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Adoption Support

A warm and loving moment between foster parents and a child, symbolizing the wisdom and understanding required for fostering and adoption.

How to Gain Wisdom and Understanding as Foster and Adoptive Parents

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 Tweet As our family grew, we often found ourselves in uncharted waters, facing behaviors and situations we had never anticipated. As parents, we have …

It Takes a Village to Succeed at Foster and Adoptive Parenting

It Takes a Village to Succeed at Foster and Adoptive Parenting

As a mom to many, I often hear the phrase, “I just don’t know how you do it all!” My immediate response to those comments typically falls along the lines of, “Oh, believe me, I don’t. It takes teamwork as a family, and it takes a village!”  For my husband and I, teamwork is essential. …

Cover Seeing Your Son or Daughter As A Precious Child

Seeing Your Son or Daughter as a Precious Child

When we think of a precious child, we should first start with a definition of the word. Precious translates from a Hebrew word that can mean dear, expensive, costly, heavy, or grievous. We were all created in the image of God, which on its own makes us precious. The reality is that sometimes children with …

3 Key Ways How to Support Adoptive and Foster Kids

3 Key Ways How to Support Adoptive and Foster Kids

When I think of how to support adoptive and foster kids, I remember working with a 9-year-old boy named Nathan in counseling. Nathan was in foster care. He had bounced around a few different foster care homes over the years but had been in a mostly stable and supportive situation for the past year. His …

A faded image of a mother hugging two racially diverse children while they are both smiling. There is a white caption with thin white lines above and below it that say: " Adoption Myths"

Adoption Myths

Adoption is often misunderstood thus there are myths surrounding it. While these myths can be understandable, they are, in fact, untrue.

"Same Here": Emotional Support for Adoptive and Foster Families

“Same Here”: Emotional Support for Adoptive and Foster Families

I am a firm believer that one of the most challenging things in life is to feel alone in your pain. This has certainly been true in my own life. There were times I desperately wanted to hear someone say, “Same here.” I needed that level of emotional support. About 15 years ago, I got …

An Image titling the name of the article in purple and white fonts. Adopting a Baby what you should know.

Adopting a Baby: What You Need to Know

The process of how to adopt a baby can be overwhelming. There are decisions to make prayerfully, organizations to vet, and many perspectives to consider. It’s approaching a new chapter much like starting a marriage– with hearts wide open, support, and education to make a strong foundation for your family’s future. I am a birth …

And adoptive parent holding the hands of a child who has been adopted with a heart.

What is it Like Adopting From Foster Care?

I stared at an email from our social worker stating that my husband, Gerritt, and I would not be approved as foster parents in the province of Nova Scotia. Our case would instead be deferred until we sought professional counseling. That was in 2013. Later we learned that we required further scrutiny, but it wasn’t …

A family smiling with text that says "From Empty Nest To Foster Parent"

From Empty Nesters To Foster Parents

Setting up for an evening training, I looked forward to sharing the impact of foster care and adoption on the biological children in the family. As the participants entered the classroom, I was stunned at who they were. Yet, the group looked like a room full of empty nesters. Overall, I was expecting young couples …

A mother and daughter share a hug. Both smile for a picture.

Inside a Foster Home the Real Story

Inside a Foster Home: The Real Story Several years ago, I was given this blessing, “May you be covered by the dust of Jesus.” The quizzical look on my face prompted the pastor to explain his blessing to me.It was a contemporary version of an ancient Hebrew phrase, “In the Dust of the Rabbi.” The …

My baby survived abortion in my failed abortion.

The Story of My Failed Abortion

Can an abortion fail? Yes, it can. Learn more from a true life story.

What is the disability rights movement?

Disability Rights Movement

Disability rights movement is a civil rights movement advocating for those with disabilities to have equal rights.

A biracial family runs towards the camera. The words "Transracial Adoption" are on top.

Transracial Adoption

While attending a pro-life conference earlier this year, I listened to a lecture on adopting children from a different race. The two presenters were talking about a term they called “transracial adoption.” To my surprise, much of the presentation consisted of the two white women explaining, to a predominantly white audience, why it was concerning …

Navigating Grief in Foster to Adopt Families

Navigating Grief in Foster to Adopt Families

“I knew I would be sad; I didn’t expect to be this angry and resentful towards my child,” a parent recounts as they try navigating grief in their foster to adopt family. It’s common for me to sit with parents who are tearful and angry during and after their foster-to-adopt journey. As a foster parent, …

Transitioning from Foster to Adoption Parenting

Transitioning From Foster to Adoption Parenting

It’s so exciting! “Gotcha Day” is finally here. We are finally a family that is undisrupted by caseworkers and court dates. For most adoptive parents, this is a day they have looked forward to for a long time. It can be a celebration for family and friends who have known about the adoption journey. Some …

TBRI Hero Image

TBRI Through the Lens of a Dad

Trust-Based Relational Intervention®, more commonly known as TBRI®, is a model developed to address the challenges inherent in caring for children impacted by trauma, often including those impacted by adoption and/or foster care. The creators of TBRI, Drs. Karyn Purvis and David Cross, aptly share that trauma impacts the “5 B’s: Brain, Body, Biology, Beliefs, …

Understanding Social Workers

Understanding Social Workers

Social workers are often misunderstood. Some people would say they take children; some might describe their role as do-gooders. As a licensed clinical social worker for over thirty years, I am delighted to be part of the social work profession and want others to understand social workers and what we do. Let me tell you …

Finding Attachment Issues

Finding Attachment Issues

I’ve heard that children placed for adoption can have attachment issues, even Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD). I know what that is, but what questions do we need to ask the case worker to find out whether the child we’re considering adopting has an attachment disorder or not? Let me say right off, be encouraged because …

4 Ways To Succeed at Foster Care and Adoption

Wherever we are in the adoption triad, we can experience fulfilling lives and success at foster care and adoption through God’s abundance.

12 ways the church can prevent child neglect

12 Ways The Church Can Prevent Child Neglect

Why would followers of Jesus wait until a child is harmed before we offer to help? The church can offer parents options long before the struggle becomes too much to bear.