In this episode, I talk with award-winning author and advocate, Keri Williams, about her two-decade journey as a foster and adoptive parent, highlighting the challenges of Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD). Keri shares her personal adoption experiences and the behavioral challenges she faced. She discusses navigating mental health systems, societal misconceptions, and the need for more support and resources for RAD caregivers. Join me for this enlightening conversation on parenting children with RAD and the importance of self-care and advocacy in the adoption community. All Rights Reserved ..read more

Sherrie interviews Julie Ryan McGue about  All Rights Reserved. @sherrieeldridge ..read more

Hi, my friends. Well, we're going to visit the subject of adoptee birthdays again today. I just recently had one. I'm well into my seventh decade of life, and I look back and I realize that there are so many things that I couldn't say or explain. About adoptee birthdays in my younger years, but I'd just kinda like to share with you the new thoughts that I have about birthdays so that maybe the whole triad adoptees, my fellow adoptees, birth parents, adoptive parents, foster parents, can glean some insights so that adoptees can learn to navigate those milestones in a healthy way. So, anyway, l ..read more

And I'm very excited about this guest that's going to be talking with me during the next segment. It is Susan Tebows, who is the author of, we've Been There, true Stories, surprising Insights, and Aha Moments for Adopted Teens. Susan is a writer, speaker, bible study leader and adoptive mom. And she's got such a heart for adoptees.  I was so taken by that. So fellow adoptees, I know you're gonna really like her insights in this book and in this podcast, she and her husband Mike have three adopted children from Siberia and they live in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She is the co-author of Befor ..read more

Ron Nydam, Ph.D., is a highly respected and beloved pastor, speaker, author, counselor, and teacher in the field of adoption.  For the last two decades, he educated international audiences about  relinquishment and adoption. These two topics are his specialty and he addresses them with the finesse of a skilled surgeon. His main audiences are: Adoptees struggling with the repercussions of relinquishment. First (Birth) parents, continuing to mourn their losses. Adoptive parents who can't understand the behavior of their teen and adult children. Ron has authored of two books: ADOPTEE ..read more

Dr. Ronald Nydam is a specialist in the field of adoption as a pastor, author, speaker, counselor, and teacher. His area of expertise is explaining the differences between adoption and relinquishment, while emphasizing that most people don't understand the depth of the power of relinquishment for the entire adoption triad. Dr. Nydam helps listeners understand that relinquishment sets in place the adoptee's distorted perceptions of both first and adoptive moms. Is there hope for recovery amidst these relationships? You bet! All Rights Reserved. https://sherrieeldridgeadoption.blog ..read more

Derek Clark’s life is one of resilience and redemption. As a child he suffered unthinkable child abuse, abandonment and emotional distress before being turned over to the psychiatric hospital at age five. His 13 years in the San Francisco bay area foster care system reflected an early life of humiliation, aggression, emotional distress, overwhelming anxiety and being wrongfully labeled. Eventually, with the help of loving foster parents and a fantastic social worker, he defied the artificial limitations imposed upon him. Derek knows first-hand how to cope with adversity and overcoming hardshi ..read more

Bronwen interviews Sherrie on a rare topic--adoptee anger. They discuss the two kinds of anger and emphasize the fact that anger itself is good--its a God-given emotion that warns us if something is wrong, like the red light on a dashboard.  Anger can become toxic when anger is stuffed and turns into bitterness and hate.  The unintentional adversarial relationship that often occurs between adoptive moms and their children is common, but its a topic that hasn't be addressed by adoption professionals, speakers, and therapists. Adoptees secretly attribute their lion-like anger to a pers ..read more

Bronwen Smith, a mom who adopted from Korea, shares the real-life struggles and joys of adopting internationally. Learn how she and her husband decided to adopt,  how they chose the country to adopt from, what it was like to take off in the plane with the knowledge that their son was leaving his entire home behind, and how they juggle joy and peace on a daily basis. All Rights Reserved. https://sherrieeldridgeadoption.blog ..read more

Sometimes, adopted kids see their adoptive moms as an enemy. Does that mean there's something wrong with them? Bad genes? Bad character? A million times, no! Adoptees have been deeply wounded, first through the loss of their first mothers, and second, by being placed into the arms of strangers. Learn four reasons adoptees see their moms like this and what moms can do to gain hope and endurance.  All Rights Reserved. https://sherrieeldridgeadoption.blog ..read more