Birds In A Tree Bridget Manley

Lacey is a supermom. She won't tell you that, but she is. Knowing she wanted to be a mother, and realizing at 25 that she might not be on a traditional route to motherhood, Lacey decided to explore foster parenting. After completing the training, Lacey received a call at four in the morning that changed her life. She is now the mother of six girls who are all biological sisters. We talk in this episode all about becoming a foster parent and an adoptive parent, mustering the courage to have empathy for biological parents who cannot care for their children, and her late night conversations that have altered the course of her life. 

Kaitlin is raising her son Oliver and navigating a co-parenting relationship with her ex-wife. Kaitlin admits that although after five years of marriage she thought that they both wanted to have a baby, however in hindsight feels as though her ex-wife wasn't fully prepared to make such a major life change. Now the two navigate a co-parenting relationship together and try to make Oliver the main focus of their decisions.

Ingrid and her partner have one son and live in Canada. Ingrid admits that she never really thought she wanted to be a mother, but when the feeling hit she couldn't think of anything else. Their journey to parenthood is its own great story and makes the bonds of a family even more special. Giving birth in Canada, Ingrid says that through their publicly funded healthcare system, they never see a medical bill. Not even when their newborn son had a health scare, the cost of the NICU and treatment were taken care of. We talk about the differences between America and Canada, why she is happy to raise her son in a country that values the resources that help new parents, and the sadness of watching her home country grapple with issues that are valued and taken care of in her adopted home.

Melissa and her husband have always had a love of the outdoors. As avid climbers, hikers, bikers, skiers, and campers, they are now raising a daughter to love these activities as much as they do. Even though Melissa admits they can't be as extreme as they were before children, they are giving their daughter every opportunity to cultivate her own love of nature and activity and that gives them the opportunity to enjoy what they love as a family. 

Fern is the mother two boys, one of whom has autism. Fern admits that because her son didn't fit into a typical autism mold - he made eye contact, loved to cuddle - she didn't believe that he could be autistic. However, as months passed and doctors, friends, and family asked more questions, Fern had a long conversation with herself and realized that she needed to face any diagnosis head on and without anymore denial. She said that was the moment that the fear went away and they began to seek treatment for her son. We talk all about what it's like to notice changes in your child and when it becomes clear to seek help, how to unclench as a parent and begin to enjoy the life of parenting, and the difficulty of putting aside your own interests when you are fully engulfed in parenting.  

Veronica is the mother of two sons and has been sober from alcohol and drugs for over 17 years. As a licensed therapist and recovery coach, Veronica has spent most of her adult life working with others to maintain their sobriety. Veronica has written two popular books on the subject - Why You Drink And How To Stop: Journey To Freedom and Get Sober For Free: Your Practical Guide. She also conducts lectures and workshops on alcoholism, addiction, and spirituality. We talk all about parenting in sobriety, how to talk to your children about addiction, and the freedom sobriety brings to life.
You can find Veronica at www.veronicavalli.com, on Twitter at @veronicavalli, and on Facebook at Veronica Valli Soberful.