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Whether you seek to add to your family through foster care, private domestic adoption or you are called to travel internationally, every adoption story is uniquely beautiful. Yet, each shares a common language of calling, loss, and hardship.
As Christian parents we have a deep desire to love and shepherd our children well, but it can be challenging to navigate loss, trauma and how to best love and guide our adopted children. One thing is for sure, adoption is more than a process, it is an invitation to go on a holy journey with the Lord and with your family. Like any journey, there will be valleys along with mountain tops and battles along with the beauty. The good news is, what the Lord calls you to, He will equip you for.
Wherever you are in your journey, Called to Love is here to bring you a weekly dose of encouragement from the practical, clinical, and Biblical perspective along with personal stories from adoptive parents, adult adoptees and advice from various experts to help your family thrive in your journey and continue to say "yes " to your own call to love.
All Episodes:
How to Stop Yelling at Your Kids →
Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast!
In this episode, I was joined by a woman who I wish I knew 20 years ago - or at least, had her book 20 years ago! Her name is Janel Breitenstein and shes the author of, How to Stop Yelling Up the Stairs: Keeping Your Cool While Raising Your Kids which is the topic of this episode.
Long-time listeners may know some of my story and how I truly struggled as a mom with my littles and especially after adopting my precious little girl. The adoption-reality was completely different from the adoption-dream I had - countless sleepless nights and a traumatized baby who would not sleep and wouldnt accept anyone but me. The external triggers were intense, but I realized many years later there were also things in my heart, too. I still carry guilt over how I yelled at my kids which is also a part of todays conversation with Janel.
I am so glad youve joined me for this episode! Lets dive in!
Key topics in this episode:
- Managing anger in parenting
- Modeling emotional health for children
- Creating a gospel-centered home amidst chaos
Connect with Janel on her website and blog: https://www.janelbreitenstein.com/
Buy her book, How to Stop Yelling up the Stairs by clicking here!
To submit your prayer requests, use this form by clicking here!
You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at [email protected].
I would love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!
Christian Parenting resource for you: Moms, Dads, and Grads Gift Guide!
And this year's edition is our best one yet! Whether you're honoring a loving mom, a
devoted dad, or an inspiring grad, we've got you covered with meaningful gifts they'll
truly love. From Bibles and study tools to encouraging books, you're guaranteed to find something special for everyone on your gift lists this spring.
Visit christianparenting.org/gifts to explore the 2026 Moms, Dads, and Grads Gift Guide today!
Parenting a Spicy Child →
Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast!
In this episode, I was joined by the amazing author and parenting coach, Mary Van Geffen. Since 2011, Mary has coached over 1,700 moms of Spicy Ones, walking with them through the same struggles she once thought would break her. She now has a book titled, Parenting a Spicy One: A Compassionate Guide for Raising a Deep-Feeling and Wonderfully Strong-Willed Kid which prompts todays conversation.
As parents of foster and adoptive kids, sometimes we have a spicy child - a child who is very emotional, passionate, strongwilled, and maybe labeled as challenging, difficult, stubborn and any other descriptors. It can be extremely taxing and difficult navigating this relationship - what do you do when the kid refuses to brush their teeth or change out of their pajamas? It feels like one battle after another, and it can send our nervous systems into overdrive and survival mode, hijacking us into an overly reactive state because we are at our limit. Mary offers a ton of practical advice throughout this conversation its almost like shes an amazing coach! She has a lot of great insight for shifting our perspective on this spicy little one of ours and how to truly connect with them.
I am so glad youve joined me for this episode! Lets dive in!
Key topics in this episode:
- Defining a spicy child and their temperament
- The importance of communication and connection
- Practical tools for daily parenting challenges
- The power of repair and forgiveness in relationships
- Shifting mindset from control to compassion
Connect with Mary on her website or Instagram, and get a copy of her book!
To submit your prayer requests, use this form by clicking here!
You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at [email protected].
I would love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!
Christian Parenting resource for you: Morning Minute
Subscribe now at MorningMinute.org to receive each weekday morning a verse to strengthen your spirit, one parenting insight grounded in Christ-like wisdom, one short action item to guide your heart and your kids and one resource to help you go deeper.
Encouragement for the Overwhelmed Foster Adoptive and Foster Mom →
Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast!
