I am 15 years old and I have a brother with severe mental retardation. My whole life I have been attatched to this label... having to be a caretaker, and often taking the second seat in order to help my parents deal with my brother. When I was younger, I had very low self confidence and was very embarrased of my brother because often (and still) my peers and community are unaccepting of him. On the other hand, my brother has given me a lot of positive experiences. But my parents do not realize what an impact he has on my life. I come home many days after school and either have to watch my brother or have to help out a paid caretaker that is sometimes rude and unhelpful to my brother. I have seen many children and even adults make fun or stare at him, and my own self confidence has suffered at times because of this. Now my mom wants my to help out at the Special Olympics. I feel awful for not wanting to do it. My whole life I have been attatched to this label, and I would rather
2007-10-11
08:34:28
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10 answers
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asked by
hottie:-)
1
in
Mental Health