How Can We Equip Foster & Kinship Youth for Adulthood?

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Helping young adults in foster or kinship care transition toward adulthood can feel overwhelming for foster parents and relative caregivers. Join us today for a conversation with Vernell Gore of Youth Villages and Nick Sgarlata of Bridge to Brighter, for practical ways to prepare and equip your foster or kin youth for adulthood.In this episode, we discuss:What makes this stage of life uniquely challenging for youth in foster or kinship care compared to their peers?What does a successful transition to adulthood actually look like?What are some common misconceptions that caregivers or professionals have about youth who are nearing adulthood?When you think about a young person leaving care and thriving in adulthood, what key elements need to be in place?Why might a young person leaving foster care or relative care at the same time they are leaving high school feel the weight of this uncertainty more than their peers? How and where can foster parents or kin carers help youth explore different career paths and possibilities?What are some practical ways they can research those options and make informed decisions?What types of programs or pathways will help youth develop skills, discipline, or career direction?What are the most important money skills young people need before they leave care?What are some simple ways to start teaching these skills while the youth are still at home?What are some everyday adult responsibilities that youth may struggle with? What are some of the benefits of mentors for a young person transitioning out of foster care? How can they begin finding mentors or supportive role models?Beyond practical skills, what character traits or skills do young people need to develop to succeed in adulthood?Many youth in foster care or living with a grandparent or relative are carrying trauma from earlier experiences. How important are healing and identity development in preparing them for adulthood?How might a foster parent or relative caregiver support their young person toward healing?What are a few common mistakes adults make when trying to prepare youth for adulthood?What practical steps can foster or kinship carers start today to prepare their youth for adulthood? Resources:Raising Kids with Neurodiversity (ADHD)Maintaining a Healthy Perspective When Parenting Tweens & TeensPrenatal Exposure, Part 2: Parenting Tweens and TeensSupport the showPlease 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:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.A Lifebook is the story of how your child came to be yours and the story of his life before he came to you. Adoption is only one aspect of your child, and at some point, his life merges into your life. However, he had a life before he came to your family, and his Lifebook tells this part of his story.Resources:Adoption Lifebooks (Suggested Books)Welcoming an Older Child to Your Home (Resource Page)Transitioning a Child to Your Home (Resource Page)Support the showPlease 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:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Raising kids impacted by adoption, foster care, or kinship care can do a number on your marriage or life partnership. Join us for a conversation with Jeremy & Jara Walden, authors of The Heart Work of Foster Care: A Hopeful and Honest Guide to Foster Parenting, about strategies to re-prioritize and strengthen your most significant relationship.In this episode, we discuss:How can raising kids together enhance a marriage or relationship? Why are kids in our community often harder to parent?Trauma, loss, neglectPrenatal substance exposureChallenging behaviors that come from those experiencesWhy and how might our kids’ needs test our adult relationships?What are some of the additional stressors our relationships may face when fostering or adopting kids who’ve been exposed to trauma?  What are some challenging behaviors kids who’ve experienced trauma can bring that might be particularly difficult for the marriage?What are some signs that we may be neglecting or at least not maintaining our significant relationship?How does your history impact your marriage, while raising kids with trauma impacts?Can you offer specific strategies for “going back,” healing, or re-prioritizing our marriages or partnerships if we are listening to this and realize we haven’t done so?How do single parents prioritize the adult relationships that they value?Support the showPlease 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:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Question: We have two children adopted through the foster care system as infants - an almost 10-year-old (AudHD) and a 4.5-year-old (neurotypical). They both come into our room every night in the middle of the night, and it really disturbs my sleep and my husband's sleep. It seems like we've tried everything to get them to stop. Recently, we told them we were going to start locking our door, but then they just come and knock and knock until one of us gets up. If we try to put them back in their own beds, they make us lie down with them until they fall asleep - then I can't get back to sleep after that. Not sure how to handle this situation.Resources:Sleep Issues with Adopted, Foster, or Relative ChildrenWhy Won't My Child Sleep?! (And What Can I Do?)Help! My Newly Placed Child is Regressing on SleepSupport the showPlease 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:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Would you like to learn how to build a culture of joy, connection, and healing in your home? Join us for a conversation with Bryan Post, an adoptee and therapist specializing in child behavior, adoption trauma, and love-based parenting. He's the founder of Fear to Love LLC, Bondify.ai, and Leaf Wraparound, and the author of several books, including From Fear to Love.In this episode, we discuss:Bryan's journey as an adoptee and how that shaped his work with families today.What do we need to know about trauma, its impacts on the kids, and how it shows up day to day?Why might we as parents be tempted to misinterpret those behaviors and expressions as defiance, manipulation, or disrespect? When a child is melting down, shutting down, or pushing adults away, what’s actually happening in their brain and nervous system?In a very real-life parenting moment — like a slammed door, eye rolls, a screaming match, a refusal to comply — what does the shift from fear-based reactions to love-based responses actually look like?Can you share two or three concrete strategies parents can start practicing immediately that reflect that mindset shift?Could you give us an example of words or scripts a parent might use in that moment? How can a parent calm themselves first when their child’s behavior is triggering them? What might a “culture of love and joy” actually look like inside a home — especially one that has experienced a lot of chaos?What are some of the small, daily practices that build trust over time?What does growth look like in a trauma-impacted home?One or two examples of how-to or where to capture JOY in the moments when we are feeling challenged about when or where healing may happen. Resources:Learn more about Bryan PostIntroduction to Attachment - Online Parent Education courseRaising Kids for a Lifelong Parent/Child Bond - PodcastSupport the showPlease 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:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Question: My husband and I finalized our adoption in December 2025, and we’re still waiting for our son’s birth certificate in the mail. Then we’ll need to take it to file for an SSN and wait for that to arrive. How can we file taxes, including our newborn baby, without a Social Security Number for him? (We didn’t know we could file for a temporary number with the IRS until it was too late - after his finalization hearing).Resources:The 2025 Adoption Tax Credit (podcast)The Annual Adoption Tax Credit Guide: 2025 EditionIRS.gov: Adoption taxpayer identification numberSupport the showPlease 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:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Do you worry about what is normal in your child’s sexual development? Join us to talk with Roy Van Tassell, a Licensed Professional Counselor in Oklahoma and Director of Trauma and Evidence-based Interventions for Centene Health. He co-chairs the National Child Traumatic Stress Networks’ subcommittee on children with problem sexual behaviors.Warning: We will be using anatomically correct words and talking about sex, so if this offends you or triggers you, you may want to skip this podcast.In this episode, we discuss:Typical Sexual Development / PlayWhat is typical sexual development in children as they age?What type of sexual play is considered “normal?”How should parents manage a child’s natural sexual development?Problematic Sexual BehaviorWhat are Problem Sexual Behaviors in Children?What causes kids and youth to act in socially unacceptable or destructive sexual ways? What factors influence the development of these behaviors?Child vulnerabilitiesBehavior problemsEmotional difficultiesDevelopmental delaysLow impulse controlFamily vulnerabilitiesPoor supervisionSingle caregiverModeling of coercionHarsh parenting practicesPhysical abuseDomestic violenceModeling of sexualitySexual abuseModeling/exposureNudity or poor family boundariesHow common are problematic sexual behaviors?Suggestions for professionals and parents and how to respond to behaviors.What should parents and caregivers do?Rules for younger kidsHow effective is therapy?How to find a therapist?What training have they had in this area?Child development expertise (including sexual development)ResourcesTaking Action booklets (two booklets) – for children with problematic sexual behaviors (age 12 and younger) and one for 13+Resources at the National Center on Sexual Behavior of Youth – really good resources for caregivers and parents.National Center for Exploited Children—for kids to understand safety—teaching them safety skills to protect their own bodyAmaze.org—videos for childrenNational Child Traumatic Stress NetworkA.J.’s Story— A Book About Not OK TouchesSupport the showPlease 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:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Question: As a single mom, how do I find good role models for my kids?Resources:Finding Male Role Models for Kids of Single MomsCreating a Support Network as a Single Adoptive Foster or Kinship Parent1 Yes, 4 S's: How a Post-Adoption Support Group Changed My LifeSupport the showPlease 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:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family building

