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i have to babysit my brother everyday

im 16 going into college in september. i've been looking after my 5 year old brother for a couple of years now as my dad works everyday and comes home quite late with nobody else to look after him. ive struggled with my gcses because of this as i had to keep an eye on him at all times, with him having frequent tantrums. when i would finish school, i would have to babysit as soon as i get home, so i would stall and stay afterschool to revise, and sometimes just because i dont want to go home. im worried that it will be the same in college and i wont have the time to revise. i asked my dad if he could find a babysitter to look after my brother, and he got quite angry at me and told me i am being lazy and i can just revise and babysit at the same time. he also guilt tripped me by saying that he will quit his job to stay at home and look after my brother so i can revise.

any help please?
Original post by paarmis
im 16 going into college in september. i've been looking after my 5 year old brother for a couple of years now as my dad works everyday and comes home quite late with nobody else to look after him. ive struggled with my gcses because of this as i had to keep an eye on him at all times, with him having frequent tantrums. when i would finish school, i would have to babysit as soon as i get home, so i would stall and stay afterschool to revise, and sometimes just because i dont want to go home. im worried that it will be the same in college and i wont have the time to revise. i asked my dad if he could find a babysitter to look after my brother, and he got quite angry at me and told me i am being lazy and i can just revise and babysit at the same time. he also guilt tripped me by saying that he will quit his job to stay at home and look after my brother so i can revise.
any help please?

I'm not sure if this will help but if you can, tell your school/college that you're a young carer or look into organisations that help young carers. sorry if this isn't much help though
Reply 2
Original post by crazydiamond99
I'm not sure if this will help but if you can, tell your school/college that you're a young carer or look into organisations that help young carers. sorry if this isn't much help though

thank you! what do they do?
Original post by paarmis
thank you! what do they do?

I think your school/college should try to support you but I'm not totally sure what it is they do. it might be counselling sessions perhaps but also on a side note, I think it's important that your situation is shared with another trusted adult or smth because you're still a child and taking care of your brother is such a huge responsibility unfit for a child lol like a child taking care of a child. I think if you get in contact with your school/college specifically, they might be able to provide some more specific help. ill look into this more tho

there's a carers direct call line if you're able to call it which is 0300 123 1053 where you can get advice and support with care issues apparently
Original post by crazydiamond99
there's a carers direct call line if you're able to call it which is 0300 123 1053 where you can get advice and support with care issues apparently

I am so sorry if this doesn't help but I really hope it does. definitely research more into young carers if you can. I'm 16 too so ig I might not be qualified to give out advice. you should post this question again just in case to see if you can get a response from someone who acc knows their stuff. im so sorry if I wasted your time
Reply 7
no worries, I hope it does help. gonna go to sleep but before I do, just wanted to say that if your situation ever gets to you, it might not seem like much but venting helps a lot if you haven't already. if you ever get some free time, just vent to someone like a trusted friend or if you ever needed to on this post lol. it doesn't change the situation but it can relieve some of your internal stress. don't let it bottle up and I wish you the best of luck. I really hope everything works out and wish you the best of luck in your future too :smile:

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