ADOPTION STRUGGLES AND SUPPORT | Adoption Trauma, Safety, Peace of Mind, Biblical Encouragement, Respite, Journaling

Fostering is not about our own desires, but about serving children in need. How can foster parents manage their expectations and trust in God’s plan when it comes to fostering with the hope of adopting?  Hi Neighbor, In this episode, Trish Zenczak returns to the show to share her wisdom, experiences, and insights about navigating the foster system and adopting through it.  Whether you’re intereste...

How can adoptive parents respond in a positive way to the trauma responses from their children?  Hi Neighbor, In this episode, David Dodd returns to the show to discuss ways adoptive parents can navigate some of the challenges parenting their children can present, especially when they are responding to their trauma in negative ways. Sometimes their responses are directed at you and that can hurt....

We’ve got to learn to depend on each other. Find those anchors of encouragement that you can turn to when your day is crumbling and you begin to question, is it really me? Or is what they’re saying really true? And how do I do it? We can turn to each other and gain encouragement there.  Hi Neighbor, When your day is crumbling, how can adoptive parents effectively navigate trauma-related responses...

It was important to me as a foster mom for my kids, if at all possible, and if it wasn’t dangerous to them to sacrifice my wants, needs, and desires to be able to let them know their story. Hi Neighbor, Today it is my privilege to share with you the story of my friend and neighbor, Trish Zinczak. Trish is a foster child, foster mom, and adoptive mom.  Trish has the unique perspective to talk about...

There have been times when I have said to my husband, I kind of feel like today somebody rubbed sandpaper on my soul. There’s just pain and I don’t always know how to deal with it… This just stands out to me as a way to put balm on that raw soul. Hi Neighbor, Today, I want to share with you a conversation I recently had with my friend Katie Keane. This conversation will be a little bit different t...

“I try to give them space, especially on a day that they are having a really bad day, that they can’t function in the classroom. Perhaps they’ve thrown a book across the classroom and a teacher calls me to come in. And I need to get that child away from that situation as quickly and as calmly as I possibly can.”  Hi Neighbor, Joining me is my neighbor from Indiana, Sherry Green. Sherry is an educa...

At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter why, because it doesn’t change the fact that it hurt. I think we do get invested in why people do what they do and why people turn on us… as if we could answer that question. But there’s not an answer to that question or an explanation that’s going to make it hurt less. Hi Neighbor, Joining me again is my neighbor from Alabama, Jane Baker. Jane was o...

Most people attack things like anxiety or any sort of grief or an adoption process or anything that we’ve all been through. They try to go to the skills first. And that’s what I talk about in Bad Apples, I flip it around.  No, we have to work on our anchoring first and get our mindset right before we even think about implementing a skill and hence an anchor. So that’s the importance of it. Hi Neig...

“I could not picture myself being exposed to trauma again. I just couldn’t. And you're talking to somebody who was very adept at managing exposure to trauma as an emergency nurse, as a flight nurse, and as a psychologist in prisons… So I’m pretty good and adept at it. But boy, it emptied my cup!” Hi Neighbor, Returning as a guest on this episode of Anchors of Encouragement is my neighbor from Hawa...

Hi Neighbor, Welcome to Day Four of our birthday celebration for Anchors of Encouragement. This bonus series began in Episode 80 . In that episode, I shared with you ten of the more popular episodes from the first year of this podcast.  In Episode 81 , we talked about the mantra for this podcast… Biblical Mindset Support for Adoptive Parents.  In Episode 82 , we talked about how you can support yo...

You can think a feeling. You can speak a feeling. But if you want to touch a feeling, you need to write. Hi Neighbor, Welcome to Day Three of our birthday celebration for Anchors of Encouragement. In Episode 80 , I shared with you ten of the more popular episodes from the first year of this podcast.  In Episode 81 , we talked about the mantra for this podcast… Biblical Mindset Support for Adoptive...

The adoption journey is very rewarding, but at times, it can be very challenging, especially when you factor in adoption trauma. Hi Neighbor, Welcome to Day Two of our birthday celebration for Anchors of Encouragement. In the previous episode, Episode 80 , I shared with you ten of the more popular episodes from the first year of this podcast.  In this episode, I would like to look back to the very...

