The reason we are big proponents of Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) at our house is that it works for everyone. It doesn't matter if the children are adopted, birth or foster this stuff just works. Perhaps an explanation of our family dynamics would help to illustrate the point. I'll be brief. We have three [...]
Author: Ryan North
Ryan North is the Co-Founder of One Big Happy Home and creator of The Empowered Parent Podcast. He is a recognized expert on childhood trauma, a TBRI Practitioner, and develops training materials for parents, schools, churches, and child-placing agencies. Ryan is a sought-after speaker known for his engaging and practical approach to communicating complex issues clearly and relatable to a wide range of audiences.
Foster the People
Last Monday we opened our home to a twenty one month old little boy and his four day old sister. Being the home kids are placed in immediately after they are removed from their families is very surreal. It almost feels like you're watching a movie. I can only start to imagine how traumatic it [...]
A Fist Full of Dollars
We are all aware that a dollar doesn't buy what it used to anymore. It seems like dollar menus have fewer items, even songs on iTunes are a buck twenty-nine now. Everywhere you turn the dollar seems to be losing it's power. Except of course at the Dollar Tree. I had the day off today [...]
Healing Homes
I love music. I love listening to music, I love playing music, I love watching music, I love almost any kind of music. Pandora is on more than the TV at our house. One of my favorite artists is Third Day. Some years ago they released a song called Cry Out to Jesus. Here is [...]
Love Your Neighbor As Yourself
One of the most famous parables in the Bible is that of the Good Samaritan. It is, in fact, so famous we have Good Samaritan laws. It describes how we treat those we don't know. It does post an interesting and difficult question. It goes to the heart of something that we contemplate for our [...]
Where Expectations meet Beliefs
A few weeks ago we heard Jayne Schooler author of Wounded Children, Healing Homes speak at a conference. She discussed parent's expectations and foster/adoptive children's beliefs around the same issues. Very helpful and eye opening. Parent's thoughts are first, kids responses are in parenthesis and italicized. Our love will be enough; it will be returned [...]
How Do You Define Success?
Robert Louis Stevenson wrote one of the best definitions of success I have ever read a long time ago. Which is good because that's when he was alive. That Man is a Success Who has lived well, laughed often and loved much; Who has gained the respect of intelligent men and the love of children; [...]
Peace in the Valley
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he [...]
Honey for the hungry
My wife and were reading through Proverbs together at night after we put the kids to bed. When we read chapter 27 I had to stop and re-read verse 7. “He who is full loathes honey, but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet.” The catch 22 of parenting has never been more [...]
It ain’t easy
Being a foster parent is hard. I thought it would be easier when we started fostering all those years ago. And to some degree it was easier. We were younger. We didn't have any other kids. Starry eyed idealists I guess. But things are changing. We're getting older. We have three kids now and there [...]