Raising myself and caring for my brothers and sisters allowed me the benefit of a lot of information that I wouldn't have otherwise gotten. I had to be frugal, thoughtful, resourceful. I didn't have anyone to tell me, 'You can't.' ↗
I do feel like I've missed out a bit because I was really close with my sisters when I was at home. It must be weird for them but they cope really well. ↗
It's pretty strange because you have images of people in your head when you left, then you just think they're going to be the same when you come back, like time freezes. I have sisters and from the ages of 11 to 13 - it's a big change for girls. ↗
From my parents, I learned a very strong work ethic, and all of my brothers and sisters all worked from the earliest days of life right through to the present time. ↗