Fostering Voices Podcast

Latest Episodes:

The Crisis Boys Are In Mar 10, 2019

Show notes

This week's episode is a book review of 'The Boy Crisis: Why our boys are struggling and what we can do about it' by Warren Farrell, PhD, and John Gray, PhD. This book was LONG and really informative. Definitely worth the time to go through. And it was written in 2018, so it is fresh and relevant, and hopefully in the next few years, we can make it irrelevant!

General Synopsis:

We are presently living in a society where we are often on one side of the pendulum. Back in the day, the pendulum certainly swung to the side of 'women/girls have no rights'. That was obviously not a good place to find ourselves. But now the pendulum has swung very hard in the opposite direction where women and girls are being heavily encouraged in every area of life (family, business, beyond) - and obviously this is NOT a bad thing at all, but it comes at the price of boys being left with a purpose void. It doesn't have to be this way, but it is.

But we can change that! Can we all agree that we have the capacity to encourage both girls AND boys to excel? Please? Can we recognize that boys and girls need their parents, and if that's not possible - they need mentors and adults who care about them, and spend time with them? And this isn't just a call to foster care, though Lord knows these precious children in this category need it! But even kids that live with one or both parents need more guidance, more encouragement, more time spent with caring adults/mentors.

What Else Can You Do?

To become a mentor to kids in foster care, you can look into programs through our licensing agency in Arizona: Christian Family Care, or you can find a mentoring opportunity closer to you!

For a very brief synopsis of the book, you can watch Warren Farrell's TedX talk here.

To buy this book on Amazon, you can find it here.

The Good Word of the Day

"But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses." - 1 Timothy 6: 11-12

If you would like to connect on Social Media, you can find us at:

Jihae Watson on Facebook

Fostering Voices on Instagram

Jihae Watson on Instagram

AND we would LOVE it if you would leave us a review on iTunes! This helps others to find our podcast so we can share these voices from the foster care and adoption community with more people! Thanks for tuning in! We will see you again next week!

Get Back on the Same Page as Your Spouse Feb 23, 2019

Show notes

We just jumped over a massive hurdle in our fostering journey, and it took a lot of prayer, a lot of patience, and a lot of communicating.

And you know this is a big deal for us, especially as we are both pleasers! (Check out episode 26)

So how do you resolve conflicts with your spouse?

It is important to deal with your conflicts with your spouse, no matter how hard they are. Pretending they don't exist only makes them worse. Or even pretending there is peace, when there clearly isn't, doesn't magically make peace appear.

Check out this episode to see how we overcame months of being on different pages about whether we should adopt our current foster child.

Good Word of the Day:

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."

Ephesians 4:2-6

Humility and patience are the major keys in those verses! And if all else fails - seek wise counsel, and still try to be humble and work towards keeping the unity of peace in your marriage and home!

If you Want to Connect on Social Media:

You can find me at:

Jihae Watson on Facebook

Fostering Voices on Instagram

Jihae Watson on Instagram

AND we would LOVE it if you would leave us a review on iTunes! This helps others to find our podcast so we can share these voices from the foster care and adoption community with more people!

Grace for Teens and the Unknown Feb 16, 2019

Show notes

This week's episode is full of goodness! We are so thankful to have our sweet friend, Grace Sharp, on the podcast with us.

She is a new foster mom (3 months in!) but previously worked as a Group Home Manager.

For those who don't know what a Group Home is, it is a house (in a regular old neighborhood like yours and ours), where they usually have about 10 foster kids living in this home. Some people also call this Congregate Care.

We agree with Grace that Group Homes are better than nothing, but foster parents would be a far superior alternative. In a foster home (even one that has 10 kids in it) - the main difference is the stability and the consistency of 1 or 2 primary caregivers. As opposed to hired hands, who often quit because the toll this job can take on a person.

In this episode, we learned that:

PSMAPP classes, which are now 6 weeks long, instead of 11. This involves a 3 hours class once a week, with 4 hours of online classes through the week. This sounds so good!

