SWITCHING her alarm off, Paige Hill pads downstairs to make sure she has the girls’ packed lunch and uniform ready.
The 21-year-old is then busy making breakfast for her two-year-old before getting the nine-year-old twins off to school and starting her own university studies.
But Paige has not had three children at the age of 21 but instead became the legal guardian of her two younger sisters after losing their mum to bowel cancer.
Paige may be a university student, but life in her twenties is unlike most of her peers, as she acts as parent not only to her two-year-old son, but also her twin nine-year-old sisters.
Paige, who has four siblings – including a 25-year-old sister and 17-year-old brother – was still a teenager herself, and had just welcomed her own baby two months before her mum, Rachel, passed away at 42.
But she put life on hold to move into the family home, alongside her husband Josh, 28, and their young son, and start caring for her youngest siblings, and has gone on to become their legal guardian.
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“Looking after the girls has given me purpose in a really traumatic time,” Paige, from Hampshire, says.
“After watching my mum’s health decline and seeing her pass away, it would’ve been very easy to fall into a very dark space.
“The girls give me a reason to get up every morning, eat good food and get out of the house.
“I find myself being kinder to myself because it’s what they need.”
Rachel passed away in July 2024, more than a year after being diagnosed with bowel cancer.
For a period, Paige had been her carer, and after her passing she took on her little sisters too, having discussed it beforehand with her mum.
Paige says: “My mum was terminal so she had already shared that her wish was for me to have the girls.
“I had to have a difficult conversation with my husband.
“I never expected him to agree to take it all on with me.
“The actual decision was easy though – we had been dealt extremely difficult cards and I knew that given the circumstances, the girls being in my care was the best outcome.
“They do have a dad, but he and our mum had separated when they were young and contact hasn’t been consistent, so they have always been closer and more comfortable with me than their dad.”
When Rachel passed away, Paige sat her sisters down and explained what had happened.
She says: “They knew that mum was poorly but were unaware of the extent and that she was terminal.
“That evening, they came to stay with me and my husband at our old house and I answered all of their questions.
“We spoke about what a funeral is, their beliefs on the afterlife and what would happen to mummy’s body.
“They were also reassured that I would move into their house to look after them.”
She was initially supported by her older sister, their aunt and grandmother, but a month after her mother’s passing, Paige moved into the family home, while her brother lives with their father.
Paige went through the courts to formally become the twins’ legal guardian in April 2025.
She says: “The girls are fully aware that they are my son’s aunties, but I’m raising all three kids with the same boundaries and principles, and the way that I believe my mum would have raised them if she was still here.
“They have the best bond – the girls love helping out, playing with him and getting him snacks.”
Paige doesn’t have plans for more children, adding: “I love babies and adore being a parent but it wouldn’t seem fair on any of the children to introduce another any time soon.”
Instead, she is focusing on the three she has in the house, as well as her studies – currently studying English literature and creative writing online with the Open University, with hopes to become a teacher one day.
She is currently claiming universal credit while being supported by her husband’s income as support staff in a school.
Paige says: “It’s hard to compare my life before losing my mum to my life after.
“I feel like a different person entirely.
“I was two months postpartum when I took the girls on so a lot changed very quickly.
Where to get support for bereavement
There is lots of help and available if you are experiencing grief after the death of a loved one.
NHS therapy and counselling services – NHS talking therapies services are for people in England aged 18 or over. You can speak to your GP about talking therapies or get in touch with the talking therapies service directly without going to your GP.
At a loss – Find bereavement services and counselling across the UK
Child Bereavement UK – Offers support if you are bereaved after losing a child. Or if you’re a child or young person who is grieving after losing someone.
The Good Grief Trust – a charity run by bereaved people, helping all those experiencing grief in the UK.
Samaritans – if you’re struggling you can call Samaritans any time on 116 123 to talk about anything.
“I think the main noticeable difference is that I used to be very selfish, like most 20-year-olds I’m sure.
“I’ve always loved a lie in and a cocktail at the pub, but now the children always come first and my idea of a good time has massively changed.”
Paige has been supported throughout by Josh, who has taken on a similar role for the twins.
She says: “Words cannot describe how proud I am of Josh for everything he has taken on for our family.
“The girls have an unbreakable bond and are so comfortable with Josh.
“It hasn’t always been easy to adapt to such a different life but he has taken it in his stride and is doing the best job.
“I couldn’t ask for anything more.
My main hope is for them to be happy, safe and supported – which I can confidently say they are
Paige Hill
“And the girls are such resilient kids.
“I cannot express how proud I am of how they have handled everything.
“They have made so much progress in the nearly two years since my mum has passed away.
“They have grown so much and I know my mum would be so incredibly proud of them.
“My main hope is for them to be happy, safe and supported – which I can confidently say they are.”