At 12 I dropped out of school but I had lost interest in it at a much earlier age. For me, school was very very stressful.

I would ask my parents something, but then go to my siblings. We were encouraged to bounce ideas off everyone.

I didn't read at all until I was 12. I just couldn't. It was too frustrating.

I had this whole ritual with my mother making the bed with me inside it so I would be invisible.

When we had to do book reports, I would pick a book that no one read and just make it up and turn that in. I got praised for my imagination.

My parents told us how they felt but never imposed their beliefs on us, although I appreciate I got a healthy sense of democracy from them.

I definitely have managed to overcome dyslexia now to become a fully functional human being but things were a lot more difficult when I was younger.