When a parent suffers from mental illness it also affects the life of the children. This study aims to get a deeper understanding of how these children experience their childhood. The study consists of a text analysis of three autobiographies written by authors who grew up with a parent suffering from mental illness. Theory of sense and coherence and theory of risk and protective factors were used for the analysis. The result indicates that the children often take much responsibility for their parents and everyday life of their families, often with a lack of support from the social welfare service. Having a social network and fostering attachment to a significant adult were the most important protective factors for these children. These healthy adults played an important role in the children’s development of self-esteem and self-confidence, which proved to be helpful for them to manage school and social activities outside the home.