is having twins. As we are preparing for the next steps, sleep training has come up frequently in newborn care books. What research is there on the cry-it-out method or other popular sleep training methods in relation to adopted children? We want to make sure they know their needs will be met and build a strong adoption bond, but we also want to eventually work towards them being able to sleep through the night. Resources: Did Denmark Actually Ban "Cry it Out?"The Attachment CycleSleep Issues with Adopted, Foster, or Relative ChildrenBalancing Attachment with Getting SleepSupport the show Please leave us a rating or review. 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 who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: podcastsarticles/blog postsResource pages

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Are you looking for practical ways to build your child's resilience and sense of safety, and to strengthen your family's connectedness? Listen to this conversation with Ginger Healy, MSW, LCSW, director of programs for the Attachment & Trauma Network and host of the podcast “Regulated and Relational.” Ginger speaks across the nation on trauma-informed schools, therapeutic parenting, and community engagement. In this episode, we discuss: Support the show Please leave us a rating or review. 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 who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: podcastsarticles/blog postsResource pages