There are expectations for parents to provide their children with emotional, social and economic security and predictability. Parents with a substance use disorder (SUD) are often unable to meet the norms and expectations of good parenting, and their children are vulnerable to developing problems with mental health, social relationships and substance use. Through in-depth interviews, the authors explored five young people's stories about protection factors during their childhood around parents with SUD. The interviews were analysed using a narrative approach in accordance with Polkinghorne's concept of the paradigmatic analysis of narrative data. In the informants' stories about their childhood, safe living conditions, significant relationships and respectful and caring conversations with professionals were interpreted as important protective and supportive factors. The findings are discussed within sociocultural theories about parenthood, family life, and how people create meaning from and coherence of experiences and events through narratives.