UnProfessional Parenting

The Parenting Mirror - When Parenting Triggers Your Own Trauma

We dive into the hidden emotional impact of foster care and adoption on parents. This episode explores how parenting children from hard places can unexpectedly surface unresolved trauma, emotional triggers, and past wounds we thought were long behind us. As we navigate attachment, behavior, and trust, we often find ourselves confronting our own stories in powerful and sometimes uncomfortable ways. Designed for foster and adoptive parents, this honest conversation highlights the connection between trauma-informed parenting and personal healing. We unpack how increased self-awareness can lead to stronger relationships, healthier responses, and lasting transformation for both parents and children. If you’re parenting through foster care or adoption and feeling triggered, this episode will help you feel seen—and give you tools to grow through it.

Behind the Behavior - Understanding the hurt. Building safety at home.

When trauma shows up in your home, it rarely looks like fear — it looks like defiance, meltdowns, shutdowns, and power struggles.In this episode, we sit down with the Director of Therapeutic Services at A Door of Hope [https://www.adoorofhope.com/] and TBRI specialist, Shaleigh Schneider, to unpack what’s really happening underneath those big behaviors. Why do they exist? What is your child’s brain and body communicating? And how can parents move from reacting to regulating?We talk about what co-regulation actually looks like in real life, how to stay steady when emotions escalate, and practical tools you can use in the moment to help your child feel safe, seen, and deeply loved.If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by behaviors you don’t understand, this conversation will give you clarity, compassion, and concrete next steps for building safety at home.

The Truth About Becoming a Foster Parent - With Special Guest, Billy Babbino

If you’ve ever felt the nudge to foster but found yourself hesitating… this conversation is for you. This week we sit down with Billy Babbino, Director of Communications for A Door of Hope, who has spent years recruiting, training, and walking alongside foster families. Billy has seen the fears, the objections, the “what ifs,” and the incredible transformations that happen when families say yes. We talk about: • The most common reasons people hesitate to foster • What prospective parents are most afraid of • What actually happens when you take the first step If you feel the tug but aren’t sure you’re ready… this episode might be the clarity you’ve been praying for. If you'd like more information about becoming a Foster Parent - Sign up for A Door of Hope's Info Sessions by clicking HERE [https://www.adoorofhope.com/info-session]

After the Storm: Why Repair Builds Attachment

Big moments matter—but what happens after matters even more. In this episode, we talk about repair: the conversations, reconnections, and care that follow conflict, meltdown, or rupture. Through the lens of attachment and bonding, we unpack why repair—not perfection—is the foundation of trust with our kids, and how showing up after the hard moments can actually strengthen the relationship.

The The Attachment Gap: What Foster & Adoptive Parents Need to Know

Attachment and bonding don’t always come naturally in foster and adoptive homes—and that doesn’t mean anyone is failing. In this episode, we unpack some of the most common misconceptions foster and adoptive parents have about bonding and attachment, including the belief that love, time, and consistency alone will “fix” attachment struggles. We explore why foster and adopted children often struggle with healthy attachment, how early trauma, loss, and disrupted caregiving shape the nervous system, and why behaviors that look like rejection or defiance are often rooted in self-protection. Most importantly, we share practical, trauma-informed practices for the home—simple shifts that help create safety, build trust, and nurture connection over time. If attachment feels slow, confusing, or one-sided in your home, this conversation is for you. Bonding isn’t broken—it’s built differently.