Episode 24

Episode 24 - The Waiting Middle: Inside Our First Foster Care Mediation

Published on: 28th October, 2025

In this episode of Dream Small, Jason and Whitney open up about one of the hardest experiences they’ve ever faced as foster and adoptive parents — attending their first foster care mediation.

They walk listeners through what mediation actually looks like, who’s in the room, and the heavy reality of sitting across from a biological mom who deeply loves her child while navigating the legal process that could end her parental rights.

Through honesty, faith, and even a little humor, Jason and Whitney wrestle with questions like:

• What does love look like when it’s this complicated?

• How do you balance heartbreak and hope?

• Where is God in the middle of broken systems and human stories?

You’ll hear raw emotion, practical insight, and a reminder that love and loss often coexist in foster care — and that God’s redemption is quietly at work in every heart involved.

If you’re a foster parent, adoptive parent, or someone who wants to understand the deep faith it takes to say yes to a child in need, this episode will move and encourage you.

Scriptures referenced: themes from 1 Corinthians 13 (love that endures) and Proverbs 3:5-6 (trusting God’s plan) and Galatians 6:9.

👉 Listen now and share this episode with anyone walking through foster care or adoption.

Support the Dream Small Podcast:

https://dream-small-podcast.captivate.fm/support

Connect with us:

• Email: dreamsmallpodcast@gmail.com

• Instagram: @dreamsmallpodcast

• Facebook: Dream Small Podcast

• X/Twitter: @DreamSmallShow

🎵 Music: “Paradise Found” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) | Licensed under Creative Commons BY 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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About the Podcast

Dream Small Podcast
The Dream Small Podcast is a foster care and adoption podcast hosted by Jason and Whitney Small, foster and adoptive parents who have welcomed more than 14 children into their home and adopted three. Through honest conversations and real life stories, the podcast encourages foster parents, adoptive families, and those considering foster care.

Each episode explores the realities of foster care, adoption, and parenting children from hard places, offering practical encouragement and hope for families navigating the foster care journey. Jason and Whitney share lessons from their own experience, faith, and conversations around trauma informed parenting, family life, and supporting vulnerable children.

Whether you are a current foster parent, an adoptive parent, considering becoming a foster parent, or someone who supports foster families, the Dream Small Podcast exists to encourage and equip you along the way.

Jason and Whitney believe that changing a child’s life rarely happens through big moments. More often, it happens through small, faithful acts of love lived out every day.

If you're thinking about becoming a foster parent or walking the foster care journey, this podcast will help you navigate the challenges, celebrate the wins, and stay encouraged along the way.
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