Half term as a young carer
Half term for many people can mean relaxing and de-stressing before going back to school; on the other hand for many young carers it can cause more stress and make them feel lonely as they don’t see their friends as much as they did. Many people are more stressed as the person they care for is around them a lot more then they are when they are at school.
During the half term I went to the coast, where my grandparents live, with Scarlett (my little sister) and my brother Ollie. My brother Ollie is the person who I am a carer. For the half term I was constantly around him, which meant I got stressed a lot more, this is the case for a portion of young carers. During this time they don’t have anyone to talk to. Whilst down at the coast, my grandparents planned many trips to different places, but some of them were aimed at Scarlett who is a lot younger than me and Ollie. This meant that Ollie got bored and agitated; when like this he is a lot more difficult to handle (especially for my grandparents).
This put me under pressure. I felt like I had to be more supportive towards Ollie and keeping him entertained. My holiday revolved around Ollie and what he wanted to do, which meant I didn’t get that much time doing something I liked.
At the end of the holidays, I was stressed and happy to be going back to school as I got to see my friends. I use my friends and school as a distraction from the stress of dealing with Ollie and his conditions; most young carers that I know do the same thing. I’m glad that so many people,now, are there to support young carers and understand their roles. Talk to people you know and trust, if you get stressed, do something you enjoy! Do something for yourself!