221 – How to Stay Hopeful When Adoption Feels Overwhelming (with Dr. Ray Guarendi)

Have you ever wondered if you’re really attaching to your adopted child or felt unsettled by how difficult parenting feels at times? 💔


When love doesn’t seem to produce the results you expected, it can leave adoptive parents questioning themselves, their decisions, and even their hearts. 💭

Hi Neighbor,

Adoption is beautiful, redemptive, and deeply meaningful but it can also be messy, exhausting, and far more complicated than most people ever talk about. In this heartfelt and honest conversation, clinical psychologist and adoptive father of ten, Dr. Ray Guarendi, pulls back the curtain on the realities adoptive parents often face after the paperwork is signed and the child comes home.

This is Part One of a two-part conversation. In this episode, Dr. Ray shares his family’s adoption story, why he and his wife continued saying yes, and the hard realities that come with parenting children who have experienced trauma, neglect, prenatal exposure, or instability early in life. With humor, candor, and deep compassion, he normalizes the fears many adoptive parents are afraid to voice out loud.

Together, we explore:


🔍 Why adoption can be a “bumpy ride” even in loving, stable homes 
💬 Common fears adoptive parents carry 
🛑 Why safety, emotional, physical, and relational must always come first
 🤍 How challenging behaviors are often rooted in a child’s history, not parenting failure
 🌱 What it means to persevere when love doesn’t lead to quick or predictable results

Throughout the conversation, Dr. Ray reassures adoptive parents that struggling does not mean failing and that feeling frustrated, uncertain, or worn down does not disqualify you from being the parent your child needs.

At the end of the episode, I share a Biblical principle that has guided my own adoption journey: Practicing Steadfast Love.

If you’ve ever felt anxious about your child’s future, questioned your parenting, or needed reassurance that you’re not alone in the hard parts of adoption, this episode will meet you right where you are. 💙

Part Two of this conversation continues with practical guidance on discipline, attachment, and persevering with confidence.

Anchors of Hope and Healing are on the way.

Your Neighbor,
 Tim 💙

P.S. If you’ve ever felt lost trying to connect Scripture with the realities of adoption trauma, I’d love to walk alongside you. Let’s have a one-on-one conversation where we can talk through practical tools and Biblical encouragement for your journey.

👉 Send me an email at [e-mail] to grab your spot. I’d be honored to walk with you. 💙

If you haven’t joined our private community, consider this an invitation. It’s a safe space to share your struggles and triumphs with fellow adoptive parents who truly understand what you're going through.

Connect with Dr. Ray: Website Facebook Instagram Book – Adoption: Should You, Could You, and Then What?