Episode 82: What I Wish I Knew About Adoption with Jamie Ivey

In this bonus episode in honor of National Adoption Day on November 19, Jamie Ivey shares what she wishes she and her husband knew when they started the adoption process, and talks about her new parenting podcast.

Automated Transcript

Sissy Goff

Welcome to the Raising Boys and Girls podcast. I'm Sissy Goff.

David Thomas

I'm David Thomas.

Melissa Trevathan

And I'm Melissa Trevathan.

Sissy

And we are so glad you've set aside a few minutes to spend with us today. In each episode of this podcast, we'll share some of what we're learning in the work we do with kids and families on a daily basis at Bazaar Counseling in Nashville, Tennessee. Our goal is to help you care for the kids in your life with a little more understanding, a little more practical help, and a whole lot of hope. So pull up a chair and join us on this journey from our little yellow house to yours.

Sissy

David, I can't believe we're so close to Christmas. I love that season.

David

I can't believe it either. Have you started your shopping?

Sissy

Not yet, but I may need to start thinking ahead.

David

My only complaint is that once the Hallmark Christmas movie start up, I lose half my extended family to the television.

Sissy

David, you could sound more informed if you checked out our neighbors at the Safe Network deck, the Hallmark podcast.

David

Yes, I could join Brandon and Friends as they attempt to watch and review made for TV movies. Just a bunch of pals watching made for TV movies.

Sissy

Brandon Gray and Daniel Thompson are two dads from South Carolina and the hosts of DEC The Hallmark, a podcast that has been ranked in Apple Podcasts Top 15 overall and Top five comedy. Within the first year, the program received 1 million downloads and was featured on Good Morning America and Nightline and in the pages of our Southern Living, Cosmopolitan and Esquire.

David

Episodes are released daily. More information can be found at DEC. The Hallmark icon.

Sissy

Jamie Ivey is the creator and host of the popular podcast The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey, a central gathering place for talking about Life and Jesus, author of If You Only Knew You Be You and her children's book, God Made You to Be You. Jamie and her husband Aaron make their home for six in Austin, Texas. Jamie, we are so excited to have you on The Rising Boys and Girls podcast.

Sissy

Thank you for being with us.

Jamie Ivey

Well, thank you for having me. I'm raising a bunch of boys and a girl, so I guess I enjoyed Ed.

Sissy

Yes. And I was thinking the way my brain works is I remember locations and I remember where I was sitting. I think I was sitting. And you came off of an elevator and the convention center in Nashville. We were all at the same event. And you and I started talking and I remember going to David later and saying, I just met the most delightful person.

Sissy

Her name's Jamie Abby. She was awesome. And then it feels like it was like three years before we intersected again in any way.

Jamie

But I actually, believe or not, had the worst memory around. But I remember moments as well. And I remember that as well. Because you were sitting down. Yes. And I think you have some books with you or something. Look at this. So. Yeah, yeah. Well, thank you.

Sissy

Thank you. Well, it's just fun to have watched you since then and all the amazing things you have put out into the world.

Jamie

Thanks, guys.

Sissy

So grateful. Yes. And in fact, that kind of leads me to my first question. Usually we talk with folks on the podcast about their latest work. And I think since I have talked to you, you have probably written five books and started three new podcasts. You are doing so many things. So we want to hear obviously a little bit about your story and just how you got started with writing and podcasting and all the different things you're doing now.

Jamie

Yeah, well, thank you so much. And it does feel like I've written five books in the last year, which is not true, but it feels like that a little bit, so a little bit of my podcasting journey. So I started my show, The Happy Hour, which Suzy has been on, and it's one of my top favorite episodes ever because it was really just a counseling session for me.

Jamie

I was like, Anyone else can listen, but this is just for me, people.

Sissy

We had a lot of fun.

Jamie

We did. I started the show in 2014, so it's been eight years and it's been really, really fun. Ride But the longest version of this story cut down to super short because Who Cares is that in 2011 I won a contest here in Austin, Texas, to be a radio show DJ on a morning show. You did? Yes. Wow.

Jamie

So there was an established morning show that I listen to. And one day I was driving and they said they were having an open casting call and I had zero experience. I'd never been on stage. I never spoke to the microphone. Anything you see Jamie Ivey doing today was non-existent. I was a stay at home mom. I was going to go back to teaching school and my kids grew up and went back to school.

Jamie

So I just tried. I actually look back and I'm like, I don't even know who that Jamie because that's a little out of my comfort zone. How, but I sent in a demo in months and months and I ended up winning that job. And so I started a career which I thought was going to be a career, and I loved it.

Jamie

You guys, I would show up in the morning and it was just so much fun. We went live at six, but that was in 2011 and we'll probably talk about what I'm about to say next a little bit. In 2010, my last child came home through adoption, and so three of our kids joined our family through adoption. Our oldest is biological, so he joined our family in January of 2010 from Haiti.

Jamie

And this was a year later. And Mom went to work full time. And it's like everything fell apart at my house. I mean, everything fell apart. And I had to make I always say, like one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make because it didn't feel fair. I was, like, frustrated. Like I feel like I finally found something for myself and now my kids are keeping me from it.

Jamie

And that sounds drastic, but I prayed about it and really was like and I would choose it a million times over. I would obviously choose my children. So I quit after four months. And now the only dynamic that had changed in our house was mom went to work full time. And so there was no question as to I needed to come home and I'm grateful that I had the privilege to do that because being a stay at home mom is a privilege.

Jamie

And so anyhow, that put this little bug in me and a couple of years later I thought, I'm just going to try this thing. And so I just tried it. I recorded a podcast, I didn't know what I was doing. And here we are eight years later.

Sissy

How and how many podcasts really do you have?

Jamie

Okay, so I have the happy hour. My husband and I have a show that we put two seasons out called On the Other Side, and then I'm hosting a podcast called Launch with my friend Lisa Weddle, and it's all about launching Kids into the World, which really I don't know why we're hosting it. We should have you guys hosting it, but whatever, we're just two moms over here.

Sissy

Maybe we can come be on it with something I would adore.

Jamie

I would love that so much. And then we help people launch other podcasts as well. We have Ivy Media podcasts where we help people chase those dreams of podcasting and it's just a lot of fun.

Sissy

That's amazing.

David

It is unbelievable. And as you're telling us about that, where you mention your family, will you tell us a little bit more about your husband and your kids?

Jamie

Yeah. So my husband, Aaron and I have been married almost 21 years.

David

Congratulations.

Jamie

Thank you. He's a pastor here in Austin at the church we've been at for about I don't know, 13, 14 years. And then we have four kids. Our oldest is our only biological. He is 18 graduating at the time of this recording in just a few weeks, which is just I could cry, even though I'm so deeply excited for him and what's ahead.

Jamie

And then our next is our son, who came home from Haiti. He was four and a half when he came home. The next is a son that we adopted domestically. He was born in Texas. He's been with us since day one. And then the final little Ivy Bunch is our daughter, who was also born in Haiti and came home right around two years old.

Jamie

So that's us. We're just one big, crazy, loud people. And we got three dogs. We don't even know what we're doing with our life except for this crazy.

Sissy

I just love hearing about that I can picture. I mean, I feel like I've watched on social media, maybe it was during the pandemic y'all would do a lot of things in your house. Yes. Like I've lived in there a little bit with you all. Mm. So we're so excited to talk to you about adoption and run across so many different folks who ask different questions about that and so would love to hear how you felt called to adoption and what that journey has been like for you, that part of your story.

Jamie

You know, it's interesting because I had not thought or heard anything that I remember about adoption growing up as a child. I don't remember one person that I knew was adopted as a young adult. I don't remember hearing people talk about adoption. And so because three of our kids joined our family through adoption, a lot of people would assume, like Erin and I got married and were like, you know what?

Jamie

We want to adopt one day. And honestly, that never came out of our mouths until it started happening. I just say it was God and I don't even understand that fully, except for I've walked this path. And so when we were newlyweds, we had our first son after we'd been married about a year and a half, which was a lot sooner than we had planned.

Jamie

But that's just how God works. And we were attending a church where a lot of families were adopting children, girls, particularly from China. And so it was kind of this first experience we'd ever seen of families being formed through adoption. We were so naive. I mean, I look back and I think about that girl and the things she said, the things she thought are embarrassing.

Jamie

Now, as you know, walking this road for almost 17 years. But it's all we knew. And so I remember I walked closely with a friend. We worked in the same place as she was bringing her daughter home. And it just my eyes were just opened and I had never even thought ever about this. And so when our son, our biological son was about nine months old and I walked into an adoption agency, like too naive not knowing a thing, kids, not a penny to their name, but we're like, Hey, we don't know what we're doing.

Jamie

And we literally said to them, We have no idea, but we just want to see what it would look like for us to adopt. And at that time, at that agency, it was a national actually, they told us we have a really big need for parents who are willing and open to adopt biracial or black boys. And so, again, very naive.

Jamie

Yeah, sure. And so that's what led us on our first adoption. And then I went on a trip to Haiti and it sounds so crazy. We did not intend on walking this path and God just kept moving us down it because I have no idea if I have fertility issues, but we just got just kept opening doors and we kept walking through them.

Jamie

And then the next thing you know, we have four kids. So that's that's basically how it happened. The doors are opening. We walked through and here we are, you know, and so adoption is complex. You guys know this. I'm not telling you anything you don't know. I've learned so much. I talk about it as a public person, as a very like general place, because these are my real kids with real lives and real stories and real emotions and they did not ask for mom who talks about adoption.

Jamie

And so it's been a beautiful, hard journey for everybody involved. Yeah, that's kind of how we got where we are now.

David

Thank you, Sissy. We've been talking a lot about the Explore Bible for kids around here lately.

Sissy

Yes, we have. That's because it's such an incredible tool for kids to engage with God's word.

David

I mean, let's face it, with everything else, kids have to distract them. It's going to take a pretty special Bible to grab their attention.

Sissy

It is true. I wish all kids knew just how much the Bible can positively impact their lives, but that's something they have to learn. The more they grow to love it.

David

Right? But they can't grow to love God's word unless they read it. And that's why we're so excited about the explore bible for kids.

Sissy

Exac. Actually the Explorer Bible is more readable and has so many engaging elements right within the pages. Fun facts, timelines, photos.

David

And the QR code that opens up even more fun like videos and coloring pages.

Sissy

This Bible is really so much fun. What's even more fun? Our listeners can get 50% off using our special discount code. Buy your copy of the Explorer Bible for Kids Today at Life Wacom and get 50% off using code RB G.

David

Jamey, what is one thing you've learned through that journey that you would say to parents who are considering adoption?

Jamie

Early on, I had this very Pollyanna esque view of forming a family this way, and there's this embed scene, very savior complex that I probably would have categorized myself as as that 27 year old girl of just this idea of I have everything in the world to give this child. I'm going to rescue them for whatever life they might have had.

Jamie

And it's tricky because realities are two of my children were in a third world country, so they do have more advantage here. They have more options for life here. But I don't look it the same way as I did. Probably as a 27 year old girl anymore. I think that puts a lot of pressure on kids to grow up in homes where the parents might have this, whether spoken or unspoken, like, I saved you.

Jamie

Don't you know that like you be nothing without me? And I don't think parents are saying that, but you can make that assumption, the feeling. And so I think looking back, man, if I were to talk to myself, then I would tell myself that like, love doesn't solve all problems. Love is awesome, but love does not solve all problems.

Jamie

And that is a lie that I believed for a long time. And I think I would have told myself to read and read and listen and listen and investigate and investigate and just care about ideas from other people. Like and what I mean by that is to not just hear from adoptive families, but also hear from adopted children and to also hear from birth parents and just to kind of hear all sides to the thing, to the little adoption triad.

Jamie

So it wouldn't be so self-centered. I mean, I look back and you guys, I'm like a public confessor, which is like, I just hope I make somebody feel like they're not as bad as me. But I look back and I think to myself, Man, it was a lot about you at the beginning. Jamie And that's embarrassing to say, but it can't say that long for very long and to have a healthy, happy family.

Jamie

And so I kind of had to learn that the hard way. And I don't mean that. I was like, Oh, I want these children to make me complete. Maybe I felt that way. I don't know. The church at that time was really elevating adoptive families. This is a longer conversation, and I'm going to let you guys get to your next question.

Jamie

But one of the things that I felt was not the best thing for families in that moment is there was a lot of like, everyone adopt. If you're Christian, you should adopt, go adopt. Okay, you have your children. Okay, now we're on to the next thing and we just some of us were left kind of going, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

Jamie

Like you told us to do this. And now my child needs help and I need help. And this is, you know, just trauma upon trauma for everyone's life. And so I would learn more. I wouldn't have just walked in thinking, you know what, I'm a Christian, so I should adopt. I think I would have had a different idea.

Sissy

That's so interesting, because as you were answering that in the beginning, it reminded me of a family that we have known here. I don't remember how many kids they have. It's like nine. I mean, it's an insane amount of children and I think four or five of them at least are adopted. And I remember specifically her saying, there are two things I've learned on this journey.

Sissy

One is love is not enough, which is exactly what you just said. And she said, the other is what works with one does not work with the next.

Jamie

100%. Yeah. And you think you know that like of course, that's probably the same with biological kids as well. Right? But you're just having so many more complexities come into the picture. And I think another thing you guys I remember there was this moment when after my son came home, I went from like two kids to four kids in three months to those kids coming home from a third world country with there's a lot of dynamics that go into play there.

Jamie

And I remember at one point I was just like, this is so hard. And I was like, I'm struggling. It was me centric, right? Me This is hard on me. This is so hard. La la la la la. My gosh, give me a break, Jamie. But all the things. And then I had this moment where I think I was looking at my son and I thought to myself, Have you thought at all, Jamie, about how hard this fight like this makes me cry?

Jamie

Because I can't believe it? Have you thought at all how hard this might be for him? Like he's four and a half? You'd ask for this life like you to ask for any of this. And me, a guy just really threw me up against a wall, almost of feeling like. Have you thought how hard this must be for a child?

Jamie

And that really changed me forever. But I think that was a moment that I needed to walk through to go like, oh, like again, love is not going to solve all these problems and love is not enough. Like, we need extra help and all the things. And it was a good moment for me. It's kind of like you look back and you're like, Man, I can't believe I actually was that person.

Jamie

But we know better. We do better. You know, that's what we do. Exactly.

Sissy

Are there any resources you discovered that you loved that you would point parents to that have adopted or considering?

Jamie

Well, number one, you guys are going to love what I'm about to say, but I always tell parents, as soon as you bring a child home via adoption, do not wait for some red flag. You have got to get in to counseling. You don't wait for anything for your child, for you, for your family. And I wish that we would have really held on to that tighter at the beginning.

Jamie

We just thought, oh, you know, like we can handle this for the sake of your kids. I mean, just to help them like it is such a help. That's been a really good help because of my job, I always think because I get to talk to so many amazing people like you guys and just everything. I've grown so much and just hearing different voices.

Jamie

And so I always say like, it's really good to hear different voices. And yes, and I'm going to say something that could be controversial, like, man, it helps me even to hear voices that I don't agree with sometimes about adoption, you know, I mean, that's a help for me. There are a lot of children who were adopted that have a lot of complex emotions, and some of them are really hard for me to hear as an adoptive mom.

Jamie

But I think they're really helpful for me to hear them as well, even if they make me feel uncomfortable, and even if I don't agree with them fully all the way. So I would just say, like, I mean, surround yourself with voices that might even make you feel uncomfortable sometimes. Yes. That's so.

Sissy

Good. Well, speaking of that kind of thing, you and your kids were a part of an amazing conversation with Emmanuel Acho on his show. Uncomfortable conversations with a black man. Yeah. What would you say you have learned about parenting kids from another race?

Jamie

Yeah. And that conversation was very uncomfortable. But what a honor that we got to do that. Like, I just can't believe he invited us. It was so gracious of him, and I was so proud of my kids. I mean, I was beaming with pride when we left there because it was uncomfortable for them as well. I think this is where I have probably learned the most is parenting kids.

Jamie

Three of our kids are black and then my husband and I are both white. And the dynamics of that, especially in maybe the last six years, have been even more difficult. We live in a smaller town. I mean, it's not terribly small, but it's predominantly white. And so that complexity has been something where I have had to present so much humility as a mom, because sometimes as parents you do know a million times more than your kids for a lot of reasons.

Jamie

You're older, you've lived more life, like been here, done that, you know what I mean? Like there is a lot of maturity that we have that our 14 year olds clearly do not have. But I've honestly had to lay down a lot of humility in the fact that the thing is that I have no experience being black. I have no experience being a minority.

Jamie

I have no experience feeling uncomfortable in most of my settings of my life. And so the humility that I've had to kind of come to the table with is talking to my kids who are black is like, I have zero idea what you're feeling. I have no idea what this feels like. And so for me, I have zero advice for you because advice is like, Oh, I've been there, done that, understand it.

Jamie

So for me it's like, man, how do I get people into their life that do understand it? How do I spend time again going back to what we talk about with adoption? Well, well, who am I listening to in my life? And again, I've had this amazing privilege of talking to some amazing black leaders on my podcast, and it's been so helpful for me, just as a follower of Jesus and then as a mom.

Jamie

And so I think for any parent out there that's parenting, a child of a different race is really first confessing and admitting. I don't know what it feels like to be a black American, Asian, American, Latino, whatever it might be, and then saying, I don't know, but I'm willing to be a student like I'm willing to even learn from you.

Jamie

Like I'm willing for you to tell me about your experience. And this is really big because a lot of parents do not do what I'm about to say. Tell me about your experience and I'm going to believe you, because sometimes their experience doesn't feel real to us because we've never experienced it. And I honestly, I've never, ever had an experience of being uncomfortable around someone in power or something, but my children have.

Jamie

And so for me to be like, Are you sure? Like, really, that is totally taking away from their experiences. So that's something I'm constantly thinking about, like how I want to believe them, believe their experience, because even if you don't understand it, it's so good. Yes.

David

Sissy, I'm considering getting my own show on the Food Network.

Sissy

Well, this is news to me.

David

You can be a guest on Taco Tuesdays.

Sissy

I do have a lot to contribute to Taco Tuesday.

David

Yes, you do.

Sissy

I'm curious at what point you made this decision about your own cooking show.

David

Since every plate started sending boxes to my front door, I can't get over how good I'm getting at this sissy. I made roasted garlic Dijon butter steak last night. Did you catch all that? Roasted garlic, Dijon butter steak?

Sissy

What did Connie say when you serve that.

Jamie

She.

David

Said, why didn't you cook like this? For the first 25 years we were married. And the only answer I had to that question was because I didn't know about every play.

Sissy

Every plate changes the game. David I just made barbecue, pineapple, pork balls. They were delicious.

David

You can cook that meal on my show.

Sissy

I might just have to do that. I have tried other meal plans, but every plate is the most affordable and delicious option out there.

David

Get your first box for just a dollar 49 per meal by going to every play dot com and entering code are BG 149. Jamie We talk a lot on this podcast about how parents who are on the same page can create so much security for kids. And you and your husband have written two books on marriage. Will you talk a little bit about the importance of those books, why you wrote them and what you've learned about the intersection of marriage and parenting?

Jamie

Yeah, Ian and I are big fans of marriage, not because we think it is ultimate and not because we think it is ideal, not because we think it's God's best. Like the people that are married get the better end of the deal. We think it's a gift from God and we happen to be married. And so we love our marriage and we happen to be parenting for kids.

Jamie

Like we've said, I remember when Aaron and I before we even had kids, like right after we were early married, he got a phone call from someone he went to college with and that person told him that his parents are getting a divorce. And here I am, newly married young, 23 years old, and I thought to myself, wait, they spent 25 years together?

Jamie

And then they decided to get a divorce. Newlywed Jamie was like, I don't even my brain cannot even comprehend that now 21 years marry Jamie. I'm like, I know exactly how that happens. And it's crazy that you're like, Oh, I know how that happened. And I remember at the moment thinking then it was right after their last kid went to college and like, everything kind of changed when their and and I kind of made this commitment that we've brought up a lot over the years is we want to put our marriage first above everything.

Jamie

And so what that means is, like, Erin comes first before my four children, and that has been a commitment that we've had for the entire 18 years of parenting. What that means is we have a weekly date night. I don't care what's happening. You know, we're going to go out every single week. And, you know, guys, in the beginning it was like I needed that weekly date night for sanity.

Jamie

Now, honestly, it's like, man, I just need to know that I've got someone on the same team here. Like, I need to have a meeting, go over our playbook and like really talk through life because this is hard. Our life is way harder and more complex now than it was when we had little kids, but we just really felt like we have got to nurture that.

Jamie

Or else when it gets hard with parenting, that's going to be unstable. And I'll tell you, we've had some of our hardest years of parenting the last two years. And I were on a walk the other day and I had told him something and again, the stories irrelevant. But I told him something about how I was feeling, and he responded in a way that was good.

Jamie

And this is all about parenting. So it goes with your question. And I looked at him and I said, Man, thanks a lot for just having empathy for how I was feeling, even though I know I was like kind of overreacting. And it was in that moment that I thought, man, all of those dialogs that we've had, all of me saying, Hey, this is what I need from you.

Jamie

All of the like, I'm sorry, I should have done it this way by both of us in that moment when I probably made a poor parenting decision, I still was able to be like, Oh, we're on the same team here. We can have a conversation about this. You can show empathy, I can show Grace. We can both show forgiveness.

Jamie

I never really understood how important our marriage would be later on in these parenting of teenagers years, because it's just been a hard parenting season. By no means fault. No one's like crazy. Everything's fine. But this is hard, you guys. Yes. And I am so grateful that Air and I have been on the same page now. All that to say for anyone that's listening, 2020 was our hardest year of marriage ever.

Jamie

I mean, and that's. Listen, Dave, you talk about us writing the book. We turned in our manuscript like April of 2020, and it's like, this is a disaster. Lord, what have you done with us? Wow. It was COVID who didn't have a hard 2020. And so it was just really particularly hard on our marriage. And that was the first time we'd had a hard marriage.

Jamie

But man, I'm grateful for that on the other side of it, because here we are still on the same team, still parenting through hard situations and really still trying to learn to love each other best as well. Thank you.

Sissy

Yes. Thanks for your honesty and all of that.

David

Well, we like to end with something fun and this is really fun to get to ask, you know, because being a Texan, you have a Ph.D. in this next question. So we want to talk about tacos. And if we could share one with you and we hope we can in the near future, what kind of taco would we get to enjoy with you?

David

What's your.

Jamie

Favorite? Well, this is exciting because I have some friends in town recently who had never heard of this taco. And so now I'm going to see if you guys have heard of this taco. Ooh, although you add Lady Bird Taco, they're in Nashville now. I feel like they're bringing a little bit of Texas tacos to Tennessee.

Sissy

They are.

Jamie

Migas. Have you had a Migas taco before?

Sissy

I've heard of them. I've never had one.

David

I've never had one either.

Sissy

Tell us about.

Jamie

It. Okay. So you come to Austin. That's what I want you to have, mega soca. And I think what sets migas apart is that it has little tortilla strips in it. So it's really just like scrambled eggs, cheese tortilla strips, probably some peppers. It's my favorite taco and my favorite place to get them. If you're in Austin is Veracruz.

Jamie

So you guys come to Austin. That's what we'll.

Sissy

Have. We need to write that down. Yes, we do. Veracruz. Okay. Okay. I hope we'll be there soon.

David

Me too.

Sissy

Jamie, there really are so many things that you have done that we could talk about. I feel like we could spend 5 hours talking about each of your books, each podcast, and how it's different. But we'd love to hear kind of what you would want to highlight. And is there something you're working on now that you're super excited about and you would want to share with folks?

Jamie

Last fall, my son just started his senior year. I had this moment of like, I've taught him nothing. I'm a terrible mom. I have six months left. It was kind of like I had this thought of like, Oh, I got to do it all, which none of those things are true. But this is what happens to parents when their kids start their senior year.

Jamie

We just kind of freak out. But as I got kind of moving into the senior year, I thought to myself, We're launching kids. And and I always say, man, we really are concerned about creating good men and women who love Jesus in the world and not like awesome 16 year olds, because teenagers are just hard and they're moody and they're weird and you never know what's happening with them.

Jamie

So we're like, okay, our goal was like a Jesus loving 25 year old anyhow. So my friend Lisa Weddle, who she's already launched her three kids, we're like, Man, let's have a podcast. And I'll tell you what, you guys, we recorded that toward the end of the school year that my son was a senior and we recorded, I don't know, eight episodes or something.

Jamie

And we really come at it as like, we're just two moms. But it was really interesting because it was all about mothering. And I love being a mom. I love it so much, but it's really hard work for me. Being a mom is hard and I think some people would be like, I'm the best mom in the world.

Jamie

I know it, I'm awesome. And I'm like, I don't even know my kids like me, you know? Like I just kind of beat myself up about motherhood. And so talking through that launch stuff was really special for me because it was just this moment to be like, You guys raising kids is hard. It is so hard, and I just want to be another mom going, I believe in you like we can do this.

Jamie

Like we've got Jesus, we've got the Holy Spirit, we've got community, we've got help, and let's just give our kids the best that we possibly can and really trust that God is in control. And so that podcast, although it was really hard for me because I felt super emotional after every episode because I was like, Oh, this is so hard.

Jamie

I'm really, really proud of it. And I hope it's going to be an encouragement to other moms and dads out there.

Sissy

I'm so grateful for the timing of it. We have talked often about how, just in counseling, we have never seen parents as weary and discouraged as we have in the last year. And so the fact that y'all are launching that now where parents can. Yeah. Kind of regain a sense of hope and a sense of normalcy that it is hard for everyone.

Sissy

And you may think you're knocking it out of the park when they're five. But wait till they hit 15 or so. You know, it's just hard at some juncture for everyone. Yes. So, yeah, thank you for your honesty in that, too.

David

Where could folks find all your stuff? Jamie Yes, books, podcasts, all the things, the easiest places.

Jamie

Jamie I've e-com, everything is going to be there. Podcasts and books and everything that I have going on is over there at Jamie Ivy dot com.

Sissy

Okay, that's.

David

Perfect.

Sissy

Jamie Thank you. It's just wonderful to get to see your face even on the screen. And you guys are your heart for your kids and for other folks and just wanting to share so much truth and hope as you do constantly. So we are very grateful for you.

David

Yes, we are.

Sissy

And it's our joy to bring the experience and insight we gained through our work beyond the walls of the day at our house.

David

If you enjoyed this conversation, please share it with your friends and don't forget to click the follow button in your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode to learn more about our parenting resources or to see if we're coming to a city near you, visit our website at Raising Boys and Girls dot com.

Sissy

Join us next time for more help and hope as you continue your journey of raising boys and girls.

Guest UserNovember 17, 2022

Episode 82: What I Wish I Knew About Adoption with Jamie Ivey

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