Can children healthily support disabled parents?

Recently I had a great discussion about the dangers of children assuming supportive roles with their disabled parents. As a disabled non-parent (as opposed to a non-disabled parent, hehe!), I've witnessed many disabled friends parent children who have contributed differing levels of support. I think there are a couple of issues that are important to explore.

Firstly, I think problems occur when a child feels a sense of duty to support their parent(s). This expectation limits a child's freedom to be a child and reverses the duty of care between a parent and child.

But giving a child a managed sense of responsibility may be extremely beneficial. I have seen children of disabled friends grow up with some great life skills as a result of being coached by their parents to do things other kids normally wouldn't. It seems to me that the tipping point is when kids go from feeling parented to relied upon by their parent. That emotional dynamic needs to be monitored.

As long as kids feel loved, safe and protected, I think they have huge capacity to grow up doing practical things to support themselves and others. As an uncle of four littlies, I can't wait until, in a few years, "Uncle Pip" can "borrow" his nieces and nephews in the weekends and holidays to help out!!