KINGSTON TOWN I grew up in Kingston, Jamaica. Daddy [reggae musician Bob Marley] was gentle. Mummy would do all the disciplining and he would be always keeping on the good side. One thing I remember him teaching me; [not to] swallow food in lumps - in Jamaica we call that 'cutting and swallowing' - that we should all chew our food until it's liquid, so it digests properly.
The good thing about growing up in Jamaica was that [I was] not seen as a superstar's child. At school [the Marley siblings were] disciplined like everybody else. Actually, some of the teachers were harder on us; they wanted to make sure we knew we were not more privileged than anyone else. The attention happens everywhere else in the world, but not in Jamaica.
I appreciated having the opportunity of growing up like everybody else and not feeling like I deserved more, and I want the same experience for my children [four sons]. I had the choice to send them to school anywhere in the world and I chose to send them back to Jamaica. I've seen some of my nieces and nephews growing up in the US and they have chips on their shoulders because they think they have to be this extra person to fit everyone's idea of them. My children don't have that pressure.
ODD ONE OUT I'm one of the younger ones in my generation [Stephanie is the eighth of Marley's 11 legally recognised children]. My older brothers and sisters are all into singing. When I was a child, they had already formed a group called the Melody Makers. Watching them perform on stage was exciting - I love music and even more so dancing - but I realised at an early age that I wanted to do something different. I knew that I didn't want to pursue music as a profession.
I have a genuine love for interaction with people. I consider myself to be a humanitarian because people come first for me. While growing up, I found I had good rapport with older people and youngsters, as well as peers. I was always one to give advice and was interested in how different people react to different information. I think that's what led me to want to study human behaviour - I wanted to study those dynamics.
After I did my A-levels, in London, UK, I went and got a bachelor's in psychology at the University of Western Ontario [Canada]. I'm the only family member who has a degree, currently. I'm trying to encourage the next generation to go towards higher education and get those degrees. [My children's] generation is over 65 in number. I stopped counting - we are most likely at 70 and counting now.
THE RIGHT TRACK I have a simple principle that I live by which is that I get up every day and try to do what's right. I'm far from perfect but if I can choose what's right from wrong in whatever I do, that sets my path. That helps me. I'm discreet; I don't say 'never' but it's rare for me to use my name to get doors to open. I don't make a habit of it.