Calendar Conversations: A Guide for Adoptive Parents

In rural New England, we're taught that "April showers bring May flowers"—the idea that hardship eventually leads to joy. But for adopted and foster youth, the "showers" of grief, identity confusion, and ambiguous loss don't follow a simple weather pattern. In this episode, April Dinwoodie explores why adopted children are often labeled as "dramatic" or "attention-seeking" when they are actually navigating profound emotional pain. April shares her own journey as a transracially adopted person and dives into the data from C.A.S.E. that highlights the unique mental health needs of the adoption community.  Visit C.A.S.E to learn more https://adoptionsupport.org/stateofpractice/#survey-highlights  

March is filled with symbols of luck—four-leaf clovers, leprechauns, and pots of gold. But for many adopted people, the idea of being "lucky" can feel far more complicated. In this episode of Calendar Conversations with June in April, April Dinwoodie explores the powerful narratives that often surround adoption—especially the message that adopted children should feel "lucky." While often well-intended, this narrative can unintentionally silence the very real experiences of loss, grief, curiosity, and identity that many adopted people carry. April shares research on openness in adoption, explains the concept of genetic bewilderment, and introduces the L.U.C.K.Y. framework—a practical guide to help parents navigate difficult moments with empathy, honesty, and connection.

February holds Valentine's Day and Black History Month — tenderness and truth, celebration and resistance. In this powerful February episode of Calendar Conversations with June in April, April Dinwoodie explores the gap between loving and protecting transracially adopted children. As a Black woman raised in a white adoptive family, April reflects on growing up deeply loved — and yet not always protected from racism in extended family spaces, schools, and the broader culture. She shares how children absorb what adults interrupt… and what they allow. In a moment when racism is more explicit and family separation is visible in public life, transracially adopted children are navigating layers of identity, belonging, grief, and racialized harm — often without adults realizing what is landing in their bodies. This episode invites white adoptive parents to examine: Do you love Blackness beyond your child? Have you confronted racism within your own family systems? Have you built authentic relationships in communities that reflect your child's identity? Have you chosen your child's dignity over your own comfort? Because loving the child entrusted to you through adoption is not the same as being prepared to protect them. This conversation is about activist love — love that interrupts harm, aligns publicly, builds community, and stands between a child and the world. Transracially adopted children deserve more than affection. They deserve protection.  

Belonging is a fundamental human need, yet for adopted persons, it is often a persistent challenge. While not everyone can fully grasp the lived experience of navigating adoption, separation, and dual belonging, everyone understands the rhythm of the calendar. In this episode, April Dinwoodie (June in April) introduces the calendar as a universal, practical parenting tool for planning and ongoing practice. By "Mapping What Matters," families can move beyond the silence of grief and "color-blind" parenting and begin to name the realities of identity and origin. April shares how her own history—being named June by her parent of origin and April by her adoptive family—taught her that multiple truths can exist side-by-side on the same calendar. Learn how to use this shared rhythm to create a brighter path to belonging for the children entrusted to you.

In this episode of Calendar Conversations – A Guide for Adoptive Parents, host April Dinwoodie explores how adoptive families can rethink holiday traditions with intention and openness. Rather than following rituals simply because "we've always done it that way," April invites listeners to consider which traditions truly foster connection, honor a child's full identity, and create a sense of belonging. From embracing meaningful new rituals to letting go of those that no longer fit, this episode encourages families to celebrate difference and build traditions that reflect their unique stories. April also offers reflection questions to help guide conversations at home as the year comes to a close. A thoughtful, grounding way to close out the year—and to step into the next one with clarity and heart.