Click here to send us a topic idea or question for Weekend Wisdom.Are you raising a child with known prenatal exposure to alcohol? Does your child have a diagnosis for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder? Listen to this conversation with Barb Clark, Founder and CEO of FASD Mosaic. She offers coaching, training, and consulting on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), trauma, neurodivergence, and challenging behaviors, and is the author of Raising Kids and Teens with FASD: Advice and Strategies to Help Your Family to Thrive!In this episode, we discuss:In your experience, what do caregivers most misunderstand about FASD at first?”How does prenatal alcohol exposure impact brain development?What is the difference between FAS and FASD?Do the timing, frequency, and amount of alcohol all matter in the outcomes experienced by the child? Are there other factors at play?Why is FASD still so often missed or misunderstood?Primary neurological impacts on a child who has FASDSecondary behaviors – which, when viewed through that brain-based lens, are adaptive responses that help them process and cope with their environmentWhat are a few practical strategies parents and caregivers can implement to help them reframe how they support their child with FASD?Tantrums or raging as an example of challenging behaviors – how it may look differently across these ages and developmental levelsWhat are a few of the typical strengths seen in individuals with FASD?Why do these strengths often emerge inconsistently?How our home environment and culture set a child with FASD up for successCan you offer practical suggestions for how parents or caregivers would implement a strengths-based approach to raising a child with FASD?Practical strategies that parents and caregivers can implement right away when raising their child with FASDHow do you recommend a parent or caregiver handle the process of repair and reconnection with a child with FASD? What should parents and caregivers consider in planning for the future?Prioritizing self-care and reframing it as interdependence and community care.Resources:Prenatal Substance Exposure Workshops for ParentsPrenatal Substance Exposure resource pageFASD MosaicSupport the showPlease 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:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family building

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 Care - Weekend WisdomHandling Social Media & Birth Family Contact with Your Adopted, Foster, or Kinship KidsSupport the showPlease 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:Weekly podcastsWeekly articles/blog postsResource pages on all aspects of family building