In this episode, I was joined by a mom whos message spoke near to my heart and I believe many parents in this calling: Jamie Erickson. Jamie is the busy mama of five kiddos, ages ranging from college to 8th grade, and she also homeschools. She is also an author with a recent book that speaks to my heart, Overwhelmed Mom: Quiet the Chaos, Mind What Matters, and Enjoy Your Life Again.
As adoptive and foster parents (and even just biological parents, of course!), we are carrying a very heavy load and I feel overwhelmed. Jamies book comes at a perfect time in my life and I hope you will also find it encouraging and practical.
Key topics in this episode:
- Types of overwhelm: circumstantial, emotional, and self-inflicted
- The importance of managing priorities and setting boundaries
- Practical tips for reducing overwhelm: analog life, digital detox, and community support
- The role of faith and trusting God in overcoming stress
- Recognizing physical and emotional signs of overwhelm
Connect more with Jamie on her website.
And check out new book and topic of todays episode, Overwhelmed Mom: Quiet the Chaos, Mind What Matters, and Enjoy Your Life Again
To submit your prayer requests, use this form by clicking here!
You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at [email protected].
I would love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!
Christian Parenting resource for you: Morning Minute
Subscribe now at MorningMinute.org to receive each weekday morning a verse to strengthen your spirit, one parenting insight grounded in Christ-like wisdom, one short action item to guide your heart and your kids and one resource to help you go deeper.
How to Live Less Triggered As Adoptive and Foster Families →
Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast!
In this episode, I was joined by Dr. Kelly Flanagan. Dr. Kelly Flanagan is an award-winning author, international speaker, personal and relationship coach, and licensed clinical psychologist with two decades of expertise in interpersonal relationships. His thought leadership has been featured in The 5 Love Languages, the TODAY Show, Readers Digest, HuffPost, and Success Magazine. Kellys two non-fiction books, Loveable and True Companions.
He has recently released The Road Less Triggered which is the topic of our discussion as foster and adoptive parents. Dr. Kelly discusses what it means to be triggered in the clinical sense and how we as parents can experience it and our children - biological, adoptive or foster. He also shares his own personal journey and how he overcame his own triggers which were causing destruction in his relationships. This is a great and practical conversation to help us in any stage of this calling.
Key topics in this episode:
- Understanding the clinical and broad definition of triggers
- Physiological signs of being triggered and interoception
- Balancing regulation and recognition in emotional responses
- Empathy and boundaries in trauma-informed care
- Practical steps for owning moments and teaching children
Connect more with Dr. Kelly on his website.
And check out his book, The Road Less Triggered.
To submit your prayer requests, use this form by clicking here!
You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at [email protected].
I would love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!
Christian Parenting resource for you: Morning Minute
Subscribe now at MorningMinute.org to receive each weekday morning a verse to strengthen your spirit, one parenting insight grounded in Christ-like wisdom, one short action item to guide your heart and your kids and one resource to help you go deeper.
You're Not Ruining Your Kids →
Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast!
In this episode, I chat with the amazing Abbey Wedgeworth and through our conversation we promise you: you are not ruining your kids!
Abbey is a wife, mother, bible teacher, and writer. She's the author of the Training Young Hearts children's book series, Held, a resource for women who have lost life in the womb, and most recently Help! Im Ruining My Kids: A Gospel Guide for the Mom Whos Desperate for Change. Abbey and her husband, David, live on the South Carolina coast, where she homeschools their three boys.
In our conversation today, we unpack some of the ideas in her latest book. Abby drops some amazing truthbombs for us as adoptive and foster moms. Sometimes we feel the pressure to do it all and forget that God is in control and sovereign. With this unnecessary pressure, we can feel like were failing and ruining our kids. Abby reminds us that human limitations are not sin. While our role as parent is a large one in our childs life, it is not equal to or as big as Gods role. We are imperfect people trying to raise these broken kids and God knows exactly what Hes doing when He pairs us with them. It will not be perfect and thats where He shows up. Abby says if our kids share their testimony and they share something we did wrong, then praise the Lord because it is part of their testimony!
Connect more with Abby on her website and Instagram.
Christian Parenting resource for you: Morning Minute
Subscribe now at MorningMinute.org to receive each weekday morning a verse to strengthen your spirit, one parenting insight grounded in Christ-like wisdom, one short action item to guide your heart and your kids and one resource to help you go deeper.
To submit your prayer requests, use this form by clicking here!
You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at [email protected].
I would love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!
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