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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The Masterful Parenting Podcast - Heal Your Childhood and Parent Better Through Relational Parenting
Anne Alvares - Parent Coach for the Masterful Parenting Program
Do you struggle in your parenting because of childhood pain? Do you sometimes repeat old patterns from your childhood? You want to be a better parent, but you don’t know how. I understand, parents. I came from dysfunction, trauma, and abuse. I didn’t know what was healthy. Over the years, as a school counsellor, and mom of two, I learned what is healthy and how to be healthy with my own children. There’s a better way to parent where you feel good and so do your children. This way can replace ...
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Welcome Home, a show for parents anywhere, everywhere. A podcast series that aims to explore the heartful interaction between parents and their children, Home hopes to aid fathers and mothers as they navigate the realities of raising our future leaders. Home doesn't have all the answers, but gain insights from teachers, lectures and experts in the field of psychology that'll help you in your parenting journey. So what are waiting for, come back home. For more information, visit: https://lead ...
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Birthparents and Agency Lied About Drug Use - Weekend Wisdom
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9:52Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: My husband and I had a swift match and placement in December. When we were presented with the case, all that was reported for drug use was smoking 12 cigarettes a day. After about a month of trying to get medical records from the hospital for my pediatrician, I discovered …
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Are you raising a mixed-race child? Join our conversation with Nicole Doyley, a biracial woman raising biracial kids, and the author of What About the Children: 5 Values for Multiracial Families. Terminology: what is preferred-biracial, mixed race, multi-racial, mixed? Biracial incl…
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Episode 82 Guest Russ Solomon on Becoming Calm Parents #calm #parents #parenting #energy
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28:04Russ Solomon is a Parent Wellness Guide, board-certified music therapist, and lifelong spiritual practitioner who helps heart-centered parents of neurodivergent children transcend stress and overwhelm so they can show up in a strong and healthy space for their families. Through his unique approach, Russ teaches parents how to get in tune with thems…
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Question: For three months now, we’ve been fostering our 17-year-old son, with the intention of adopting. My question is regarding attachment. How can you tell if the child is setting up boundaries or testing you to see how hard you’ll pursue/run after them? Resources: Creating and …
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Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom. Are you a professional working with kinship caregivers? You need to listen to this interview with Dr. Tyreasa Washington, is a nationally and internationally recognized scholar specializing in kinship care families (e.g., grandparents raising grandchildren). She is a Distinguished S…
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Episode 81 Internal Messages That Affect Our Parenting SOHK
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20:30Internal Messages That Affect Our Parenting for School of Human Kind This is Episode 81 on the Masterful Parenting Podcast which will air TODAY. When we come from childhood pain, we internalize messages about our childhood experiences. These messages get carried into our adult lives until we get healing. As parents, we also tell ourselves stories a…
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Dealing with a Long Wait When Adopting - Weekend Wisdom
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9:43Click 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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Evaluating Risk Factors in Foster Care Adoption
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51:50Click 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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Episode 80 Guest Cynthia Hammer on Helping Girls with ADHD #ADHD #GIRLS
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26:52Cynthia Hammer, MSW, founded the Inattentive ADHD Coalition (www.iadhd.org) in 2021 and FINDtheADHDgirls (www.FINDtheADHDgirl.org) in 2024. Cynthia was diagnosed with the inattentive type of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD ) in 1992 when she was 49 years old and helping others learn about their ADHD has been her mission in life ever …
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What the Heck is Happening with the Adoption Tax Credit? - Weekend Wisdom
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4:13Click 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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What's It Like When Your Parents Decide to Foster
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54:00Click 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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Episode 79 Guest Jen Banks on Rediscovering Yourself in Motherhood
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20:37Jennifer Banks is a bestselling author, educator, and community leader dedicated to empowering women to rediscover themselves while balancing motherhood. Through her book Let Yourself Bloom and her podcast, Jennifer inspires women to embrace growth and reclaim their dreams. With degrees in Early Childhood and Elementary Education and years of teach…
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De-escalation in the Heat of the Moment - Weekend Wisdom
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12:15Click 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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Episode 78 Guest Jen Dryer on Raising Neurodivergent Teens
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38:14Jen Dryer, MA, is a parenting coach and educational consultant who supports families and teachers of neurodivergent children and teens. Jen has more than 25 years of experience working with children, families, and teachers in both NYC and DC as a public school teacher, school staff developer, and parent coach. Her younger son is autistic and has AD…
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Will I Get to Choose the Name of My Adopted Baby? - Weekend Wisdom
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5:14Click 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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Raising Kids for a Lifelong Parent/Child Bond
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57:36Click 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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Episode 77 Guest Dale L'Ecuyer on The Gut and Brain Connection
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29:31Dale is a devoted mom of five and a proud grandmother of four, with a deep passion for helping families thrive. As a Certified Mental Wellness Coach with Amare Global: The Mental Wellness Company, she draws from over 16 years of experience in health and wellness to pursue her mission of empowering and supporting families. Inspired by the life-chang…
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Who Should We Tell About a Match With an Expectant Mom? - Weekend Wisdom
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7:25Click 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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Do you know your teenager's friends? This is very important, parents, to know our teen's friends. Knowing their friends helps us to keep them safe. Listen for some valuable tips on how to approach this important topic with your teen. **************************************************************************************** Want to learn how to be a b…
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Is It Harder for Singles to Adopt? - Weekend Wisdom
