Debbie Ausburn knows the ropes in raising foster children and bringing blended families together. Debbie is an author and attorney who began raising foster children as a single woman in her 30s. She highlights the similarities between foster kids and stepchildren, pointing out that both groups have suffered trauma or loss that they need help working through. She explains how she learned to parent children who were hurting from the abandonment of their biological parents and how she managed to cultivate wise, loving, and appropriate relationships with all of them. “Unconditional love, one-way commitments, and healthy boundaries are key,” she says. 

TAKEAWAYS

If you are fostering children or adding stepchildren to your family, make sure you prioritize your marriage above all else

Don’t let victimhood define the lives of the children in your care

Kids have to know that no matter what mistakes they make, we will always love and accept them

There are no guarantees that foster or stepchildren will return your love, but it’s a risk you have to take

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