Can You Just Sit with Me in This Mess?

09/14/21 • 71 min

Longtime foster parent and foster parent trainer, Kaleo George, opens up about the messiness of foster care.

In opening up about her personal experiences as a foster mom, Kaleo also paints a picture of how to navigate foster parenting in a way that honors both the complexities and families involved — and the beauty that arises when you show up to stand alongside someone in the messiness of life.

Topics covered include:

Placement disruptions
Attachment difficulties
Grief after placements end
Savior complex
Tensions inherent to the foster care system
Relationships with bio parents

We loved our time with Kaleo (she had so many mic drop moments we lost track) and hope you do too!

To see photos of Kaleo and her family, visit JustAsSpecial.com.

Longtime foster parent and foster parent trainer, Kaleo George, opens up about the messiness of foster care.

Topics covered include:

Placement disruptions
Attachment difficulties
Grief after placements end
Savior complex
Tensions inherent to the foster care system
Relationships with bio parents

We loved our time with Kaleo (she had so many mic drop moments we lost track) and hope you do too!

To see photos of Kaleo and her family, visit JustAsSpecial.com.

Previous Episode

This Foster Care Life: Past Trauma & Today's Brain

This is the second episode of our This Foster Care Life miniseries where we bring you multiple perspectives around the same topic.

Today's topic is how past trauma affects today's brain.

In this episode, you will hear from:

Diamond Kobylinski, a self-described former gay foster youth, who describes how coming out while in the system affected his emotional state.
Kaleo George, a longtime foster parent and foster parent trainer, about how her past trauma impacts her foster parenting.
Patti Swope, a therapist, former foster parent, and mom to former kid in care Mattie, about how to manage your own trauma as a foster parent.
Mattie Baker, Patti’s daughter, a former kid in care and current social worker, about the intensity of trauma.

This episode was created in partnership with Urban Leaders Fellowship and made possible by generous support from Cobbled Streets and the Colorado Association of Family and Children's Agencies.