There is a great book called: 'The F-Word (Finance!)' , and this is where Grace got the idea of 'the cost of happy'. ie. finding a way to pay for Starbucks, or AirPods, if it makes you happy!

We do not need to be afraid of the unknown! Especially teenagers! They need love, and support, and a text every now and again to check in on them! Whether you can foster one or many, or even volunteer as a mentor - this is life-altering stuff!

The (Good) Word of the Day:

"that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need."

Acts 4:34-35

Anyone who had need was taken care of in Biblical times. Can we return to that time? Can we recreate it? Can we care for those who need to be taken care of?

Episode 44: How to Have Better Symbiotic Relationships Feb 09, 2019

Show notes

This is the 'Thirst Buster' episode (44oz of sugary carbonated goodness!)

Something that is as good as a thirst buster in our home is Cate! She has been living with us for 4 months, and things are just getting better and better. This is because we all have an attitude of trying to out-serve one another. I feed Cate, and she cleans and helps with the kids. It's a perfect symbiotic relationship!

The best symbiotic relationships are like this this, and they require people to be vulnerable, humble, and not self-centered. We have admittedly struggled with this in the past (especially as brand new foster parents). But we are pleased to admit that we are growing and acting like buttholes less and less! Progress!

So, are you a part of great relationships? Or do you often feel like you are waiting for people who 'owe you' something? Whether it's lunch, watching your kids, or telling you how amazing you are? (Seriously. Check your heart!)

The (Good) Word of the Day:

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."

-Philippians 2:3-4

Episode 44: How to Have Better Symbiotic Relationships Feb 09, 2019

Show notes

This is the 'Thirst Buster' episode (44oz of sugary carbonated goodness!)

The (Good) Word of the Day:

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."

-Philippians 2:3-4

Episode 43: Tax Info for Foster and Adoptive Families Feb 02, 2019

Show notes

Tax season is officially upon us, and so we decided to have the best tax preparer in all the land join us for an interview.

We are thankful that Wes Watson (who happens to be Chris' dad) was able to make time for us, so he could share everything related to taxes for foster and adoptive families.

In this episode we talked about:

The Keymaster from Ghost Busters. This is what happens when Chris has someone else to talk about obscure movies with.

We also talked about how if you have had a child in your care for more than 6 months, you are able to claim them as a dependent on your tax return.

It can be VERY annoying trying to get your foster child's Social Security Number, so start asking your case worker NOW so that you have it before April 15th!

If a child was born after June, and wasn't officially in your home for more than 6 months, BUT was in your care for most of their life, you still get to claim that infant.

There are changes to many tax laws. The new federal standard deduction for a couple is $24k. HOWEVER, in Arizona, the standard deduction is $10k per couple, so you are still going to want to itemize your taxes for your State return.

Did you know that there is a $13k credit if you adopted a child? You can read more here.

Charitable giving is a great way to dictate how your want your tax dollars to be used. For a list of qualifying organizations, you can check out Az Tax Credit.

A few of our favorite organizations are: Christian Family Care, Advocacy 31 nine, and Foster Arizona.

The Good Word of the Day:

"Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it."

-Prov. 3:27

So, whether it's your time, or money, or other resources, if you see someone in need - help them! But especially with our finances, there is so much good that we can do when we allocate our money properly.

We hope you enjoyed this week's podcast!

Thank you so much Wes, for your time and expertise. To connect with Wes, you can find him here.

And to find out more about Watson CPA, you can find them on Facebook.

You do not need to use a tax preparer for your taxes. You do need to know what you are doing so you can maximize your return! So be educated, and take care of your finances throughout the year!

If you Want to Connect on Social Media:

You can find us at:

Jihae Watson on Facebook

Fostering Voices on Instagram

Jihae Watson on Instagram

AND we would LOVE it if you would leave us a review on iTunes! This helps others to find our podcast so we can share these voices from the foster care and adoption community with more people!

