Infobus on June 7th - Young Carers

[Ben-RO]

I reckon you might be right, supporting another person can take a fair amount of physical and emotional energy, as well as just time @roseisnotaplant I think it's cool that you're here to talk about it by the way, because the more people who understand and know what support is out there, the better! Carers deserve a lot of recognition for all the great things they do as well as support  

[scared01]

although it is a rewarding job @Sarah-Carers

i have been a carer since i was 14 and while my friends were out going to the park or shopping or jsut hanging out in general i was often left behind for my caring responsibilities.

i didnt really get to experince the 'world' as most teenagers do.

sometimes i feel like ive hidden away from the world instead of 'living it' though my upbringing wasnt the best anyway.

for a 20 year old- the people that i see everyday thast my age are out living their lives, going to uni, hanging with friends, going shopping, having work colleagues. i dont have or do any of that

[Sarah-Carers]

I agree @Ben-RO ! Carers deserve a lot more recognition for all that they do !!! 

[SmileMonkey]

I have been a young carer since I was 5 years old, so for me life has always had this caring element. There have been times when my caring responsibilties have felt too much, I have missed out on things that would have been typical for a person my age like family holidays or even just going out for dinner as a family. I could only ever have one parent at one of the momentous events of my life,such as graduating from high school or singing in front of 1000 people. But I would not change it for the world, because I have learnt so much through being a carer that will be with me for the rest of my life.
It can be hard, sometimes it just sucks but in the end its all worth it.

[j95]

@SmileMonkey Thanks for sharing, I see what you mean, as a kid looking after my siblings I missed school, I miss different things and even now I often find myself saying no to plans with mates because something has come up

[Ben-RO]

Thank you all for being open and sharing your stories here  

@scared01@SmileMonkey@j95

[SmileMonkey]

It can be difficult can't it @j95 but there are also so many amazing things about being a carer too. Like just being more empathetic or compassionate.

[Sarah-Carers]

@scared01 I can relate to what you are saying. The caring responsibilities can definitely impact on your social life, education, employment etc. 

If you want to chat further about this Carers NSW have awesome counsellors  

[Daniel-Carers]

I found talking and sharing my story with counselors helped me to understand my caring situation and gave me some amazing tools which made me an even better carer!

[scared01]

Thanks @Sarah-Carers
Ill have a look