Dad was away for more then 6 weeks and my Mum was very unwell. She could not do anything so I had to do everything. That included cooking, mowing the grass, hovering, cleaning and most importantly, caring for my Mum. Therefore, I had very little time to myself as I was always busy with something. Sometimes I felt really quite frustrated because I couldn’t go out with my friends or play on the computer as my Mum required my constant attention. But I was always able block out that feeling because as I always thought back to the things that my Mum has done for me.

After about 2 weeks, my Mum’s condition dramatically improved. She was able to slowly walk in the garden and in the supermarket for a short time. We would phone dad often using the computer. I would tell him about how I would mow the grass when Mum was sleeping and how I had to cook. But there were some days where Mum couldn’t even get out of bed. Nevertheless she would be up on her feet really quickly.

In the first week when I back to school, Mum decided to try to drive short distances. That Saturday, I had a band rehearsal with the City of Belfast Concert Band. Mum offered to drive me there and I agreed. So we got into the car but it wouldn’t start! The engine turned over and over but it just refused to start. The battery was flat after not being running on the road for two months! So we tried to jump start it; I pushed it down the driveway, while Mum kept trying to start the engine. But that didn’t work so we were stuck in the middle of the road with the rain pouring down out side. I had no choice but to push the car onto the neighbours lawn, as the road wasn’t wide enough for it to turn. Then a car turned on to the road. The driver stopped to ask us what was happening. We told him that the car was out of battery and we don’t have a jump lead. He said that he had one so we finally managed to start the car. He told us to drive non-stop for a while to charge the battery. We thanked him and drove down to where the band was rehearsing. Since then, Mum sits back behind the wheel.

If Dad was at home, it would have been very different. But it was a really good experience overall and I did enjoy most of it.  I only did this for around 6 weeks. I can’t imagine how hard it was for my parents caring for me for all of my life.