Instant Mom

If you're considering solo motherhood (or even partnered motherhood!) you may be wondering if you can really swing it by yourself. It's scary! There are so many things to consider before deciding to be a parent — and especially a solo parent. Tune in as I walk you through a framework to evaluate your decision based on financial, logistical, physical and mental considerations. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/elizabeth-friedland/message

If you're navigating a new or suspected ADHD diagnosis for your kiddo, let me throw you a life preserver. Navigating an ADHD diagnosis is a little like fumbling around in the dark — so consider this a tiny flashlight to help you figure out which resources and next steps you might want to consider, from one experienced parent to another. NOTE: I forgot to add step 9: obtain a neuropsychological evaluation. This is the gold standard for diagnosing ADHD and catching other related behavioral and learning diagnosis. This day of testing looks like fun and games to kids and provides you with a detailed report of how they learn and process information. This can be a key to accessing the services you need for your child, so I consider it a “must have” foundational piece. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/elizabeth-friedland/message

The bio parent, and the foster parent are on the same team. Let's talk about how you build that team to be strong and powerful! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/elizabeth-friedland/message

Foster well requires a unique selflessness and a lens of service. We are not saviors. This isn't about us. We are not the heroes of the story — or even the main characters. Check out the list of beliefs and values every foster parent should hold true in order to foster well. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/elizabeth-friedland/message

Let's all take a deep breath before we dive into this potentially hot topic of foster care influencers. How do we share our foster parenting experiences without crossing the line into martyrdom, saviorism or outright exploitation? Let's talk about it. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

Afraid of open adoption? Confused about what it means? Check out this episode to hear all about navigating (and embracing!) an open adoption. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

Navigating how to answer that BIG question: “Would you adopt your foster child?” It's a big leap — emotionally, financially, physically — from answering the call to foster to saying yes to forever. How to understand if you're called to foster… or to adopt. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

Mediation happens when a case plan I changed to adoption and the prospective adoptive parent (often time the foster parent) presents a compelling offer to the bio parents in the hopes they'll voluntarily give up their parental rights. It's… kind of icky. And an ethical minefield. And filled with all sorts of unfair power dynamics. Learn about our own mediation experience and what I think of it all now. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

Foster care is designed to preserve a family — not break it up. Let's talk about why it's not okay to wish for a case to end in adoption and how foster parents can and should support bio parents. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

Can you believe it's almost been a year since the last episode? Find out what happened to baby Olivia, how Makel is doing in college, and what's new with me and Jack. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

Olivia‘s birth mom changed her mind and decided to parent. Hear about how we are handling that and how we're helping to support the new family through our grief. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

Surprise! We adopted again! Learn more about how 3 month old Olivia came into our lives as perhaps our biggest surprise yet. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

Instant Mom will be expanding to offer online learning units for prospective and new foster parents! Hear a sneak preview of that latest venture, as well as some teasers about a slightly new format for the Instant Mom podcast. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

It’s been a tough week, and now we’re facing a heartbreaking setback. Parenting a child with behavioral and emotional special needs is brutal — and also the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Let’s all have a cry, shall we? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

You asked, I answered. Behavioral challenges, finances, dating, future plans, how to prepare for a placement, and more! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

It’s a grab bag today! An update on the health scare of our teen, why we won’t use an adoption agency to grow our family, and for the love of God, kids in foster care don’t need your donated socks. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

So many people are afraid to foster teenagers — and until roughly 30 days ago, I was one of them. Listen to an update on what I’ve done right and wrong (so far) and how life as a mom of a 3 year old and 17 year old is going. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

Remember a few weeks ago when I said we were taking a break from fostering? Well, here we are, one week away from an amazing 17 year old girl joining our family. Listen to find out how in the heck that happened. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

Here’s a little mixed bag of life updates: Maggie’s status, visits with Jack’s birth parents, keep Jack’s little brother for a weekend, becoming a host family with Safe Families and... my love life. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

The most gorgeous two day old baby girl joined our family over Memorial Day weekend. This multi-part episode navigates what it’s like to say yes to a placement, — from that first phone call from the caseworker to picking her up at the hospital to settling into a new routine together at home. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

Today I’m talking about my very first placement, a gorgeous three month old baby girl. Hear what I did right, what I did wrong, and how being a mom for the first time changed me --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

Well here’s a situation we never thought we’d be in — solo parenting during a lockdown in a pandemic. Tune in for an update on our situation and some Q&A. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

Find out what happened with the teenage girl we were getting to know, and what’s next for us along our foster care and adoption journey. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

I’ve learned a lot in the past four years of fostering, and I cringe when I think of some of the mistakes I made earlier on in my journey. Let’s talk about what I’ve done wrong — and how you can avoid making the same mistakes. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

From a listener submitted question: How do you balance a demanding career with being a solo mom? My answer: Carefully, and sometimes at the cost of my mental, physical, and financial health. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

Curveball alert! We are in the early stages of getting to know a sweet teenage girl who might eventually join our family. Let’s talk about the harsh realities teens in foster care face when they “age out,” what getting to know a teen in care is like, and how this all might work. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

You’ve got questions, I’ve got answers. In this two parter, I’ll answer listener-submitted questions about foster care and adoption. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

We just found out Jack is going to be a big brother again... and we certainly didn’t expect this news. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

Let me fill you in on my secret to buying everything you need for baby: what products to skip, what products you can’t miss, where to save, and where to splurge. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

It takes a village to raise a child in foster care — and to support foster parents who are often (if not always) stressed emotionally, physically, and financially. Let’s talk about meaningful ways you can provide support to the foster family, the foster child, and the birth family. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

Adoption only exists because there was significant pain, trauma, loss, and grief. Adoption is beautiful, but it’s not all puppy dogs, unicorns, and rainbows. Let’s talk about the ways that well intentioned adoptive parents can do a disservice to the adoptee and the birth mother — and how we can ensure all sides of that triad are honored thoughtfully. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

Is there such a thing as “foster to adopt?” How much does adoption through foster care cost and is it cheaper than private adoption — and how are they different? How does the whole process work? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

It’s the question I get the more than almost anything else — can you, and how do you, date as a single foster and adoptive mom? Pull up a chair and let’s talk. Also, I cry a decent amount in this episode. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

Do you want to be a foster parent but you’re not sure how you can afford it? Are you wondering why there’s a stereotype about foster parents “being in it for the money?” Are you interested in adoption, but the cost of a private adoption has totally terrified you? Today we talk everything money and foster parenting. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

Everything you want to know about becoming licensed, preparing for your first placement, and getting that first phone call. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

New to our story? Been awhile since you’ve checked in? Let’s get caught up. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

Remember that time I started a podcast three years ago and then randomly decided to delete all the episodes? Well, I’m back. And I’m ready to talk all things foster care and adoption again. Let’s do this. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message