Big Sisters Get All The Responsiblity, No Hand Me Downs The Only Perk.

I'm a Big Sister to 3 girls. My whole life was spent always making sure they were alright. I was the responisble one, the dependable one. Both my parents worked so I was the one intrusted with the house keys and since my parents left for work before we went to school, I was also in charge of giving out the lunch money, walking them to school, walking them home from school, helping with homework, helping with chores, starting dinner, cleaning after dinner then my parents would get home. I do it all over again the next day. While my sisters were outside playing on the weekends, I was inside washing dishes, going grocery shopping, even paying bills. Soon, my dad developed a drug problem and I was more in charge then ever. My mom had to hide the mortgage money so she gave it to me to hold. I remember one day in school I was walking around with $3000 in my pocket, I had my hand wrapped around it, so scared to lose it. Even when I finally had the chance to get away to college, I had to make a choice. Go to college or stay and work to help pay the bills. I choose to stay, so ingrained in me was my mother's motto, Family First. No one ever helped me with my homework, no one ever asked me how my day was, no one ever invited me to any parties. My only perk was that I got all new clothes while my sisters got my old ones. Would I trade all that in for a chance at a normal childhood? No. Being the Big Sister has made me who I am today. I'm successful in career, love, and family. I still have my sisters depend on me, even more so since my mother pasted, but that's okay. I help when I can and if I can't, I don't and let them find their own way. I can say now that being a Big Sister wasn't all bad.