Moving these from the main page...if there's a Troper Tales for this trope, they belong there.
This troper knows a big brother who was like that to his single parent family and has long admired him for it. In his case both the first and the second were that way though the second could be a Drill Sergeant Nasty while the eldest was more good natured. I remember one time when the mother who was a schoolteacher in charge of PE(it was a small school)rather arbitrarily made me team captain in a sandlot baseball game presumably out of pity for my lack of athletic reputation. At one time I gave an order to the two youngest and when they refused the second brother intervened. He respected his mother and the two youngest respected him and thus it was done.
This troper's sister had a classmate in high school who grew up in an abusive household. At age 16, he petitioned to be emancipated from his parents' control, found two jobs, and successfully sued for custody of his two younger siblings — while still attending and eventually graduating from high school. The last she heard of him, he had been awarded a full scholarship to university and was still raising his siblings.
He should contact a certain film channel. He'd never want for money again.
Moving these from the main page...if there's a Troper Tales for this trope, they belong there.