ADOPTION STRUGGLES AND SUPPORT | Adoption Trauma, Safety, Peace of Mind, Biblical Encouragement, Respite, Journaling
The Go-to Podcast for Struggling Adoptive Parents Who Need Biblical Encouragement In Their Parenting Journey!
**Top 2% Globally Ranked Podcast**
**Top 15 Best Adoptive Mom Podcast – MillionPodcasts **
**Top 50 Christian Parenting Podcast**
Did you finally realize your dream of having a family, only to have your happily ever after turn into a nightmare? Does your home feel unsafe at times? Are you constantly second-guessing your parenting and asking questions like: Will my adopted child be okay? What does their future hold?
If these questions feel uncomfortably close to home, take a breath — you are not alone, and there is a path forward.
If you’re a struggling adoptive parent searching for answers in your parenting journey, you’re in the right place.
Hi Neighbor,
Welcome to Adoption Struggles and Support. I’m Tim, an adoptive parent, adoption mentor, and ambassador of encouragement.
I too felt the joy of having a family of my own, and I wished we could be like other families. Instead, I found myself up late at night, anxious about my family’s safety and my adopted child’s future.
I kept asking myself: How can I make my home safe and peaceful again? Will my child be okay? Where did I go wrong?
It was only by grabbing a lifeline from God and my friends that I was able to navigate the challenges of adoptive life. And now I can’t wait to share everything I’ve learned with you.
My mission is to help Christian adoptive parents create safe and peaceful homes — and learn to be okay even when their kids aren’t — by anchoring their lives in biblical principles.
If you’re ready for real and raw talk with strategies that lead to peace beyond comprehension, so you not only survive but thrive in life’s storms, this podcast is for you.
Anchors of Hope and Healing are on the way.
Your Neighbor,
Tim
Connect: tim@anchorsofencouragement.com
Community: https://timsuggests.com/community
Listen on:
Episodes
Thursday Dec 14, 2023
Thursday Dec 14, 2023
The most healing moment for me was actually getting my adoption file from the authorities and reading a letter from my birth mother about the teddy bear. It became abundant to me that the teddy bear was a symbol of her love, not a consolation prize.
Hi Neighbor,
Trauma can lie dormant for a long time, even decades. Unexpectedly, trauma can be triggered by the most seemingly innocent things.
Joining me today, is my neighbor from Great Britain, Simon Benn. Simon is an adoptee. The insights that he shares from his journey, I believe, will not only help those of us who are adoptive parents but will help our adopted children as well.
I want to encourage you to grab a pen and paper. There are so many nuggets in this episode, From the story about a teddy bear to a metaphor of a diamond. And then in the Daily Doable, Simon gives those of us who are adopted parents An amazing gift.
Hope and healing are on the way.
Your Neighbor,Tim
P.S. Would you please consider leaving a review for the show? Here is a short video to show you how.
Simon Benn Contact Information:PodcastWebsiteInstagramFacebook
Disclaimer: As is the case with anyone that I bring on the show to talk to you, I encourage take notes and listen to the information. Then do your due diligence and use what you can in your adoption journey to parent your child the best way you can.
Thursday Dec 07, 2023
Thursday Dec 07, 2023
Hi Neighbor,
Do you ever feel weighed down with negative thoughts running through your mind? Maybe you even feel overwhelmed or even stuck.
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could do something and poof, those negative thoughts would just go away?
Grab a pen and paper, because today, I’m going to share with you a tool that will let you do just that.
Hope and healing are on the way.
Your Neighbor,Tim
P.S. Would you please consider leaving a review for the show? Here is a short video to show you how.
Thursday Nov 30, 2023
Thursday Nov 30, 2023
“My message to parents is this is okay. These things will work out over time. This is going to happen. This is not personal. That's not a personal attack on your cooking or anything. These are messages. These are ways in which the child perhaps needs to assert herself or communicate her initial reluctance....
(Today) she’s a college graduate. She has a wonderful job, and she’s a productive member of this community. She’s loving and caring.
All of these things took time, but these were the hurdles that we were seeing and not reacting very well to.”
Hi Neighbor,
Today, it’s my pleasure to introduce you to my neighbor from Philadelphia, Anna Maria DiDio. Anna Maria is an adoptive mother and children’s author whose adoption-themed books encourage open and honest conversations between parents and children.
Grab a notebook and pen. This is a much-needed conversation in the adoption space. Check out the links below to connect with Anna Maria and purchase her books.
Hope and healing are on the way.
Your Neighbor,Tim
Website and Free Resources
Love at the Border: An Adoption Adventure and Memoir
Many People to Love: Understanding Adoption Trauma (L.I.F.E.* Adventures series Book 1)
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
Disclaimer: As is the case with anyone that I bring on the show to talk to you, I encourage take notes and listen to the information. Then do your due diligence and use what you can in your adoption journey to parent your child the best way you can.
Some of the links I include in my emails may be affiliate links. That means that if you click on a link and make a purchase, I could earn a small commission. I will only promote products I believe in and think you will enjoy. Thank you for being in my community.
Thursday Nov 23, 2023
Thursday Nov 23, 2023
Hi Neighbor,
Are your holidays ever sad? I understand. Mine have been too.