In this November episode of Calendar Conversations: A Guide for Adoptive Parents, host April Dinwoodie invites listeners to reflect on what it means to set the holiday table with intention in complex times. Thanksgiving is often framed as a celebration of gratitude and togetherness—but for many, including adoptive and transracial families, it also stirs deeper emotions and difficult truths. April explores how this tension mirrors the complexity of adoption itself: the beauty of connection intertwined with loss, absence, and identity. With honesty and heart, April offers practical ways to approach the holidays with greater reflection and care—creating space for grief, gratitude, and the full story of family. This episode reminds us that the most meaningful traditions aren't about perfection; they're about truth, inclusion, and belonging. Key themes:  • Honoring the complexity of Thanksgiving and adoption stories  • Setting the table with intention and awareness  • Inviting family of origin and multiple truths into your celebrations  • Practicing narrative equity and making space for the whole story  

This October, host April Dinwoodie explores the masks we wear — the ones we put on to belong, to stay safe, or to make others comfortable — and what happens when we start to take them off. Through the lens of adoption and identity, April reflects on how masking often begins as a form of protection and survival, especially for adopted persons navigating complex narratives about family and belonging. She also invites adoptive parents to look at their own patterns of masking and how curiosity, honesty, and empathy can help everyone in the family feel seen and safe enough to be real. With a special focus on transracial adoption, this episode examines the cultural tensions of the Halloween season — from costumes to cultural appropriation — and offers reflective questions to help families unmask with courage and compassion. Belonging begins with truth — and every time we unmask, we make it a little easier for someone else to do the same.  

In this September episode of Calendar Conversations: A Guide for Adoptive Parents, April Dinwoodie reflects on what's surfacing for children a few weeks into the school year—feelings of belonging, othering, and the silent weight many carry. April shares why parents must do their own work around belonging, avoid the pitfall of assuming silence means "everything's fine," and lean into the messy middle of conversations about adoption, identity, and friendship. This episode sets the stage for October's theme: The Masks We Wear.

In this August episode of Calendar Conversations: A Guide for Adoptive Parents, April Dinwoodie reflects on the realities of back-to-school season today versus her own childhood. While her school days were filled with questions of identity and belonging as a transracially adopted person, she never had to face active shooter drills or the fears that weigh on students now. Against the backdrop of political rollbacks in DEI, curriculum bans, and underfunded support systems, April shares how these shifts impact children—especially those navigating adoption and complex identities. She also lifts up a story of a Black father's conversation with his son about their family name and connects it to the layers of meaning names hold in adoption. This episode offers practical ways parents can stay plugged in, advocate for their children, and create cultural safety nets at home. Above all, it is a reminder that back-to-school is not just for kids—we are all always learning, always growing.  

In this July episode, host April Dinwoodie explores what freedom really means in adoption - personally, politically, and emotionally. Through four powerful lessons, she unpacks the complexitites of identity access, parental responsibility, grief, and the impact of systemic injustice. As July's national celebrations unfold, this episode challenges listeners to think beyond fireworks and flags - and instead, reflect on how freedom is experienced, denied, and protected in the lives of adopted people and the families who love them.

In this heartfelt June episode of Calendar Conversations, host April Dinwoodie continues her two-part series exploring expansive definitions of family. With Father's Day as our guidepost, we honor the many forms of fathering that show up in the lives of adopted persons — from fathers of origin and adoptive dads to mentors, uncles, grandfathers, and beyond. April shares personal reflections on the joy and ache of Father's Day, shines a light on the systemic erasure of fathers (especially Black fathers), and offers tangible ways adoptive parents and caregivers can foster healing, identity, and connection during this emotionally complex season. Whether through naming, ritual, or brave conversation, this episode is an invitation to hold space for all the hands and hearts that shape a child's life — and to offer them the gift of wholeness.

This May, we are beginning a special two-part series: Celebrating the Many Hands and Hearts That Hold Us - an exploration of what it means to honor family expansively, through the lens of adoption. In this first part of the series, we focus on Mothers' Day -  the emotions it carries, the opportunities it presents, and how adoptive parents can hold space for the many hands and hearts that are part of a child's life. This Mother's Day, I invite you to celebrate expansively. Hold space for complexity. Honor the many hands and hearts that shape your child's life - including your own.

In this episode, host April Dinwoodie unpacks the power of names—those given at birth, changed by adoption, or chosen later in life—and the deep emotional weight they carry. For adopted people, names are often tied to complex layers of identity, loss, and belonging. April shares a personal story that illuminates these truths and invites adoptive parents to reflect on what their child's name might hold, and how to honor the full journey behind it.

March is often associated with luck. For many adopted persons, we hear this word a lot, You are so lucky to be adopted." But is adoption really about luck? Or is it about something much deeper - an experience shaped by love loss gain, and grief all at once? Join host, April Dinwoodie to uncover how luck plays a role in adoption.

