Birds In A Tree

Bridget Manley
  • 5.0 (19)
  • KIDS & FAMILY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Birds In A Tree features stories about parenting. Topics include family, birth, adoption, fostering, autism, military, stepchildren, loss, addiction, ADHD, politics and everything in between. We focus on the good, the bad, the hard and the glorious. Through each story, we hope to find the bond and similarities that we all share.

  1. 03/13/2018

    Lacey - "I Had Four Little Girls Come To My House In The Middle Of The Night...That Started My Journey Into Motherhood"

    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.

    39 min

  2. 03/06/2018

    Kaitlin - "I Was A Little Too Focused On What I Thought The Bigger Picture For Us Should Have Been, Rather Than Her Big Picture In Her Mind"

    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.

    22 min

  3. 02/27/2018

    Ingrid - "You Never See A Bill...As Long As Your Baby Or You Need To Be Taken Care Of, It's Done"

    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.

    32 min

  4. 02/20/2018

    Melissa - "I Don't Want To Do Things That Will Leave A Bad Taste In Her Mouth; I Want Her To Do What We Want To Do"

    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.

    37 min

  5. 02/13/2018

    Fern - "My Level Of Denial Got Deeper And Outside Pressure To Do Something Got Stronger...It Created A Lot Of Emotional Turmoil"

    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.

    31 min

  6. 02/06/2018

    Veronica - "My Kids Are Going To Go Into This World, How Can I Arm Them Against Alcoholism And Addiction? Because It's Just So Prevalent"

    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.

    30 min

  7. 01/30/2018

    Melissa - "She's The Perfect Person In My Eyes, So It's Hard To Do What She Did, But I Try To Do The Best That I Can In Her Memory"

    Melissa and her husband have one son, Miles, and have decided that they are a one-child family. What makes her choice to have one child interesting is that Melissa is one of six sisters - born eight and a half years apart. Melissa and her sisters have always had a unique bond - and even though they live all over the country, they have stayed the best of friends. Tragically, their mother passed away when they were teenagers, and as they have become parents they have tried to keep her memory alive in their children. We talk about parenting after the loss of a parent, what being a teacher means when you are a mother, and what having a son is like after living with so many women.

    17 min

  8. 01/16/2018

    Katie - "You Just Go Where The Work Is...We Call It The Freeway Philharmonic"

    Katie and her husband are raising two children, and have spent their careers are professional classical working musicians. Meeting in college, they both knew that they would be moving and traveling as part of their work. Now that they are raising children, she feels fortunate to surround the kids with classical music and talented musicians but knows that it also means long hours traveling to gigs and lots of hotels. Fortunately, her kids love staying in hotels. We talk all about the pros and cons of being a professional musician, the difficulty of trying to teach your own children when you are a professional teacher to so many others, and what it's like to go into labor when you are about to play an important solo.

    32 min
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5
out of 5
19 Ratings

About

Birds In A Tree features stories about parenting. Topics include family, birth, adoption, fostering, autism, military, stepchildren, loss, addiction, ADHD, politics and everything in between. We focus on the good, the bad, the hard and the glorious. Through each story, we hope to find the bond and similarities that we all share.

Information

  • Creator
    Bridget Manley
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2018
  • Episodes
    62
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Birds In A Tree