Rather than competing, kinship care and foster care often complement each other, giving children the safe care they need.

As kinship care becomes the preferred first placement option for children entering foster care, with family members and close family friends serving as caregivers, foster parents may wonder, “Do you still need me?” Absolutely, we do.

A phone call changed John and Mary’s family, and overnight they went from grandparents to parenting their young granddaughter for more than two years. Reflecting on that experience, they ask, “What could we have done to make a bigger difference in her life? What could have been more important—or more fun?”

The process of becoming an adoptive family takes time, like it would for any blended family. So don’t panic if the bonding between siblings is less than ideal.

Adoptive parents may experience anxiety when unusual behavior appears in their adopted adolescent child. But it’s common. As long as the journey is more forward than backward, you’re moving in the right direction.

There are no guarantees when raising children, and I've learned to let go of some of my expectations and love my children no matter what.

As a first-time adoptive parent, Dr. Kimberly Offutt had an idealistic vision of what “happily ever after” would look like. As a foster care worker, she knew the need was great for teens with trauma history, and she thought she was ready. But love, it turns out, does not undo a child’s deep wounds.

Will and Colleen don’t do anything halfway. So when they said yes to foster parenting, it changed their whole lives.

Families should remain together whenever it's safe to do so.

When parents are isolated without community, they miss an essential element their children need to thrive: connection. Parent Cafés are a growing movement to give parents the support they need for their families to grow stronger.