In this February episode, host April Dinwoodie invites parents of adopted children to acknowledge the reality of loss and its impact on identity. April also allows listeners to reflect together to find a quiet yet powerful place to create space for healing the deep complexities of adoption.

In this first episode of 2025 host April Dinwoodie invites adoptive families to explore the power of the calendar in creating connection, healing, and belonging. January's theme, "Honoring Family Connections," challenges families to redefine traditions and mark time in a way that reflects their unique journey.

The December holidays give us an opportunity to think about traditions, tied to different cultures and religions. Regardless of what you and your family honor and celebrate, we can be inspired to take a closer look at what traditions mean to us, and how we can expand our thinking and actions. Join host, April Dinwoodie as she discusses ever evolving traditions and of course reflections on this year.

November brings us one of the more complicated historical holidays (Thanksgiving) and for many in the US, one of the more family and food-centric. This month also brings National Adoption Awareness Month (NAAM) which can be challenging for some adopted persons. Join host, April Dinwoodie as she arranges the perfect table of questions for parents and professionals to ask themselves before setting the holiday tables this year.

Whether you participate in Halloween or not, October 31st has many children and youth dressing up in costumes and wearing masks. But for adopted persons, mask wearing may be a year long or lifelong endeavor. Join host, April Dinwoodie as she unveils what is behind the mask that most adoptive parents and professionals don't see.

As we make our way through the calendar, September is a great time to think about how adoptive families navigate the world and some of the challenges they may face when we show up in the world. Have a listen so that you can have more clarity and confidence as you show up in the world as adoptive parents. 

Back to school is a time of transition for children and families. It's a time to be thoughtful about what children need when they go into schools everyday. In this episode, April helps prepare children and families for having those intentional conversations about differences of race and ethnicity as well as family structure and culture.

July gives us much to reckon with as we look back at our country's history and ask ourselves, who is really free? This July episode explores exactly this while also discussing the importance of access to information for adopted persons. 

In this June episode, host April Dinwoodie explores the many deep layers surrounding the celebration of fathers and father figures and the realities of adoption. Get ready to reflect on your personal relationships and connections as a gateway to better supporting the child/children entrusted to you.

In this May episode, host April Dinwoodie explores the many deep layers surrounding the celebration of mothers and mother figures and the realities of adoption. Grab something that gives you comfort and slow down and listen to this important calendar conversation.  

Names are central and significant aspects of who a person is and the keystone of identity. This April episode explores 'what's in a name' related to the unique identity journey of adopted persons.

The month of March and St. Patrick's Day sets up the important discussion the negotiation of luck in adoption. If an adopted person feels lucky for being adopted into a loving family, they should get to that feeling on their own, not because someone thinks they should feel that way. This pod will help you as a parent hold this complexity. 

The month of February brings us to the intersection of St. Valentine's Day and Black History Month. A time when we can pay special attention to the themes of love and racial identity. Love is a vital ingredient for all families but adoption and difference of culture and race make it imperative that love moves beyond the transactional and into the transformational.

"Calendar Conversations: A Guide for Adoptive Parents" is an engaging and informative podcast that explores the power of utilizing the calendar as a guide to create a brighter path to inclusive parenting.  Hosted by transracially adopted person and parenting coach, April Dinwoodie, this podcast aims to provide valuable insights, practical tips, and emotional support.  

   Through thought-provoking discussions and personal stories, "Calendar Conversations" dives into the significance of recognizing and honoring important family milestones related to the life-long adoption journey. From adoption anniversaries and birthdays to navigating days of loss, this podcast offers guidance on how to navigate these experiences with sensitivity, inclusivity, and resilience.

   Listeners can expect to gain a deeper understanding of the unique challenges faced by adoptive parents and discover strategies for creating meaningful traditions and rituals that encourage a deeper sense of belonging for children and stronger family bonds. The podcast also explores the importance of self-care and provides resources for building a supportive community.

   With its conversational tone and expert advice, "Calendar Conversations: A Guide for Adoptive Parents" is an invaluable resource for adoptive parents seeking guidance, inspiration, and a sense of connection. Tune in to this podcast and embark on a journey of growth, understanding, and celebration one month at a time.