How to Survive Summer Without Losing Your Mind (or Your Joy)

How to Survive Summer Without Losing Your Mind (or Your Joy)

Summer is supposed to be the season of slowing down, making memories, and enjoying extra time together as a family. But for many foster, adoptive, and biological families, summer can quickly feel overwhelming. The routines disappear. The schedules change. The snacks never end. The laundry piles up. The house is never quite clean. And somehow everyone is hungry again twenty minutes after they just ate. In this episode, Jason and Whitney share an honest conversation about navigating summer as foster parents raising a large family. From managing camps, appointments, technology, and chores to handling emotional dysregulation, changing routines, and the unique challenges children from hard places often face, they discuss practical ways to survive the summer season while still enjoying it. Summer can be especially challenging for children who thrive on predictability. For many foster and adoptive families, the structure provided by school creates a sense of safety and stability. When that routine suddenly disappears, children may struggle with increased anxiety, emotional outbursts, boredom, or behavioral challenges. At the same time, parents often feel pressure to create the "perfect summer" filled with activities, trips, and memorable experiences. Jason and Whitney challenge that mindset by encouraging families to focus less on perfection and more on connection. Some of the most meaningful memories are often found in the simplest moments: family walks, backyard adventures, jumping on the trampoline in the rain, or spending uninterrupted time together. In This Episode: • Why summer can feel more difficult than expected for foster and adoptive families • The importance of balancing freedom with structure • How routines create safety and stability for children • Why boredom can actually be healthy and productive • Managing technology and encouraging creativity • Practical tips for camps, appointments, transportation, and scheduling • Pool safety reminders every parent should hear • Setting healthy boundaries and protecting your family's peace • Why children often remember simple moments more than expensive experiences • How to create meaningful summer memories without exhausting yourself Our Challenge For You This Week Take a few minutes as a family and ask a simple question: What do we want this summer to feel like? Not what you want to spend. Not what you want to accomplish. Not what everyone else is posting on social media. What memories do you want to make? What family rhythms do you want to build? What moments of connection do you want to create? Then choose one simple step this week that moves your family in that direction. Maybe it's a family walk. Maybe it's a backyard movie night. Maybe it's a tech-free evening. Maybe it's simply being more present with your children. The most meaningful summers are rarely the busiest ones. Support Dream Small If Dream Small has encouraged you in your foster care, adoption, parenting, or faith journey, would you consider supporting the podcast? Your support helps us continue creating conversations that encourage families and shine a light on the realities of foster care. Support the podcast at: https://www.dreamsmallpodcast.com/support [https://www.dreamsmallpodcast.com/support] Invite Dream Small To Speak Jason and Whitney regularly speak at churches, foster parent groups, conferences, and community events about foster care, adoption, faith, leadership, and building strong families. For speaking inquiries, contact: dreamsmallpodcast@gmail.com Connect With Dream Small Facebook: Dream Small Podcast Instagram: @dreamsmallpodcast YouTube: Dream Small Podcast Music Credit "Paradise Found" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons.

What Happened After We Said Yes To Foster Care | 8 Years Later

What Happened After We Said Yes To Foster Care Eight years ago, we said yes to foster care. At the time, we had no idea how much that simple decision would change our lives. We couldn't have imagined the children who would come through our home, the adoptions that would follow, the reunifications we would celebrate, or the lessons God would teach us along the way. For our 50th episode, we're taking a step back and sharing the story behind Dream Small. What began after the heartbreak of a miscarriage eventually led us into foster care. We talk about how we first became licensed, what it was like welcoming our very first placement, the trauma that opened our eyes to realities we had never fully understood, and the moments that shaped our family over the past eight years. Along the way, we've welcomed 14 foster placements into our home, adopted three incredible children, experienced both heartbreak and joy, and learned that God often works through ordinary acts of obedience. In this episode, we share the hardest parts of foster care, the beautiful moments that made it worthwhile, the importance of community, and why we continue to trust God with whatever comes next. Whether you've been listening since the beginning or you're brand new to Dream Small, this episode is the most complete version of our story we've ever shared. In This Episode • How a miscarriage helped launch our foster care journey • Why we chose foster care before adoption • The story of our first placement and the lessons that changed us forever • What we've learned from eight years of foster care • The hardest realities foster families face • The beauty of reunification, adoption, and healing • How community carried us through difficult seasons • Why saying yes to God changed our family forever • The Scriptures that sustained us throughout the journey • The story behind the name Dream Small Key Scriptures Galatians 6:9 Luke 16:10 2 Corinthians 4:18 Romans 12:1 Support The Podcast [https://dream-small-podcast.captivate.fm/support] Speaking Requests If your church, conference, or organization would like Jason and Whitney to speak about foster care, adoption, faith, leadership, or living a meaningful life through small acts of faithfulness, you can contact them at: dreamsmallpodcast@gmail.com [dreamsmallpodcast@gmail.com] Join our weekly devotional newsletter here: https://captivate.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c75f5dfcf9d690c6c9f256d22&id=d17b98130b [https://captivate.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c75f5dfcf9d690c6c9f256d22&id=d17b98130b] Follow & Contact Email: dreamsmallpodcast@gmail.com [dreamsmallpodcast@gmail.com] Instagram: @dreamsmallpodcast Facebook: Dream Small Podcast Twitter/X: @DreamSmallShow Music Credit "Paradise Found" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons.

