Katrina, 36
My husband works long hours, so Jade is my indispensable extra pair of hands. She is the eldest of my five children, some of whom have special needs. She’s very mature because, in a way, she’s had to skip some of the normal teenage stages – well, unless you look at her bedroom: there, she’s like every other teenager.
I’m particularly grateful that Jade is around at half-terms, because she does a lot to make sure our lives run smoothly. One of her brothers has a dust allergy. When I clean, he has a reaction. Jade takes him for a walk so I can do it without him suffering. Her other brother has autism and someone has to watch him all the time. I’d be stuck in the house a lot more without Jade. She’s a caring young woman – her dad and I are really proud of her.
Jade, 16
It can be difficult juggling school work and helping at home – particularly as I’m in my GCSE year – but I love spending so much time with my siblings.
Of course they can be a pain, but when I see them happy and laughing it brings me a lot of joy. Helping them doesn’t feel like work, because it can be as simple as finding a rock on the beach. It brightens them up and that makes me feel good about myself.
One issue that comes up is homework. I can’t do it in one night – I need to do it a bit at a time, through the week. Luckily most of my teachers understand. I’ll wait until everyone is in bed, then spend half an hour studying. I plan to go into sixth form and, hopefully, on to university, but it will be hard to leave my siblings.
• To learn more about the lives of young carers go to Carers Trust (carers.org).
If you have a story to tell about who you live with, fill in this form and tell us a little about your set-up.
