Foster the Wallens with Sly and Kelly

Kelly and Sly
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Parenting

You don’t end up with seven kids by accident. We’re Kelly and Sly—parents of seven, former foster parents, and real-life navigators of chaos, love, and everything in between. Hard stories. Soft hearts. Fierce love. Foster the Wallens is an honest look at foster care, adoption, sibling groups, and what it really means to build a family in unexpected ways. After welcoming over 18 kids into our home, we’re sharing the highs, the heartbreak, and the moments that change you forever. It’s not perfect. It’s not polished. But it’s real. Come ride the roller coaster with us. 💛

Episodes

  1. 5d ago

    When Foster Wallen Turns to Forever a Wallen

    Send us Fan Mail Adoption doesn’t happen in one moment. It happens in deadlines, court continuances, sleepless nights, phone calls that stop your heart, and the slow work of helping kids feel safe enough to be kids again. We start with Grace’s private adoption, which went from “we just found out” to “she’s here” in about 30 days. That quick timeline still meant a home study, attorneys, references, and a whole lot of trust in the people helping us. It also became the doorway into foster care because we wanted our daughter to have siblings and a fuller family life. That choice led us straight into the foster-to-adopt reality: reunification plans, shifting goals, and learning how to do our job even when our emotions are all over the place. From there we get into what it’s like when a child comes back into care with siblings, how trauma shows up in protective “big sister” behavior, and why keeping sibling bonds intact can take constant effort outside the system’s default routine. We also talk about guardians ad litem, what their role is supposed to be, and why it’s scary when someone with real power barely knows the case. Then comes the long wait: permanent custody, moving houses for safety, agency turnover, COVID delays, endless paperwork, and the infamous child summary that sounds huge until you finally read it. We wrap with the courtroom day that makes it official, the celebration that made it real for our kids, and why “Forever Wallen” means more than a judge’s signature. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs a realistic foster care adoption story, and leave a review with your biggest question so we can follow up.

    46 min

  2. May 31

    The Relationship We Never Expected

    Send us Fan Mail The biggest surprise we didn’t expect in foster care wasn’t the paperwork, the routines, or even the heartbreak of saying goodbye. It was the biological families. When kids first came into our home, we were handed a snapshot of someone’s worst day and quietly taught to keep our distance, protect ourselves, and brace for drama. So we did. We made assumptions about bio moms and dads. We worried about safety. And if we’re being honest, we kind of believed the unspoken message that we were the “good guys” and they were the problem. Then real life humbled us. We started meeting parents who clearly loved their kids but were drowning in addiction, poverty, trauma, mental illness, lack of support, and impossible choices like missing visits because they couldn’t get off work or didn’t have transportation. We realized foster care is rarely simple, and people are rarely all good or all bad. In this episode, we talk about why kids still deeply miss their parents even after removal, how being taken from home can feel traumatic even when it’s necessary, and why visitation days can become some of the most emotionally intense days of the week for everyone involved. We also get honest about the things that frustrate foster families too — the junk food after visits, last-minute schedule changes, mixed communication, and even the emotional tug-of-war over small things like haircuts, clothes, routines, and control. Most importantly, we share what helped us stop clashing and start co-parenting better: using a Google Voice number, sending pictures and updates, asking parents what worked at bedtime, coordinating extra visits, and learning that boundaries and compassion can exist at the same time. If you foster, hope to foster, work in child welfare, or just want a more honest look at reunification and adoption, this conversation might challenge some easy narratives and help you better understand the people behind the case files. Subscribe, share, leave a review, and send us your questions for a future Q&A: What do you want to know about working with bio families?

    53 min

  3. May 17

    What If Loving Them Means Losing Them

    Send us Fan Mail The moment you realize a child you love is going home feels like someone suddenly knocked the wind out of you. One minute you’re packing lunches, folding tiny clothes, and building routines… and the next, you’re trying to figure out how to say goodbye to someone who became part of your family. This week on our foster care series, we’re talking about the hardest part of fostering: loving a child with your whole heart while knowing you may eventually have to let them go. We revisit our first placement story with Kamilla, including the emotional “plot twist” where we truly believed adoption was becoming the plan — until a conversation with the social worker changed everything. We talk honestly about how confusing the child welfare system can feel, the mixed messages foster parents sometimes receive, and how quickly reunification timelines can shift when you least expect it. For families who crave structure and certainty, that unpredictability can be devastating. But goodbye doesn’t just affect foster parents. We open up about the ripple effect attachment has on everyone in the home — siblings, grandparents, friends, and the people who loved these kids alongside us. We share what rapid transition visits looked like, the anxiety of not really knowing the biological family, and how fear and heartbreak can quietly turn foster parents and biological parents into “enemies” in each other’s minds, even when everyone ultimately wants what’s best for the child. We also share the things that helped us survive the grief: sending kids home with comfort items and photos, making sure they left knowing they were deeply loved, and the small coping mechanisms — like grief cleaning and staying busy — that helped us make it through the silence after they left. If you’ve ever thought, “I could never do foster care because I’d get too attached,” we understand that completely. And honestly? Attachment is the point. Loving them fully is the point. We hope this episode helps you better understand both the beauty and heartbreak of foster care. Subscribe, share this episode with someone curious about fostering, and leave a review so more families can find the show. And tell us — what question should we answer next?

