What’s your name
I’m Kim

Tell us a bit about yourself
(Note: this is a fictional content and story but typical of a Young Carer)

I’m 11 and my favorite band is Fall Out Boy. I’m not an emo or a goth I just like wearing some of these clothes.

Describe your family
I live with my Mum and we have a dog Muppet and a cat Gonzo. We got them from the RSPCA. My Mum volunteers there. My Mum really loved the Muppet show she has all the episodes on DVD. I’ve never met my Dad but his name is Geoff.

Some of the Characters in the Muppet Show including Gonzo (at the end - no not Miss Piggy!)

Who do you care for and how do you care for them?
I look after my dog. I take him on walks and rub his tummy. Sometimes I care for my Mum who’s got bipolar. I don’t really know what that means except that sometimes Mum’s really sad and then sometimes she’s alright. Sometimes Mum feels really sick and won’t come out of her room for a couple of days. I help her by making tea and washing up and I go next door where I help my friend – she cares for her Mum too. It’s cool to have someone else who looks after their Mum cos they understand what you’re going through. We look out for each other too.

How do other people help care for your relative?
My friend, Maddie who lives next door helps look after her Mum too so we sometimes help each other. Sometimes when my Mum is really sick a lady from down the road comes and helps me around the house. And Mum’s mental health worker, Kelly, comes and takes Mum to the doctor of if she’s hurt herself sometimes she’ll take her to the hospital. She always brings me back a milkshake.

What are some of the hard things about caring and how do you deal with them?
I don’t like it when Mum’s sad because it makes me feel sad too. When Mum had to go into hospital that was hard because I couldn’t see her very much. And I had to go and live with these people for a week until Mum could find somewhere else I could stay while she was in. That was pretty scary even though the carers were very nice and tried to cheer me up.

What’s the thing you like most about being a young carer?
It’s good meeting other young carers. I go to a group every Monday and then in the school holidays we go on a camp or to the movies and stuff. We talk about depression and bipolar and mental illness and about how we can help our parents and do things for ourselves. I like being a young carer because you can do cool things.

Who do you get help from when times are tough?
Maddie is a good friend and she listens to me. I always talk to my dog about how I’m feeling if Maddie’s not around. He doesn’t say anything back but he knows when I’ve been crying and he lets me hug him. He licks my face and cheers me up.

RSPCA website

Since I’ve been going to the young carers group I’ve been talking to the worker there. She’s really nice and she understands my problems. I think she was a young carer too. In a few weeks she’s going to take me to see a counsellor because I’m worried that I might get bipolar too. She told me that I couldn’t catch it like a cold which was good because I was worried about that.

What are some things you like doing and how are they good for you?
I like doing Drama at school. It’s my favorite subject. I hate dancing – you have to do that every second term – so this term is a lot better. I’ve written some plays with Maddie and we sometimes perform them for our Mums. One time we did a play about mental illness and both our Mums cried but they said they were really proud of us. That was nice.

Mum and me - I was a bit younger then but still able to make tea.

What kind of things do you do to chill out and recharge the batteries?
I like listening to music in my room. I like Fall Out Boy. I turn it up real loud and just pretend I’m somewhere else. I got a relaxation CD from Carers too. It’s pretty good except sometimes it makes me fall asleep. I definitely like loud music more when I’m stressed.

Who are your heroes?
I love Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy. I want to marry him when I grow up. I’ve got posters of him on my wall because he’s so cool.

Are you hooked up with any groups, programs or services? If so, what are some of the things that you enjoy doing with them and how might other young carers get involved?
Yeah, I go to the Carers group I talked about before. I’m also in the Drama group at my school and have drama classes every Saturday. The Carer Respite program helped me pay for the lessons because they thought it was good for me to have a break. I like acting because you can pretend you’re someone else for a while. And I’ve got lots of good friends there that I can play with.

What do you hope to achieve in the next 5 years and what are you doing to achieve it?
I want to marry Pete Went. How old do you have to be to get married? I’ve sent him a letter but he hasn’t sent one back. I don’t think he’ll want to get married to me but I can dream....

Star sign: I don’t know
Favourite chill-out music: Fall Out Boy
Favourite TV show:  Home and Away
Your most annoying habit: I sing in the shower
Which superhero would you most like to be: Wonderwoman
Favourite subject at school: Drama
What you had for breakfast: Toast with vegemite (it's the best!)
A word that best describes you: Dark 

Read another story - Mia's Story