Episode 42: Change of Heart Jan 26, 2019

Show notes

This episode is all about heart change and the times we have seen God move and change hearts.

We've experienced lots of examples of God changing hearts in Jihae's parents. Starting with being ok with Jihae and Chris getting married, to being excited to have adopted and foster grandchildren. This is not always something that is easy for everyone, but lots of prayer and patience helps!

Often times we tell ourselves that we cannot do something - from being able to birth a baby without an epidural, to not being able to love a kid who isn't biologically our kid. But when we say we can't do something - then we are right. We can't. But the opposite is true too - when we say we can - then we can!

The Good Word of the Day:

"Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life."

Proverbs 4:23

Other versions say to "Guard your heart", and too many times we guard our hearts too defensively. Sure we don't want to let bad things into our hearts, but we also don't let good things into our hearts - usually because we are afraid. Let's stop being so defensive, and instead let's diligently watch over our hearts - allowing ourselves to experience new things, new people, new ideas, and to grow and flourish.

If you Want to Connect on Social Media:

You can find us at:

Jihae Watson on Facebook

Fostering Voices on Instagram

Jihae Watson on Instagram

AND we would LOVE it if you would leave us a review on iTunes! This helps others to find our podcast so we can share these voices from the foster care and adoption community with more people!

Episode 41: Goals to be Mindful and Cognizant Jan 19, 2019

Show notes

We are back from a 6 week break, and ready to dive into Season 3!

We hope that everyone had a delightful Christmas break, and start to 2019. We ended off the year with 2 kids in diapers, and we are starting off the year with 1 kid in diapers, and 1 kid who pees and poos in his undies on occassion... small victories/failures.

This episode starts off with us talking about how our 2018 goals went. Then we break into some goals we have for this coming year.

If you have a goal to be healthier this year, and need a coach, we know some REALLY great ones! Kevin and Bekah Tinter are some of our dearest friends, and they happen to be amazing health coaches. You can connect with Bekah on Facebook, or Kevin, or email them (kevin@tinterhealth.com, bekah@tinterhealth.com ) to get more information. We support the work that they do, and they support the work that we do, which is why they are hosting a GIVEAWAY!!! Check out our social media for more details!

A new thing you will hear on the podcast this year is our

'Time of Enlightenment',

where we will be sharing something new we just learned.

This week, Chris and I both share a bit about the way people talk to each other, in ways that are not intentionally rude, but can be harmful and/or disrespectful. Whether it's to a military veteran, or foster parents, or foster and adoptive children, and to married couples who are childless, sometimes people ask questions without thinking about what they are asking.

Which is why this episode is called 'Goals to be Mindful and Cognizant', which is is something that we all (us included) should aim to be.

To be mindful: conscious and aware

To be cognizant: having knowledge, being aware, sensitive to

Good Word of the Day:

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland."

-Isaiah 43:18-19

Whether you had a terrible 2018, or a wonderful one - it's a new year, a new day, a new opportunity for God to do amazing and new things in all of our lives.

We are excited for this new season, and we hope you are too!

If you Want to Connect on Social Media:

You can find us at:

Jihae Watson on Facebook

Fostering Voices on Instagram

Jihae Watson on Instagram

AND we would LOVE it if you would leave us a review on iTunes! This helps others to find our podcast so we can share these voices from the foster care and adoption community with more people!

Episode 39: Detecting Developmental Delays Part 2 Dec 01, 2018

Show notes

Episode 39 is for you, Greg Ostertag, because you wore 39 on the Utah Jazz, and because when we first got our current foster baby, he looked like you. And then he evolved to look like Winston Churchill.

Anyway, this week is a continuation of last week's interview with Christie Priem. If you have NOT listened to episode 38 yet, please go and do that, and then come back to this one!

We are finishing up keys 4,5, and 6 to detecting developmental delays in children.

