Today, I have a beautiful story to share with you here on the podcast.
Amanda Stonesifer and Cheyenne Dillon entered each other’s lives when Amanda’s daughters entered foster care and were placed with Cheyenne in 2020. Cheyenne has always had a passion for building relationships with biological parents connected to the foster care community. What started as home visits transformed into a full-blown partnership and friendship. Today, Cheyenne is the adoptive parent of two of Amanda’s daughters and the pair still have a strong friendship that involves support, sleepovers, attending church together, and long weekend visits.
In our conversation, you’ll hear how Amanda and Cheyenne have built connection and trust, the power of partnership in foster care, the assumptions many of us carry, and so much more. I really appreciated this episode and the respect Amanda and Cheyenne truly have towards one another, and I know you will too!
Listen in!
TAKEAWAYS FROM TODAY’S CONVERSATION:
1. Trust takes time.
Partnership between foster parents and biological parents will not happen overnight, and isn’t guaranteed. It takes time and vulnerability. There will likely often be fear on both sides, but there is connection and respect that can form from regular care, curiosity, and invitation to partner together with you.
“I’ve never really known a safe place to express how I feel…Cheyenne was very patient and understanding and showed me how to voice my concerns.”
2. Partnership can be hard.
It can be difficult to navigate the complexities of a partnering relationship between foster and biological parents. You will have to walk through some uncomfortableness and awkwardness as you learn how to work with one another and as difficult conversations come up, no matter what that partnership looks like. However, the truth is that we all need each other, and there is beauty in connection.
“It takes both parties putting down their pride, accepting where they are at, and going forward that way.”
3. Healing requires vulnerability.
For both Cheyenne and Amanda, it took a lot of vulnerability to bridge the gap between them and to navigate what their roles would look like. There is no handbook for creating the perfect partnership between biological parents and foster parents. It requires vulnerability and trust. By approaching the relationship in this way, it blossomed into something truly meaningful.
“It was healing for both of us even though it was a hard thing.”
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Meet Our Guests
Cheyenne Dillon is a single adoptive and foster parent. Her dream is that all foster and adoptive families would try to build relationships with their children’s biological parents. Cheyenne met Amanda Stonesifer when she became the foster parent of her two daughters. Through a long and beautiful relationship, Amanda’s daughters were adopted by Cheyenne. Today, they have a relationship together that includes support, sleepovers, and long weekend visits.
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