Speaker: Kylie
Introduce yourself!
Kylie: Hi, my name is Kylie. I am from Collegeville, Pennsylvania, which is just a little bit like an hour outside of the city of Philadelphia. Um, I live with my three dogs that you can see in the picture behind me and I'm a mental health therapist. So I mostly work with teens and young adults but I also do family work and I offer, um, parent coaching, which is just to give extra support to parents and teach them new ways of interacting with their kids when their kids are going through a hard time.
When thinking about the future, what type of relationship do you hope to have with your child's birth family?
Kylie: When I think about the future and I think about what my relationship with birth parents will look like. Um I think of it as the same thing. My relationship with extended family of there's communication, there's updates that are important. It might not be talking every single day or constant communication, but there's this underlying connection that's always there because we are connected by being family. And that's really what I envision of. I'm sending these updates that are important, whether it's a text or an email and sending pictures when there's something to share. Um, and just making sure that we feel connected, even if we're not constantly in contact.
What one word describes you best? Why?
Kylie: One word that I've both heard used to describe me and that I agree with is thoughtful. Um, I think a lot about what would make somebody feel special or feel loved or seen and I try to make those things happen and when somebody is going through something, whether it's exciting or scary or sad, I think about what's one gesture that I could do to make that person know that I'm thinking about them and that I'm here for them or that I'm sharing in their excitement.
What makes you stand out?
Kylie: I think something that makes me stand out or that is unique is the relationship that I have with dogs. Um, I've had four dogs since I've been an adult and I have fostered 10 puppies and I loved fostering so much because I got to have this cute little exciting puppy in my house and then also find a family for that puppy that felt like the right match and the right fit. And it was just, it was a really cool experience that I would love to do again someday. But on top of that is I, I really treat my dogs with a lot of respect and love and think about how I can make their life fuller and happier for the short time that they're around. And it's, it's definitely something that people think of when they think of me.
