What happens when the unthinkable happens, and you suddenly have to become the 'parent' to your own sibling?
This is what happened to Taylor James, who was just 25 when his mum suffered terrible brain injury following a routine operation. On the day his sister started her GCSEs Taylor was faced with needing to tell her their mum might not live, and subsequently making the decision to turn off her life-support machine.
Miraculously, she survived, and Taylor tells the emotional story of how he went from child to parent overnight, not just to his sister, but to his mum, who know needs full-time neurological care.
This is a young guy who had to navigate not only the world of care homes, but also the drama of his sister's prom - he says he's now dreading her wedding day!
But through all this, Taylor's strength and wisdom shines through, and he describes how facing the unimaginable has made him realise that there's nothing to be scared of in life; that whatever is going to happen will happen, in spite of our efforts to control it, but that we have what it takes to navigate it, whatever it is.
Have a listen to his words of advice to anyone facing a difficult period in their lives, and then go and connect with him; because - as he says - having a good waffle is the biggest coping mechanism there is. And it's free!
Where to find Taylor
More teenage parenting tips:
There are lots more episodes of the Teenage Kicks podcast. You can email me on teenagekickspodcast@gmail.com. I’ve also got some posts on the blog that might help parents with other teenage parenting dilemmas, so do pop over to Actually Mummy if you fancy a read.
Thank you so much for listening! Subscribe now to the Teenage Kicks podcast to hear all my new episodes. I'll be talking to some fabulous guests about difficult things that happened to them as teenagers - including losing a parent, becoming a young carer, and being hospitalised with mental health problems - and how they overcame things to move on with their lives.
You can also find more from me on parenting teenagers on Instagram and Twitter @iamhelenwills.
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Please note that I am not a medical expert, and nothing in the podcast should be taken as medical advice. If you're worried about a teenager, please seek support from a medical professional.
