About this episode
Welcome into the Young Dad Pod—whether you’re folding laundry, wiping mashed bananas off the ceiling, or quietly googling ‘how to be a good dad’ in the middle of the night—thank you for being here.Today’s guest is Lane Igoudin—dad, professor, and author of the memoir A Family, Maybe, which tells the powerful story of how he and his partner Jonathan became a family through the foster care system—while fighting for equality as gay parents in pre-marriage-equality America. Lane is one of the first openly gay dads in the U.S. to foster and adopt, and his story is about more than paperwork and parenting—it’s about love, identity, resilience, and how we protect what matters most.To everyone listening: if you want a memoir that will challenge your assumptions, inspire your spirit, and remind you what family is really about, grab Lane's book A Family, Maybe at laneigoudin.com/afm.Visit the website for interactive activity guides and everything YDP- www.youngdadpod.com Click the link for YDP deals (Triad Math, Forefathers, and more) - https://linktr.ee/youngdadpod Interested in being a guest on the Young Dad Podcast? Reach out to Jey Young through PodMatch at this link: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/youngdadLastly,consider making a monetary donation to support the Pod, https://buymeacoffee.com/youngdadpod.For more info, DM “DadBod” to @madmaxfitness84 on IG. Listeners who mention the “Young Dad Podcast” will receive 1 month FREE.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Lane's Journey01:00 The Evolution of Gay Parenting04:53 The Foster Care System's Challenges10:28 Reunification vs. Adoption: A Child's Perspective15:14 The Role of the County as Parent24:49 The Cost of the System and Its Implications31:54 The Challenges of Gay Parenting and Adoption34:08 Scrutiny and Standards in Foster Care38:55 The System's Failures and Child Welfare44:50 Navigating Family Dynamics and Cultural Identity51:07 Conversations Across Divides: Finding Common Ground
