In this episode of In Real Life: Foster Care Unfiltered, Tori, a foster and adoptive parent, shares her powerful story of building a family through foster care and transracial adoption.

A former educator, Tori opens up about her journey to fostering and adopting three children, the emotional ups and downs of parenting through trauma, and her experience as an African American mother raising Caucasian children. She reflects on identity, belonging, and how love and community can bridge cultural differences.

This heartfelt conversation highlights the realities of transracial adoption, the importance of diversity and representation, and the need for more families to open their hearts to fostering in North Carolina.

“Whether you birth them in your womb or birth them from your heart, love makes a family.” - Tori

What You Will Learn:

• Journey into foster care and adoption
• Decision-making process for fostering and adopting
• Background and motivations of the guest as an educator and advocate
• Experiences of fostering and adopting multiple children
• Challenges of transracial adoption in a southern context
• Navigating societal perceptions and assumptions about family dynamics
• Importance of preparing children for societal interactions and questions
• Representation in literature for diverse family structures
• Emphasis on love as the foundation of family and community
• Call to action for supporting vulnerable children and becoming foster parents

For more of Tori's story, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6nd50cQ9Xg&t=79s

Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction
(00:27) Meet Tori
(01:28) Journey to Fostering
(03:12) First Days
(06:13) Expanding the Family
(08:01) Early Reflections
(08:46) Navigating Transracial Adoption
(10:30) Transracial Parenting
(11:26) Talking About Race
(12:35) Facing Public Perceptions
(14:40) Addressing Trauma
(17:23) Open Communication
(18:51) Confidence & Representation
(25:29) Family Traditions
(26:42) Parenting Joys
(32:59) Birth Family Connections
(35:29) Belonging & Heritage
(37:09) Hopes for the Future
(39:25) Message to Future Foster Parents
(41:51) Closing

Episode Resources:

• Catch up on previous episodes of In Real Life: Foster Care Unfiltered here: https://chsnc.org/about/podcast/
• For more information about Children’s Home Society of North Carolina, visit: chsnc.org
• To be a guest on the podcast, email: inreallifepodcast@chsnc.org
• To learn more about foster care, visit: https://chsnc.org/adoption-and-foster-care/get-started/
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  • YouTube: @chsnc