No Child Should Spend Their Worst Day In A Cubicle | Jenni Tice of Lily Pad

What happens to children in the hours after they enter foster care? Most people never think about it. They picture courtrooms, foster homes, case workers, and placements. But before any of that happens, many children spend hours and sometimes even nights sitting in government offices, conference rooms, and cubicles waiting to learn where they will sleep, whether they will stay with siblings, and what comes next. In this episode, we sit down with Jenni Tice, co founder and Executive Director of Lily Pad [https://www.lilypadinc.org/?utm_source=chatgpt.com], a faith based nonprofit creating trauma informed spaces for children experiencing foster care and victims of trauma. What began as one foster family's desire to do something better has grown into dozens of transformed spaces across South Carolina with expansion now reaching other states. Lily Pad creates living room style environments inside DSS offices and law enforcement agencies so children and vulnerable individuals have “a soft place to land” during some of the hardest moments of their lives. Jenni and her husband Ben have fostered more than 40 children over fourteen years. Their own foster journey included adoption, reunification, heartbreak, and eventually meeting Ashlyn, a former foster youth whose story helped inspire the creation of Lily Pad. During our conversation we discuss: * Jenni and Ben’s foster care journey and how saying “yes” changed their family * The heartbreaking moment that sparked Lily Pad’s mission * What children actually experience while waiting in DSS offices * Why trauma informed environments matter * The role churches and volunteers play in maintaining Lily Pad spaces * How Lily Pad expanded from one room to more than 40 locations * Expansion into law enforcement spaces supporting children and victims of trauma * The power of dignity, compassion, and creating safe spaces This conversation is emotional, hopeful, and deeply practical. It is also a reminder that not everyone is called to foster, but everyone can help create a softer landing place for children and families in crisis. Learn more about Lily Pad, see room transformations, donate, or volunteer here: Website: Lily Pad Official Website [https://www.lilypadinc.org/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Room Gallery: Lily Pad Before & After Rooms [https://www.lilypadinc.org/lilypadroomsbeforeandafter?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Instagram: @lily.pad.inc [https://www.instagram.com/lily.pad.inc/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Support The Podcast [https://dream-small-podcast.captivate.fm/support] Speaking Requests If your church, conference, or organization would like Jason and Whitney to speak about foster care, adoption, faith, leadership, or living a meaningful life through small acts of faithfulness, you can contact them at: dreamsmallpodcast@gmail.com [dreamsmallpodcast@gmail.com] Join our weekly devotional newsletter here: https://captivate.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c75f5dfcf9d690c6c9f256d22&id=d17b98130b [https://captivate.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c75f5dfcf9d690c6c9f256d22&id=d17b98130b] Follow & Contact Email: dreamsmallpodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @dreamsmallpodcast Facebook: Dream Small Podcast Twitter/X: @DreamSmallShow Music Credit "Paradise Found" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons.

