I am the oldest and only girl. I had one brother 2 years younger and another brother 7 years younger. Mom was a SAHM. I helped Mom with cleaning and laundry and cooking because I wanted to not because I had to. When I was 12, my dad nearly lost his job during a huge company layoff but his supervisor pulled some strings and he kept a job but took a serious pay cut and Mom had to go to work. I was 12 and the youngest brother 7. I was in charge. I took care of the house, made lunch and had dinner started by the time my parents got home from work. When there were problems Mom was a phone call away. I should also say that we lived in the suburbs in a very safe neighborhood where other parents looked out for kids. If I ever ran into something I couldn’t handle, all I had to do was go get an adult to help but that was very rare.

I never felt like I was taken advantage of nor did I resent it. It was the 60’s and it’s just how it was. I still don’t resent it.

Things are very different now. So many parents are divorced and step parents and siblings. Parents don’t parent, they make the kids do it. I feel for the young people in this world who lose out on having a childhood because of having adult responsibilities handed to them.