Courtesy of Laura Hutton
Laura Hutton has raised far more children than the average parent. As a frequent foster parent, she and her husband, Mark, have fostered approximately 30 children, in addition to raising two of their own.
But the amount of foster parents in the United States has been steadily decreasing, according to a 2024 study from the Administration for Children and Families, which shows a decline in the number of children in foster care over the last four years.
Hutton hopes that by sharing her experiences with others, she can encourage them to consider fostering children in need. She lives in Havre de Grace with her mother, husband, children Bryan (17) and Lillian (12) and two foster children.
What made you want to become a foster parent?
I came from a small family. My mother’s an only child, and my father didn’t have relatives in the area. It was just like the nuclear small family, but I always wanted a large family. When I was a preteen, I read a book about a large family who had adopted from foster care, and I decided that I wanted to foster children.
When I met my husband, I was getting ready for my senior year of high school, and he had just graduated. On our first date, he asked me what kind of car I liked, and I said I liked station wagons because I wanted to have 14 children. He didn’t run, so here we are. (Laughs)
When did you begin to foster children?
My husband and I had been married for a couple of years, and our youngest child was in elementary school. I worked at a special education school since I’m a special educator by profession. I was talking to one of the social workers there about how my husband and I wanted to foster and adopt children but we weren’t sure if we could afford to because kids are so expensive. She was the one who told me about all of the financial support that’s available [to foster parents], so you don’t have to worry about that piece of it. You just have to worry about whether you have the time and energy to parent another child. That was what made me realize that fostering was something I could really do.
Are there any challenges that come from raising your biological children alongside foster children?
My biological children have had a lot of experiences that, for better or for worse, they wouldn’t have had otherwise … It’s a challenge, but not necessarily a bad thing. My biological children are now, as young adults, in places where they have gained skills and understandings that are bringing them towards professions where they can help others. They wouldn’t have had those opportunities if they had been more sheltered.
Do you still keep in touch with some of your former fosters?
We do have several who we still keep in touch with, but we leave that up to them. Sometimes, down the road, they’ll make contact after they’ve become adults. Some we’ve lost contact with, and many we’ll never hear from again. We feel that that’s their choice. We’re here if they’re interested in reconnecting, but that’s not our choice to make.
There’s a lack of foster parents right now. How can people become foster parents if that’s something they’re interested in doing?
I think people shy away from becoming foster parents because of misunderstandings they have about the system. They’ll think they can’t foster because they can’t afford another child, not knowing that the state helps handle the expenses. You just need the time and willingness to care.
The other myth that stops people, I think, is the myth that foster kids are bad kids and that they end up in foster care because of their behavior. That’s rarely the case. The vast majority of children end up in foster care because their parents are unable to care for them. Sometimes, their parents are critically ill and hospitalized, sometimes they are incarcerated and sometimes they are having a mental health crisis. The kids are just kids, and sometimes they’ve been through a lot more than other kids their age. But they’re not bad kids. They’re just kids.
Family Favorites
Meal: Pizza
Movie: Harry Potter series
Local Spot: First Fridays
Vacation Spot: Ocean City
Activity: Codenames