Key #4: Appropriate Sensory Processing

-Many children have different sensory needs that often go unrecognized, and we can help meet those needs to help kids be calmer, and more focused so that they can be ready to learn.

-The sensory system has 8 recognized parts:

Visual

Olfactory (smell)

Auditory (hearing)

Gustatory (tasting)

Tactile (touch)

Proprioception (input to joints, ligaments, tendons)

Vestibular (sense of where body is in space)

Time (sense of time passing)

Interoception (sense of what's going on IN the body)

-Sensory seekers are kids who have difficulty with sensory needs and are hypo-sensitive (under-reactive). They need extra sensory input.

Key #5: Appropriate Behavior

- Negative feelings about a child are a sign that the child needs more support! Because lack of skills leads to challenging behavior

3 Step Red Alert Plan for when child is in meltdown mode:

1. Safety first - make sure all children are safe. it may be easier to remove 10 children from a room than the 1 who is melting down

2. Use a catch phrase - and only one phrase, consistently: "When you're done, we will _____." Make sure it's meaningful to the child

3. Reward recovery! When the child calms themselves down, provide the fun reward that was promised and make sure to tell them how proud you are of them!

- A predictable schedule can reduce difficult behaviors by 80%! Transitions are difficult, so make sure kids know what to expect ahead of time.

- Teach skills to help kids be prepared for scenarios that will occur in the future. Give them the right words to say.

Key #6: Appropriate Communication

- If a child is having difficulty realizing that communication is necessary (sign of being unengaged) or communicating successfully, that child needs more support.

- Use more visuals! Visual schedules, class rules, choice boards, and illustrated lessons.

Contact Christie!

If you want to learn more, you can contact Christie via her

YouTube Channel!

Or via email at christie@chirpcc.com

Or if you are a church and you could use a special needs curriculum to help your children understand the Bible, check out her website https://www.chirpcc.com/ (I illustrated the curriculum!)

Episode 38: Detecting Developmental Delays Nov 24, 2018

Show notes

Episode 38 is dedicated to you - Curt Schilling, of the World Series winning Diamondbacks, with your bloody sock and all.

This week's episode features an interview with Christie Priem, an incredible Speech Language Pathologist (SLP). She is also the founder, owner, and genius mind, and loving heart behind Chirp : an online resource to make churches welcoming for those with special needs.

Christie has used this verse to guide her in the heart of her ministry: "What is the price of five sparrows - two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows." (Luke 12:6-7 NLT) . She is caring for the fragile, and often over-looked community of special needs kids, because they are of great worth to Jesus!

In this interview:

Our interview with Christie, she shares 5 Developmental Keys (plus a bonus one!) to help parents, and anyone who works with children, to recognize developmental delays, as well as so many other tools to help children to develop well. Because the interview was so rich with content, we broke it up into 2 parts. So today is part one! And it ends kind of abruptly, because there is no outro/closing statement. But come back next week for the final 2 keys plus the bonus.

Developmental Key #1 is Self Regulation.

Developmental Key #2 is Engagement.

Developmental Key #3 is Enjoyable and Flexible Play.

The (Good) Word of the Day

He cared for them with a true heart and led them with skillful hands.

Psalm 78:72 We love this verse that Christie shared with us. David led his army with a true heart AND skillful hands, and as parents and leaders, we need to do the same. Sometimes we will make mistakes, but if our hearts are truly in the right place, AND we are trying our best to continually learn, and to have skillful hands, our children will benefit greatly from that.

This week is Thanksgiving week and we are so thankful for all of you listeners! We hope you had a delicious and restful week.

To find our more about Christie:

Special Needs Channel on YouTube

christie@chirpcc.com

If you Want to Connect on Social Media:

You can find me at:

Jihae Watson on Facebook

Fostering Voices on Instagram

Jihae Watson on Instagram

AND we would LOVE it if you would leave us a review on iTunes! This helps others to find our podcast so we can share these voices from the foster care and adoption community with more people!

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