Low Tide Lighthouse
Whether you’re considering foster care or adoption, already parenting through it, or trying to understand what life after adoption really looks like, you’re in the right place.
I’m Heather, or you can call me Mare. I am a foster and adoption consultant, and I help families navigate the realities of foster care and adoption. Whether you are still deciding if this journey is for you or you’re already in the middle of it. Read my bio here.
Low tide reveals what was always there, but couldn’t be seen until now. And sometimes, it shows you that what once felt steady… has shifted. This journey changes everything.
If you’re here, I’ve been there too, and some days I still am. I’ve been to the depths of this journey. I felt the exhaustion, the overwhelm, the guilt, the anger, the love, and the thoughts foster and adopted parents are sometimes afraid to say out loud.
Low Tide Lighthouse is a safe place to stop pretending you’re OK. Look around the site, find the resources you need or reach out and talk to someone who has actually been there.
You can cry. You can be angry. You can tell me you don’t know if you can do this anymore. You can even sit quietly while we figure out where you are and what you need next.
You do not have to have the right words. You just have to reach out. Schedule a consultation and I will meet you wherever you are in this journey.
If you are interested in foster care or adopting from foster care, please click here.
If you are a current foster or adoptive parent, please click here
If you are in the adoption process, please click here
Otherwise, keep reading or look around, and if I can help, please reach out. Foster care and adoption isn’t easy, especially when you feel alone.
Follow me on Instagram and TikTok where I talk all things foster care and adoption related.
Tiktok - marenavigatesthesystem
Instagram - Low Tide Lighthouse
Why I Do This Work
What I actually do for you
I help you know what to expect before it happens. I have been on almost every side of this. I was adopted; my birth mom was in foster care. Trained foster and adoptive parents. VP of the state foster and adoptive parent association. A foster and adoptive parent myself.
I don't just hand you a binder and wish you luck. By the end of every program, you'll have real knowledge you can use in everyday situations, even on a busy Tuesday afternoon when things feel chaotic.
I will always be honest with you, even if that means telling you this might not be the right time for you. Others in your situation might not say that.
Truth first. Decisions second. Children
I know what it feels like to step into this work with good intentions and slowly realize how complex, emotional, and demanding it truly is.
Low Tide Lighthouse exists because families deserve honest preparation, practical guidance, and a place to pause and think clearly about what this journey requires.
Some families are still deciding whether foster care or adoption is right for them. Others are already parenting children from hard places and navigating the realities of trauma, systems, and healing.
Wherever you are in the journey, support exists here.
Foster care and adoption don’t just rewrite your family’s story. They become part of a child’s story too, permanently. That’s why understanding what you’re actually walking into isn’t optional. It’s the difference between surviving this and building something that lasts.
You’re probably in one of two places: still deciding whether you’re ready, or already living inside it and trying to keep up with everything a child from a hard place needs from you. I’ve stood in both. This site exists to slow you down long enough to see the whole picture, because you deserve that before you say yes, and every day after.
Who this is for
You’re in the right place if you are:
• Considering foster care or adoption and want real preparation before you say yes
• Currently fostering and feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, or unsure how to respond to what’s happening in your home
• Parenting through adoption or kinship care and need support with identity, attachment, grief, and the long haul
This work centers the children. It also refuses to abandon the adults carrying them.
These words come from families I have supported long before Low Tide Lighthouse existed.
I highly recommend Mare for her outstanding support in foster care, adoption, kinship, and post-adoption resources. She guided me through complex questions with clarity, accuracy, and care, helping me make informed decisions every step of the way. Her knowledge of post-adoption benefits was especially valuable and reflects her deep understanding of the system. As both a foster and adoptive parent and someone with lived kinship experience, Mare brings a rare combination of personal insight and practical expertise. She is knowledgeable, approachable, and deeply committed to supporting children and families.” - S.J. foster and adoptive mom
Read more case studies and reflections here Reflections page