Equipping Adoptive and Foster Parents Who Say YES to Special Needs

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast! 

For this episode, I am joined by co-authors and married couple, Joe and Cindi Ferrini. Joe and Cindi have a son named Joey who has some severe special needs such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and he is nonverbal. As they navigated parenthood with Joey, they realized there were not a lot of resources out there for them. Through their years of experience, learning so much with Joey and gathering resources, interviewing other special needs parents, they’ve written books together on how to navigate these challenges: The Special Needs Parent, Love All-Ways, and the Unexpected Journey. 

In our conversation today, we tackle:  

• Joe and Cindi explain the grief of letting go of an imagined family future, then shifting from asking “Why us?” to considering what can grow from the life they have.
• Faith and surrender are central to their approach to daily strain, while they acknowledge that exhaustion and difficult moments are real.
• They describe marriage as teamwork: dividing responsibilities, adapting to each other's capacity, and accepting that no one always gets their way.
• They advocate taking the high road with insensitive comments and share a small card that explains a child's special needs and asks for patience.
• They encourage caregivers to build a small, dependable “constellation of relationships,” which may include people outside the family.
• Cindi shares how prayer partners and asking for immediate help can support caregivers at the end of their rope; Joe stresses getting help if a caregiver fears they might harm a child.
• They recommend love, realistic expectations, and strengthening the marriage relationship as families face long-term care.

Let’s dive in! 

Learn more about Joe and Cindi’s book and resources on their website, https://cindiferrini.com/ and you can order their book wherever books are sold, “The Special Needs Parent”

To submit your prayer requests, use this form by clicking here! 

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com. 

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Called to Love is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To learn more, check out their other shows or resources, head to their website: https://www.christianparenting.org/