Chrysta Bilton, author of Normal Family: On Truth, Love, and How I Met My 35 Siblings, joins Julia to discuss her book.  Get ready for an exhilarating story. Chrysta shares what life was like for a child born of a lesbian mother and her father, who donated sperm for a living.  Her family was bold, sometimes dysfunctional, and anything but traditional.  Chrysta tells her story in a truthful, enlightening, engaging, and sometimes funny way.  You’ll hear about alcoholism, shame, lies, schizophrenia, cryobanks, self-perception, nurture versus nature, and how Chrysta navigated through it all to become a successful wife, parent, sibling, adult, and an author worth reading.  Don’t miss this captivating episode of Stork’d.    IN THIS EPISODE:   [02:52] Chrysta Bilton provides an overview of her book  [05:25] Chrysta’s sperm donor was misled by her mother and became a serial sperm donor for many children  [07:03] All of the players in this book come from different perspectives on their truth [11:54] Chrysta discovers her father struggled with schizophrenia and discovers she has many siblings. She has developed compassion for her father [16:41] Chrysta struggled for ten years, dealing with her upbringing.  She worked hard to analyze her circumstances, the mistakes she was making, and how to walk away from destructive behaviors [19:51] How her siblings relate to their “father” and each other [23:28] Advice on what to tell a child conceived by a donor. Nurture versus nature and how her parents' backgrounds form who they became  [31.25] Chrysta shares her views on the pros and cons of cryobanks and the obligation they have to women [35:39] Chrysta tells how the book came about, how she parented her sister, and her self-evaluation  [45:30] What is the definition of a family   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   Avoid emotional pain for a child conceived by a donor. Instead, tell them the truth about their conception.   Be emotionally healed before starting a family, whether it be traditional, single parenting, or a sperm donation. Children deserve your best self. Change and heal and make better choices.  Forgive your parents and stop blaming them for everything wrong that happens in your life.   RESOURCE LINKS:   The Book:  Normal Family   Chrysta Bilton - LinkedIn    Chrysta Bilton - Instagram   Chrysta Bilton - Twitter   Stork'd - Facebook    Stork'd - Instagram   Stork'd- YouTube   About Chrysta Bilton:   Chrysta Bilton is an American author who lives in Los Angeles, CA, with her husband and two children. Normal Family is her first book.