In this episode, I want to share Psalms 136 and 143 with you. I lean on the truths in these Psalms to shift my perspective when life gets tough and the holidays are sad. I pray this blesses you.
Hope and healing are on the way.
Your Neighbor,
Tim
P.S. Would you please consider leaving a review for the show? Here is a short video to show you how.
Thursday Nov 16, 2023
Thursday Nov 16, 2023
Hi Neighbor,
In this third of a 3-part series, I want to consider with you an audio clip taken from my interview with Dr. Rick Morton of Lifeline Children’s Services. You can hear that interview in Episode 93.
Today, I’m going to share a story with you about why the easy part of adoption happens before the papers are signed. The hard part actually begins when you bring your child home.
We’ll also consider 4 ways to flip the script on hard and make it doable by following the invitation of Jesus in Matthew chapter 11, verses 28-30. I pray this episode blesses you.
Hope and healing are on the way.
Your Neighbor,Tim
P.S. Miss part 1? You can catch it here. Miss part 2? You can catch it here. Also, would you please consider leaving a review for the show? Here is a short video to show you how.
Thursday Nov 09, 2023
Thursday Nov 09, 2023
Hi Neighbor,
In this second of a 3-part series, I want to consider with you an audio clip taken from my interview with Dr. Rick Morton of Lifeline Children’s Services. You can hear that interview in Episode 93.
Today, I’m going to share with you a tool that can help adoptees revisit and process their grief. It’s a tool I’ve talked a lot about on this podcast… journaling. We’ll consider 5 steps to apply this tool. I pray this episode blesses you.
Hope and healing are on the way.
Your Neighbor,Tim
P.S. Miss part 1? You can catch it here. Also, would you please consider leaving a review for the show? Here is a short video to show you how.
Thursday Nov 02, 2023
Thursday Nov 02, 2023
Hi Neighbor,
In this first of a 3-part series, I want to consider with you an audio clip taken from my interview with Dr. Rick Morton of Lifeline Children’s Services. You can hear that interview in Episode 93.
Today, we’re going to consider adopted children as heroes and 4 different ways to apply this concept. I pray this episode blesses you.
Hope and healing are on the way.
Your Neighbor,Tim
P.S. Would you please consider leaving a review for the show? Here is a short video to show you how.
Saturday Oct 28, 2023
Saturday Oct 28, 2023
Can people REALLY count on you?
Hi Neighbor,
I want to share with you a bonus episode of Anchors of Encouragement today. You might be able to tell that I’m outside. It’s a fall day. The leaves are falling. It’s raining.
I’m one of those individuals who likes to actually walk in the rain. There's something soothing about it.
The question I asked at the beginning is based on the song, Count on Me by Jefferson Starship. I pray this episode blesses you.
Hope and healing are on the way.
Your Neighbor,Tim
P.S. Would you please consider leaving a review for the show? Here is a short video to show you how.
Thursday Oct 26, 2023
Thursday Oct 26, 2023
The ability to have conversations with the different groups that make up the adoption triangle was very beneficial for me in forgiving my birth mom for this initial rejection. I think it also helped us when she did change her mind and we entered reunion. I had a lot of compassion for what she went through.
Hi Neighbor,
Joining me in this episode is, Julie Ryan McGue. Julie is an American writer, a domestic adoptee, and an identical twin. She explores the topics of finding out who you are, where you belong, and making sense of it.
A personal health crisis motivated Julie to pursue her story. A story she pieced together through conversations, genealogists, and journaling.
Julie has a powerful story to share with us.
Hope and healing are on the way.
Your Neighbor,Tim
Get Julie’s Books:Twice a Daughter: A Search for Identity, Family, and BelongingBelonging Matters: Conversations on Adoption, Family, and KinshipBookshop.orgBarnes & Noble
Contact Julie:WebsiteFacebook
Disclaimer: As is the case with anyone that I bring on the show to talk to you, I encourage take notes and listen to the information. Then do your due diligence and use what you can in your adoption journey to parent your child the best way you can.
Some of the links I include may be affiliate links. That means that if you click on a link and make a purchase, I could earn a small commission. I will only promote products I believe in and think you will enjoy. Thank you for being in my community.
Thursday Oct 19, 2023
Thursday Oct 19, 2023
Had my birth mother chosen abortion, I would not be sitting here talking to you… the reality is had she gone through with that decision, I would not be here nor would I have a son or a daughter… her decision is a generational decision.
Hi Neighbor,
Joining me in this episode is, Kathryn Barnhill. Kathryn is a pregnancy counselor at Lifeline Children’s Services, the largest evangelical Christian adoption agency in America.
Kathryn has a powerful story to share with us. A story that will inspire you. Kathryn’s birth mother changed her mind about having an abortion at the last minute. Years later, Kathryn was able to put the pieces together and see how God was working His plan all along.
“For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
Hope and healing are on the way.
Your Neighbor,Tim
Lifeline Children’s Services
Online Learning Portal
Lifeline Pregnancy Counseling
Disclaimer: As is the case with anyone that I bring on the show to talk to you, I encourage take notes and listen to the information. Then do your due diligence and use what you can in your adoption journey to parent your child the best way you can.