Can you do a video on what it was like bringing older kids into the home when you had a younger? Like how did your younger child adjust to suddenly having older siblings?
I'm in my late 30s, and I can picture my 24 yr-old self getting defensive toward your advice for married couples, but I absolutely agree with you. My first year of marriage was eye-opening. You think you know a person, but then you're married and you discover there is so much more to learn about your partner and yourself. The first 2 years is a big adjustment period. And it can't be said enough that healthy communication is the backbone of a functional marriage and family system. I would encourage all couples to learn about functional communication.
I’m so glad you talked about having a solid support system and personal health. When my husband and I had an adoptive placement and were fostering them during that 1st 8months we thought we had a good support system. But… we were shocked that our family and friends’ true ideals and prejudices came out when we needed the support the most. So much is revealed when you bring more kids into your home- your family, marriage, dynamics with bio kids and etc.. Thank you Katie. I wish I had your channel to go to when we had our previous placement! You’re amazing! I’m glad I found you last year. Keep the videos coming! 💓
The support system part was really interesting to me - i guess I hadn't really thought about how adoption would affect the need for outside help. Thanks! 😊
I've been watching your channel for months now and today I learned that you lived in the DR! I lived in Santiago from 2006-2014. I knew I liked you! :) Thank you for your videos!
I've noticed that a lot of adoption resources talk about church a lot. It seems like a lot of foster care parents are also very religious. I'm a little nervous me and my fiance will be discriminated against when we try to adopt a waiting child because we don't go to church.
No, you have no need to worry! They are legally not allowed to discriminate based on religious beliefs. I think the reason you see a lot of Christians adopt and foster is because we believe God calls us to care for vulnerable people, and adoption is one of many ways to do that. Thanks for watching and best of luck with your adoption journey! 🥰
I would add this -- in every setting where people are helping those who are vulnerable, there are religious and secular people working side-by-side. Why so many religious people -- many people who are called to human/social/service work are attracted to faith and spirituality, and I think that faith provides a strong foundation for anything we choose to do. And there is a practical benefit: a church community is likely to support your decision to foster and adopt, and will help to provide a wide network of support people. But I definitely agree with Katie that there is no expectation that foster or adoptive parents should be churchgoers; and in fact being too vocal about religion can be a concern. (I see these comments are from a while ago; but it is a good topic to consider!)
Found your channel and have been binge watching your videos. Love your content! My husband and I are in the process of adopting waiting children, hopefully a sibling group of teens. We’ve been married for 6 years and love to travel in the summer, since we are both teachers. Could you make a video about vacationing, with kids in mind, on a budget?
I recently found your channel and I've been bingeing on your awesome advice! We're just beginning to research and learn more about the process of adopting a waiting child or more from foster care. We have a bio daughter who is about 18 months. I'm not worried about disrupting birth order but I'd love to know more about how you welcomed 2 older kids into your home and what that looked like.
I am an adoptive and foster mom and am so excited to come across your channel! I can already tell I'm going to go and watch all.the.videos. Thanks for sharing these questions, they are great for people who are thinking about fostering and adopting!
I’m wondering if you could do a video for me about adopting an older child like a teenager? What would that be like as far as just the different needs from a baby or toddler.
I don’t know if I’d be the right person to make that video because I’ve never adopted a teen! But my oldest daughter was about 10 with the attitude of a teen when she moved in…does that count? 😂😅
@@adoptinformed yes! Ha ha alright I hear ya. I’ve got two kids of my own rite now and as they get older I have always imagined bringing a teenager into the house before they shed out and we’re lost into the world. I figure if I’ll be teaching mine how to work and budget and where to find help I may as well teach another.
We are Christians (my husband is actually a pastor!), so I might not be the one to make a video for that perspective…however, anyone is able to adopt from foster care and there is no prejudice against people of any (or no) religion 😊 I can tell you that we explain to our kids that following Christ is 100% their choice. Because they are young, we go to church as a family and we practice our faith, but we believe it is their personal choice. I think emphasizing that they have a choice is really key!