    48 min

  4. May 10

    When The Call Finally Comes

    Send us Fan Mail What happens when the county number flashes across your phone… and you have only seconds to decide if your life is about to change forever? In this episode, we take you back to those early foster care days — the waiting, the anxiety, the fear, and the split-second “yes” that changed everything. We share the reality behind placement calls, what counties tell you (and what they don’t), and the pressure of trying to make huge decisions with almost no time to think. We open up about our very first placements, including the unforgettable Friday afternoon call for an 11-month-old experiencing neglect. From scrambling for childcare and supplies to walking into the agency with almost no idea what to expect, we relive the chaos, exhaustion, heartbreak, and beauty of that first night. We talk about: • the emotional rollercoaster after licensing and the home study • the pressure of making a fast yes-or-no decision • how couples navigate placement calls together • the realities working foster parents face trying to coordinate childcare • why our first placement experience was far from typical • bringing home a baby with little more than hope and adrenaline • guessing sizes, routines, food, and everything in between • the incredible village that showed up with diapers, pajamas, and dinner • the strange mix of joy and grief that foster care brings into your home This episode is messy, emotional, honest, and deeply personal — because foster care changes your home, but it also changes you. And if you’ve ever gotten “the call,” we would LOVE to hear your story too. 💛 If there’s something you want us to talk about, explain further, or questions you still have about foster care or adoption, let us know. Your questions could inspire a future episode.

    26 min

  5. Apr 25

    How To Get Licensed As Foster Parents Without Losing Your Mind

    Send us Fan Mail The foster care license is the part nobody glamorizes and it can test your schedule, your patience, and your confidence before a child ever walks through your door. We share what licensing looked like for us as a married couple and parents, from the first online inquiry to the moment the agency lays out the reality: training hours, home study visits, safety requirements, and a mountain of paperwork. We talk through the biggest decisions and the most common worries we hear from future foster parents. Should you choose a public county agency or a private agency? What changes when kids come from your local area versus hours away across the state? We also get honest about the doubts that show up fast: finances, childcare, home size, inspections, medical costs, and whether you have any say in the placements that come to your home. Along the way, we share what actually helped us get through it: staying organized with a simple binder system, bringing our daughter into age-appropriate conversations, and building a real support network. Foster parent training taught us about trauma, attachment, and reunification, but our village taught us how to survive the day-to-day, especially when the phone rings and life flips in minutes. If you’re researching how to become a foster parent, foster care licensing, foster parent training, or what a home study involves, this is the candid behind-the-scenes version. If this helped, subscribe so you don’t miss next week’s story about the first placement call, and please share the show with someone who’s been thinking about fostering. What part of the licensing process would make you hesitate the most?

    27 min

  6. Mar 30

    Meet the Wallens… Hard Stories, Soft Hearts, and a Whole Lot of Chaos

    Send us Fan Mail You don’t end up with seven kids by accident. We’re Kelly and Sly—and somewhere along the way, our home became the place where sibling groups land… and where love has to stretch further than the budget. Hard stories. Soft hearts. Fierce love. This is Foster the Wallens. Where foster care meets real life—and no one tells it perfectly. After more than a decade as foster parents and welcoming over 18 kids through our doors, we created Foster the Wallens to tell this story the way it actually happened—raw, real, and right from the middle of it. From the couch, the car rides, and everywhere this life has taken us. We start at the beginning—who we are, how our kids came to us through foster care and adoption, and why this season looks different now that we’ve chosen not to renew our foster license. We’re stepping into something new: raising our forever kids… while also realizing we’re somehow parents of an adult with graduation around the corner. Then we rewind—back to what led us here. The fears we didn’t say out loud. The myths people believe about fostering. The moments that changed everything—like meeting our first placement, realizing how much something as simple as a birthday party can matter, and watching our daughter grow into a more selfless, compassionate human because of the kids who came through our home. If you care about foster care, adoption, sibling groups, reunification, trauma-informed parenting—or you just want a real, honest look at what this life actually feels like—come ride the roller coaster with us. Hard stories. Soft hearts. Fierce love. This is Foster the Wallens… reminding you that even in the hardest moments, love still shows up. Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show. 💛

    29 min
  • 6 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

You don’t end up with seven kids by accident. We’re Kelly and Sly—parents of seven, former foster parents, and real-life navigators of chaos, love, and everything in between. Hard stories. Soft hearts. Fierce love. Foster the Wallens is an honest look at foster care, adoption, sibling groups, and what it really means to build a family in unexpected ways. After welcoming over 18 kids into our home, we’re sharing the highs, the heartbreak, and the moments that change you forever. It’s not perfect. It’s not polished. But it’s real. Come ride the roller coaster with us. 💛

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