Send us a Text Message.
What an episode we have for you today! If you are like my guests, Kristin and Mike Berry, from Honestly Adoption (formerly Confessions of an Adoptive Parent) and desire to do good and be good parents, and feel like no matter what, you are “doing it wrong” then you will want to tune in as we deep dive into their experience parenting eight adopted children. We also look at trauma and FASD.
Mike and Kristin are authors, bloggers, speakers, parent coaches, adoptive parents, and former foster parents. They are passionate about reaching adoptive and foster parents around the globe with a message of hope and transformation. They are the creators of both an award-winning blog and podcast (links below). Between them, they have written nine books. They have been married for 21 years and have eight children, all of whom are adopted. They live on a farm in Indiana (USA).
“We are parenting very different kids from who were growing up and so that led us to question how effective we were and caused us to dig deeper. How that trauma has now impacted the way that they behave.”
The Berrys discuss how they internalized their early struggles, including how they “stumbled” into an FASD diagnosis and dealing with doctors who felt they were “bad parents”. They share how they removed shame and disappointment after experiencing an aha moment at a conference. As well:
And if you are a regular follower of this podcast, you will know I always ask about self-care – but I also asked Mike and Kristin how they have stayed married for 21 years because we know a lot of relationships break up when parenting children with FASD or other high needs.
“Have I ever played something out in my mind that was going to be my role as a mom or I thought XYZ? Whatever your expectation is, is there some disappointment that plays into parenting? Yes. And when you are parenting children who have experienced trauma, particularly the trauma of drug and alcohol exposure, it has actually changed the way our child’s brain works.”
There are so many quotable moments and I just know you are going to get immersed in their experiences and knowledge. Let me know what your most profound or aha moment was. Because I’m going to bet you will have at least one.
Show Notes:
Website, Blog, Podcast: www.honestlyadoption.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/honestlyadoption
Instagram: www.instagram.com/honestlyadoption
Youtube: www.youtube.com/honestlyadoption
Email: info@confessionsmail.com
Support the Show.
#097 Olga and Serhii: An FASD Family on the Front Lines in Ukraine
#096 Alex Duthie: Humor Through Hard FASD Times
#095 (DiG)ging into FASD & Genetics
#094 Pascal Gagné: FASD and Sexuality
#093 HOW PREVELANT IS FASD IN THE U.K.?
#092 Dan Dubovsky: Best Tips for Advocacy, Self Care and Arguing
#091 Danna Ormstrup: Helping Schools Understand Your Kids And FASD
#090 Dr. Peter Choate: Trauma, FASD and Prevention
#089 Laurie Whyte: The Value of Vulnerability
#088 Jennifer Wisdahl: Leading the Way in the U.S.A
#087 Ngaire Meadows: No Physical Aggression in a Year!
#086 Kelly Rosenbender: From Struggling Single Mom to Informed and Confident Advocate
#085 Chandra and Jordan Smith: The Power of Same Page Parenting
#084 Angelene Bruce: Throwing FASD Stigma out the Window
#083 Angela Geddes: FASD: A Complicated & Beautiful Brain
#082 Jo Garofalo: FASD The Hidden Disability.
#081 Natalie and Cindy: How to Homeschool
#080 Dr Raja Mukherjee: What Happens When We Never Give up on FASD
#079 Audrey McFarlane: FASD Month, Advocacy and Strategies
#078 Emmaus Holder: An Epic FASD Journey Across America
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Teachers Talk Radio
LifeBlood
Navigating Life After 40
The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast
The Mel Robbins Podcast