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4:32Click 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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Impact of Prenatal Exposure to Opioids and Opioid-Use Treatment Medications
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46:32Click 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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Episode 75 Raising Confident & Healthy Men
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19:08Boy moms, this episode is for you. As a boy mom of two, I am keenly aware of the importance of my role in raising confident, healthy men. Actually, my boys have been a big part of my healing journey. Having grown up with an abusive father, I needed to heal that pain so I could learn how to be healthy with my boys. As well, having hundreds of conver…
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Both My Parents Were Transracially Adopted - Weekend Wisdom
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5:57Click 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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Episode 74 Punishment Damages Our Kids, Do This Instead
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30:44Do you still use punishment to get your teenager to comply? Do you take things away, ground them, or demand they change or else? Let me give you some insights as to what punishment actually does to our kids. With the thousands of conversations I have had with teens over the last 16 years, I know what punishment and unhealthy behaviour does. It dama…
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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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Partnering With Relatives for Kinship Care
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52:55Click 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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Episode 73 Guest Ivan Hardcastle on Developing Sensory Awareness
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32:15Ivan Hardcastle. Occupational Therapist and Parent Coach. I began my professional life as an occupational therapist in Twin Falls helping children with special needs to thrive. As a therapist, I have helped children who struggle with emotional regulation, autism, sensory integration and processing dysfunction, dyslexia, toileting accidents, and a w…
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What Do I Call My Child's Birth Mother? - Weekend Wisdom
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6:34Click 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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When Birth Parents Struggle with Addiction, Mental Health, or Intellectual Disabilities
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51:35Click 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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Episode 72 The 5 Love Languages to Give Our Kids SOHK Webinar
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14:19What are love languages? Why should we give them to our children? Based on the book The 5 Love Languages of Children by Dr. Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell, I cover what these are and how we give them to our kids. This is the webinar I presented for the School of Human Kind last Thursday. Missed it? You can listen to the Masterful Parenting Podcast …
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When Do I Tell My Child They Have Birth Siblings? - Weekend Wisdom
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5:23Click 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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Episode 71 Raise Capable, Connected, and Confident Teens IWD Summit
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13:01What if you had the tools to raise capable, connected, and confident kids? Perhaps this is your wish but you are not sure how to achieve this. As the mother of two boys, ages 25 and 14, and with over 16 years of counselling teens, I know what works with our teenagers and how to build their confidence, connectedness, and abilities. Let me show you h…
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My Child Tells Others We Aren't Meeting Her Basic Needs - Weekend Wisdom
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7:33Click 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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Help, I Don't Think I Can Continue With This Adoption!
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44:32Click 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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Episode 70 Guest Katarina Hanssens Carlsson on Fostering Brilliance in Our Kids
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31:32Introducing Katarina Hanssens Carlsson Purpose- Driven Founder of Global Leadership Schools and Teacher’s Hero, guiding parents and teachers in the Art of Fostering Children's Unique Brilliance. https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-carlsson/ https://www.yourbrilliance.biz/ ***************************************************************************…
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Coping with Stillbirth After Adoption Match - Weekend Wisdom
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7:00Click 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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Evaluating Risk Factors in Domestic Adoption
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1:04:46Click 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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Episode 69 Guest Christopher Murray on Single Fatherhood
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35:05My name is Chris Murray, and I'm a single Father coach teaching the IMPORTANCE of "inner-child" bonding, AWARENESS behind excessive screen-time, and emotional immersion unto your child/children's psychological, physical and Spiritual attends. From being in a FORCED situation due to my Son losing his Mummy to Covid-19, and parenting across generatio…
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How to Connect with Birth Mom with Mental Illness? - Weekend Wisdom
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11:12Click 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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Courage & Resilience: A Foster Child's Story of Success
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52:50Click 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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Episode 68 Boundaries Are Healthy Webinar for SOHK
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36:02This is the webinar I did for the School of Human Kind. Parents, boundaries are healthy and we need to teach our kids about boundaries. Here, I outline what kinds of boundaries there are, why we need boundaries, and how we teach boundaries to our children. Please leave a comment if this webinar was insightful and helpful. **************************…
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Can a Non-Native Family Adopt an Indian Child? - Weekend Wisdom
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5:19Click 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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Legal Process of Domestic Adoption: What You Need to Know Before You Adopt
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54:08Click 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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Episode 67 Mothers and Sons: Jesse Sweed Interviews Me
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28:40The tables are turned in Episode 67 of the Masterful Parenting Podcast. Jesse Sweed. is interviewing me. The topic: Mothers and Sons Get some insights on the dynamics of the mother and sons' relationship and learn from my mother and sons' story. Mothers have a big responsibility in the raising of their men. Thank you, Jesse Sweed! #masterfulparenti…
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Should We Move to Another Country and Leave Our Extended Family? - Weekend Wisdom
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6:29Click 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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