23 and with two toddlers my husband split and left us on our own. He went overseas to work in South East Asia.

My best friend took us in, she and her husband. He raised my kids as their dad. Adapting to him was hard, especially in another woman's house. But he set his limits and as he says, he perfected his rights.

I am more than a sister with my friend, we were friends growing up and we have lived together for over 20 years and have raised our children together. We have one child with a together, although all children consider him their father.

One day maybe I will be able to repay my friend, I don't know how. Had she not taken us in who knows what slum we would have ended up in. I tell her how much it means to me and my kids, and I tell him too, it is just that he assumed the whole responsibility and I feel like he got an extra family out of it, and I show him when I am with him.

Somehow I always seem to feel that he got it all and he got so lucky that we needed him. He loves us all so much, and everyone shows him every day. My friend tells me that if I hadn't felt entitled to his love he probably wouldn't have agreed to keep us. I just don't know how he opened us heart up to us, we must have been a real burden back then.