Kristin Berry

Will You Open Your Heart and Home to Children in Need? As a teenager, Kristin Berry had heard all the horror stories surrounding foster care and adoption—abuse, neglect, rejection, anger, and misunderstandings. But instead of closing her heart, God opened it wide. This is Kristin’s honest, unvarnished story of some of her experiences as a foster parent of twenty-three children over the course of nine years. What she learned is that living in a foster home is like living with a revolving door. You never know who will arrive or who you will have to say goodbye to. Leaving the door open means there will be heartache and pain, but also adventure and unexpected joy. Kristin and her husband, Mike, have been through it all in their unique parenting journey. If you have ever wondered what it’s really like to be a foster parent, this book will help you gain a true understanding of the everyday trials and triumphs these moms and dads face. It will also inspire you to consider opening your door…and to leave it wide open.

Lessons Learned from a Year of Foster Parenting

Keep the Doors Open

Mike Berry

Discover What Adoption and Foster Care Really Look Like If you are considering adoption or foster care or are already somewhere in this difficult and complicated process, you need trusted information from people who have been where you are. Mike and Kristin Berry have adopted eight children and cared for another 23 kids in their nine-year stint as foster parents. They aren’t just experts. They have experienced every emotional high and low and encountered virtually every situation imaginable as parents. Now, they want to share what they’ve learned with you. Get the answers you need to the following questions, and many more: Should I foster parent or adopt? How do I know? What is the first step in becoming an adoptive or foster parent? What are the benefits of an open versus closed adoption? How and when do I tell my child that he or she is adopted? How do I help my child embrace his or her cultural and racial identity? Honestly Adoption will provide you with practical, down-to-earth advice to make good decisions in your own adoption and foster parenting journey and give you the help and hope you need.

Answers to 101 Questions About Adoption and Foster Care

Honestly Adoption

You look into this beautiful child’s eyes and suddenly realize all the love you have to give, all the hopes you had for them can’t change the damage done to them in the womb before they ever had a chance. This is the heartbreaking reality for some adoptive parents as they realize the lifelong consequences of alcohol use during pregnancy. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder is a leading cause of birth defects and developmental disabilities in the United States. What do you do when the fairy tale family you believed in suddenly seems to be falling apart in the face of this harsh reality? Author Kristin Berry: There is no need to struggle alone or in isolation. Other families know what you are going through. Find strength in not only your faith, but in the community of others who understand your heartache and disappointment, and the desperate need to help these children have a future. Provides an account of real-life struggles and solutions from early childhood to young adulthood Opens a window into their life and family in hopes of encouraging others Reveals understanding, compassionate support for families facing these heart-wrenching challenges.

An Adoptive Journey

Born Broken

Has Trauma Affected the Child You’re Caring For? Just as you prepared your home to welcome a new child, it is important to prepare your heart and mind—especially if the child has suffered from a background of trauma. Perhaps your invitation for love is met with hostility, and you find that this new member of your family rejects connection. If so, then it’s critical to acknowledge the effects of trauma on a child’s ability to attach. Mike and Kristin Berry realized this when they became adoptive and foster parents. In their twenty-year marriage, they have had the joy of adopting eight children and fostering twenty-three. They now offer guidance from their own journey to others parenting a child who has experienced past trauma. In Securely Attached, they offer practical insights that are supported by therapeutic and medical facts, so all parents can provide best for the children in their care. You’ll learn: How trauma changes the brain How to identify trauma-induced behaviors How to identify attachment disorders How to advocate for your child in the community. Get the help you need to better care for the children in your home. Discover how you can create a family and home that is safe and supportive so your children can grow to trust and become securely attached.

How Understanding Childhood Trauma Will Transform Your Parenting- A Handbook for Adoptive and Foster Parents

Securely Attached

The story began like a dream… A child is born with all the possibilities of a bright future. Nearby, a loving family waits for the son they have always dreamed of. When they become a family, little league, playdates, birthday parties and college scholarships all seem within the grasp of this all-American family. But when the fairy tale ended… The family realizes their precious child is struggling with the most basic developmental milestones, and they vow to love him more. However, the truth of their son’s condition is something that even the strongest family could not undo. His brain has been damaged by alcohol before he was even born. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder is the leading cause of birth defects and developmental disabilities in the United States… and there is no cure. One family’s powerful story of faith began. The fight to advocate for their son in a world that did not understand left this family feeling exhausted and hopeless. The isolation of their reality almost destroyed their marriage and their family, until they found strength in a community they never knew existed. They found families that were struggling too. They stepped out of isolation and together they found faith and hope once again.

Kristin Berry

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