@@adoptinformed I think I’m coming from this perspective because sometimes I see listing descriptions that specifically say the children like church activities, want to continue church activities, etc. So then, even though we are early in the research phase, and know we won’t have kids in any way for a while, know when we eventually search, if we search in this manner, we will have to rule out those children as incompatible since we are a Jewish household. Also, if there aren’t those tells in the listing, how can we tell a child will be ok living in a Jewish home, since it isn’t the mainstream religion in this country?
@@djk5v You could be a very special niche for Jewish kids. I'm in Australia and when my sister was working as a foster care social worker she commented how much the legislation encouraged kids to go to a culture as close to their home culture as possible (especially Indigenous kids given the history of removing them from their families similar to North America) but they often had a difficult time finding foster parents outside a very narrow demographic of white middle class couples.
I know quite a few kids films that feature adoption, losing a parent, etc I was wondering if you have experience of this and found it was helpful for your kids to watch or if it's actually too triggering? Thank you!! ^_^
That’s a great question! I think it depends on the kid, but my kids do seem affected by things such as that. Even with our dog they ask “does Sookie have a mom and dad or siblings? Doesn’t she miss them so much?” And they feel so sad for her ❤️ I think if the kid is older watching movies with adoption themes could be good opportunities to talk about adoption or can show them characters with stories they relate to.
Want more adoption help? Schedule a consultation with me! ✨ www.adoptinformed.com/consultation
Can you do a video on what it was like bringing older kids into the home when you had a younger? Like how did your younger child adjust to suddenly having older siblings?
Oh yes…that was definitely an adjustment! I will add it to my list :)
Yes! I would love to see this video too.
I'm in my late 30s, and I can picture my 24 yr-old self getting defensive toward your advice for married couples, but I absolutely agree with you. My first year of marriage was eye-opening. You think you know a person, but then you're married and you discover there is so much more to learn about your partner and yourself. The first 2 years is a big adjustment period. And it can't be said enough that healthy communication is the backbone of a functional marriage and family system. I would encourage all couples to learn about functional communication.
So true!! I’m glad we waited to adopt until we were more settled ☺️
I’m so glad you talked about having a solid support system and personal health. When my husband and I had an adoptive placement and were fostering them during that 1st 8months we thought we had a good support system. But… we were shocked that our family and friends’ true ideals and prejudices came out when we needed the support the most. So much is revealed when you bring more kids into your home- your family, marriage, dynamics with bio kids and etc.. Thank you Katie. I wish I had your channel to go to when we had our previous placement! You’re amazing! I’m glad I found you last year. Keep the videos coming! 💓
Thank you so much for your sweet words, Duana! It’s so true…bringing kids into your lives can really show you a lot!
The support system part was really interesting to me - i guess I hadn't really thought about how adoption would affect the need for outside help. Thanks! 😊
I've been watching your channel for months now and today I learned that you lived in the DR! I lived in Santiago from 2006-2014. I knew I liked you! :) Thank you for your videos!
Oh how cool! We were there from 2013-2016! We lived in Jarabacoa, so we always flew in and out of Santiago!
I've noticed that a lot of adoption resources talk about church a lot. It seems like a lot of foster care parents are also very religious. I'm a little nervous me and my fiance will be discriminated against when we try to adopt a waiting child because we don't go to church.
No, you have no need to worry! They are legally not allowed to discriminate based on religious beliefs. I think the reason you see a lot of Christians adopt and foster is because we believe God calls us to care for vulnerable people, and adoption is one of many ways to do that. Thanks for watching and best of luck with your adoption journey! 🥰
I would add this -- in every setting where people are helping those who are vulnerable, there are religious and secular people working side-by-side. Why so many religious people -- many people who are called to human/social/service work are attracted to faith and spirituality, and I think that faith provides a strong foundation for anything we choose to do. And there is a practical benefit: a church community is likely to support your decision to foster and adopt, and will help to provide a wide network of support people. But I definitely agree with Katie that there is no expectation that foster or adoptive parents should be churchgoers; and in fact being too vocal about religion can be a concern. (I see these comments are from a while ago; but it is a good topic to consider!)