What Foster Parents Wish You Knew: Insights and Realities

May is Foster Care Awareness Month, and in this episode we wanted to do something different. Instead of only sharing our own thoughts, we asked foster parents what they wish everyone else understood about foster care. Their responses were honest, vulnerable, challenging, and deeply insightful. We talked about comments foster families hear all the time: * “I could never do foster care because I’d get too attached.” * “They’re lucky to have you.” * “You knew what you were signing up for.” Most people who say these things mean well. We know that. But this episode is an invitation to see foster care from the inside and understand the realities many families live every day. We discuss: * why foster parents do become deeply attached * why attachment is actually healthy and necessary * trauma and why it changes parenting * misconceptions around adoption and healing * biological parents and compassion * reunification and complicated grief * how foster care impacts biological children too * why foster parents need support more than praise * practical ways anyone can help foster families We also share stories from our own journey and highlight people in our community who have stepped in and made an incredible difference for our family. Our hope is simple: * More understanding. * More compassion. * More support. * Because you do not have to foster to make a difference. Support The Podcast https://dream-small-podcast.captivate.fm/support [https://dream-small-podcast.captivate.fm/support] Speaking Requests If your church, conference, or organization would like Jason and Whitney to speak about foster care, adoption, faith, leadership, or living a meaningful life through small acts of faithfulness, you can contact them at: dreamsmallpodcast@gmail.com [dreamsmallpodcast@gmail.com] Join our weekly devotional newsletter here: https://captivate.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c75f5dfcf9d690c6c9f256d22&id=d17b98130b [https://captivate.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c75f5dfcf9d690c6c9f256d22&id=d17b98130b] Follow & Contact Email: dreamsmallpodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @dreamsmallpodcast Facebook: Dream Small Podcast Twitter/X: @DreamSmallShow Music Credit "Paradise Found" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons.

We Blame Foster Care Case Workers For A Broken System They Didn’t Create

What is it really like to be a foster care case worker? In this powerful and emotional conversation, we sit down with former Indiana DCS case worker, foster/adoptive mom, and child advocate Moriah Coons to talk about the side of foster care most people never see. From overwhelming caseloads and dangerous home visits to heartbreaking court decisions and emotional burnout, Moriah gives an honest look at the impossible weight many case workers carry every single day. She shares stories from the front lines of child welfare that reveal just how complicated the foster care system really is and why so many good case workers end up exhausted, overwhelmed, and misunderstood. But this conversation is not about defending a broken system. It is about humanizing the people inside it. Moriah also shares incredible moments of hope and redemption, including adoption stories, reunifications, and the moments that reminded her why the work mattered in the first place. Whether you are a foster parent, adoptive parent, CASA worker, social worker, church leader, or someone simply trying to better understand foster care, this episode will challenge the way you think about the system and the people trying to hold it together. In this episode, we discuss: * What foster care case workers actually face behind the scenes * Why communication can feel so difficult in foster care cases * The emotional toll of carrying impossible decisions * How judges, policies, and courts impact child safety decisions * Why many foster care workers burn out * Threats, trauma, and overwhelming caseloads * The heartbreaking realities of neglect and domestic violence cases * How churches and foster families can support case workers * Stories of adoption, healing, and redemption Some moments from this episode that will stick with us: * “Every single time I walked up the stairs, I was terrified the baby would be dead.” * “They’re not thriving. They’re surviving.” * “For every one bad egg, there’s a million more trying to do the right thing.” * “They’re just normal people trying to make a difference.” Moriah Coons was born and raised in Texas and studied Bible, Theology, Children’s Ministry, and Special Needs Ministry at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. She served as a Family Case Manager with Indiana DCS before transitioning into victim advocacy and domestic violence support work. Today, she serves as the Foster And Adoption Family Support Lead at Trader’s Point Christian Church (https://tpcc.org/fam [https://tpcc.org/fam]). Moriah and her husband Austin were licensed foster parents for nearly four years and recently adopted a sibling group of three. She also serves on the Executive Board for Champions For Children, an organization focused on making Indiana children safer. If this episode encouraged or challenged you, would you take a moment to follow the show, leave a review, and share this episode with someone else? Those small actions truly help us continue growing this community and spreading awareness around foster care, adoption, and living faithfully right where God has placed us. Support The Podcast https://dream-small-podcast.captivate.fm/support [https://dream-small-podcast.captivate.fm/support] Speaking Requests If your church, conference, or organization would like Jason and Whitney to speak about foster care, adoption, faith, leadership, or living a meaningful life through small acts of faithfulness, you can contact them at: dreamsmallpodcast@gmail.com Join our weekly devotional newsletter here: https://captivate.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c75f5dfcf9d690c6c9f256d22&id=d17b98130b [https://captivate.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c75f5dfcf9d690c6c9f256d22&id=d17b98130b] Follow & Contact Email: dreamsmallpodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @dreamsmallpodcast Facebook: Dream Small Podcast Twitter/X: @DreamSmallShow Music Credit "Paradise Found" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons.