YSO Academy

There’s a particular kind of grief that children in foster care, adoptive families, and blended families carry: the sense that the people raising them are not the people who were supposed to be there.

That feeling doesn’t go away just because you love them. And pretending it doesn’t exist doesn’t help anyone.

This course takes that reality seriously. It starts with an honest look at what it actually means to be the parent who wasn’t part of the original plan — not to discourage you, but to give you a clear-eyed understanding of the dynamic you’re working within. From there, it explores how you can respond to your children in ways that build the strongest, most authentic relationship possible.

Through case studies and reflections, you’ll work through real scenarios that mirror the complexity of what these families actually face: the moments of rejection, the unexpected breakthroughs, and the daily practice of showing up for children who didn’t choose you.

The course closes with one of the most important concepts in this series: learning to extend grace to yourself as you navigate one of the hardest and most rewarding things a person can do.