Found your channel and have been binge watching your videos. Love your content! My husband and I are in the process of adopting waiting children, hopefully a sibling group of teens. We’ve been married for 6 years and love to travel in the summer, since we are both teachers. Could you make a video about vacationing, with kids in mind, on a budget?
I love that idea! Travel planning on a budget is basically a hobby of mine 🤩
Thank you so much for these videos!!!
I recently found your channel and I've been bingeing on your awesome advice! We're just beginning to research and learn more about the process of adopting a waiting child or more from foster care. We have a bio daughter who is about 18 months. I'm not worried about disrupting birth order but I'd love to know more about how you welcomed 2 older kids into your home and what that looked like.
I’m so glad it’s been helpful! I have a series of adoption updates that would give you a better picture of what it has been like 😊
Thank you. I really appreciate your insights 😊
I am an adoptive and foster mom and am so excited to come across your channel! I can already tell I'm going to go and watch all.the.videos. Thanks for sharing these questions, they are great for people who are thinking about fostering and adopting!
So glad you’re here! 😊
Thank you!! This is all very very good advice. 👍👍
This was very helpful, informative and honest! Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom and experience 💚
This was so helpful, informative and honest! Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom 💛
I’m wondering if you could do a video for me about adopting an older child like a teenager? What would that be like as far as just the different needs from a baby or toddler.
I don’t know if I’d be the right person to make that video because I’ve never adopted a teen! But my oldest daughter was about 10 with the attitude of a teen when she moved in…does that count? 😂😅
@@adoptinformed yes! Ha ha alright I hear ya. I’ve got two kids of my own rite now and as they get older I have always imagined bringing a teenager into the house before they shed out and we’re lost into the world. I figure if I’ll be teaching mine how to work and budget and where to find help I may as well teach another.
Hi Katie, I wanted to know the name of the adoption agency you used.
@@AnaDePaz-i3l we used Action Adoptions in Ohio. They only work with families in Ohio, just FYI!
Can you discuss religion and adoption? Particularly if you are looking to adopt from foster care and are not a Christian family? Thanks!
We are Christians (my husband is actually a pastor!), so I might not be the one to make a video for that perspective…however, anyone is able to adopt from foster care and there is no prejudice against people of any (or no) religion 😊 I can tell you that we explain to our kids that following Christ is 100% their choice. Because they are young, we go to church as a family and we practice our faith, but we believe it is their personal choice. I think emphasizing that they have a choice is really key!
@@adoptinformed I think I’m coming from this perspective because sometimes I see listing descriptions that specifically say the children like church activities, want to continue church activities, etc. So then, even though we are early in the research phase, and know we won’t have kids in any way for a while, know when we eventually search, if we search in this manner, we will have to rule out those children as incompatible since we are a Jewish household. Also, if there aren’t those tells in the listing, how can we tell a child will be ok living in a Jewish home, since it isn’t the mainstream religion in this country?
@@djk5v I see what you mean! I would have to research more about that but I will definitely put it on my list!
@@djk5v Did things work out? Were you able to find a kid that is compatible?
@@djk5v You could be a very special niche for Jewish kids. I'm in Australia and when my sister was working as a foster care social worker she commented how much the legislation encouraged kids to go to a culture as close to their home culture as possible (especially Indigenous kids given the history of removing them from their families similar to North America) but they often had a difficult time finding foster parents outside a very narrow demographic of white middle class couples.
I know quite a few kids films that feature adoption, losing a parent, etc
I was wondering if you have experience of this and found it was helpful for your kids to watch or if it's actually too triggering?
Thank you!! ^_^
That’s a great question! I think it depends on the kid, but my kids do seem affected by things such as that. Even with our dog they ask “does Sookie have a mom and dad or siblings? Doesn’t she miss them so much?” And they feel so sad for her ❤️ I think if the kid is older watching movies with adoption themes could be good opportunities to talk about adoption or can show them characters with stories they relate to.
❤