This is the one-year anniversary of this podcast. And because of that, I wanted to do something special for you, Something special for the next few days as we celebrate this one-year anniversary. Hi Neighbor, I want to take a moment to thank those of you who have been here from Day One. There are several of you who encouraged me to do this podcast. You’ve listened to these episodes. You’ve shared...

The reason this is important for us as adopted and foster families is this is so prevalent in our homes. And we don’t talk about it. We don’t know about it.  One in twenty children has some form of FASD. That’s a lot of kids. It’s two and a half times more than autism. And we DON’T talk about it! Hi Neighbor, Joining me on this episode of Anchors of Encouragement, is my neighbor from Dallas, Texas...

In those moments when you’re overwhelmed and you can feel the stress rising, oftentimes that can lead to the temptation to yell or to parent inappropriately. As an adoptive or special-needs parent, what do you do? Hi Neighbor, Joining me on this episode of Anchors of Encouragement is my neighbor from Washington D.C. Katie Keene. Katie is the wife of a military officer (ret.), and mama of 5 treasur...

There has been something on my mind for quite a while, and I realized the only way I’m going to get the answers that I need is to ask you. Hi Neighbor, In this episode of Anchors of Encouragement, I talk about the ONE episode that has outpaced all the others. It’s Episode 17, Struggling Adoptive Parents? 3 Ways to Restore the Sparkle in Their Eyes. This episode has been the top downloaded episode...

Biblically, we were not created to do life alone. We were not created to do it in silos, and unfortunately, so many families feel like they’re alone. They’re in a silo, and they don’t want to admit that things are hard and that things are messy. But the first thing and the first road to finding some relief and healing is to say, things are messy and hard and I need help. Hi Neighbor, Joining me on...

One of the biggest dreams my wife and a lot of women want to realize is to fulfill the desire that God put in their hearts to be a mother. When that doesn’t happen and infertility becomes a challenge in your marriage, husbands, please don’t do what I did. Hi Neighbor, In this episode of Anchors of Encouragement, I want to share a personal story. It’s a story I’m not proud of, but I think it’s a st...

Something wasn't right. I had all these mixed emotions and feelings running through my head. Things were going okay, but I found myself feeling gloomy, restless, and even anxious. It was so confusing.  On top of that, I felt edgy. I knew something was off but I couldn’t put my finger on it, then it dawned on me. Oh, that’s what it is. Hi Neighbor, Have you ever felt gloomy, restless, or maybe even...

Dear Birth Mother, our relationship began with a letter nine years ago… So as we continue to realize our dream of a family, I find myself again writing to someone I don't know to try and convey our thoughts and dreams. Hi Neighbor, As I look back on my life, some of the most significant things that have happened to me began with a handwritten letter.  In this episode of Anchors of Encouragement, I...

What do you do for respite? Sometimes for me, respite means I’m walking in the rain. Hi Neighbor, In this unplugged episode of Anchors of Encouragement, I want to encourage you to identify times in your life when you need to take a moment for respite. Whatever respite looks like for you and whenever you need respite, make sure you make the time to do that for yourself.  If you’re feeling overwhelm...

What do you do when life is coming at you from all different directions? Life is tough. Storms in life are inevitable. What do you do when those storms are bearing down on you? May I suggest you sit with the text? Hi Neighbor, Welcome to an unplugged episode of Anchors of Encouragement. The fact that we are living on this planet means that we can’t escape storms. They’re a fact of life. But how do...

He was called son. He was called grandson. He was called nephew. He was called cousin, and he was called brother. But he was never called husband. He was never called daddy, and he was never called grandpa because he never came home. I hope when I’m finished telling you his story, you might consider calling him hero. Hi Neighbor, This episode was recorded as we prepare to celebrate Memorial Day in...

When we recognize something in our environment that is not only harming us but causing anxiety, stress, and overwhelm in our lives, we want to remove it. Whatever it is. What about when that same thing is affecting our children in a negative way? We will do whatever it takes. Period! Hi Neighbor, I’m pleased to bring you my friend and podcasting sister, Emily McDermott. Emily hosts the top 1.5% gl...

Say it to Mom While You Can. Discover the words inside you to share with the woman who holds your heart forever. Hi Neighbor, Welcome to a special episode of Anchors of Encouragement. Today you’re going to hear a coaching session I recently had with my neighbor Kim. Kim is a lifelong friend and the closest neighbor I’ve ever had on the show. In this coaching session, I asked Kim a series of questi...