Adolescence is challenging under the best circumstances; imagine adding the responsibility of being your parents' caretaker. This is the norm for one in five young people aged 10-19.
Why is there a need for such young caretakers?
+Couples are having children in their 30s and 40s when health issues materialize.
+The opioid and over-prescription epidemic is growing.
+Rising rates of obesity (42% of adults), diabetes, and other health issues.
How does being a caretaker impact young people?
+3x more likely than non-caregivers to have anxiety or depression.
+6x more likely than non-caregivers to have started/increased substance use.
+9x more likely than non-caregivers to have considered suicide.
+Increased social isolation, poor academic performance, and stress.
Data source: Caring for Young Caregivers
Image Credit: Laser Services CA
When I think about improving societal civility, these young caretakers demonstrate what that looks like through their beautiful behavior. They go against the norm of spiraling self-centeredness and quickly learn empathy for and responsibility to their parents and families. Their friends (and their friend's families) will see or hear about the example they are setting. And they are doing it while paying a potentially high personal price, as outlined above.
What does this mean for those of us who know of someone in this situation? We must ask the caretaker (and ourselves) how we can help them, e.g., offer to make a meal, if you have a house cleaning service, send them over to freshen up the surroundings, have your teenager mow their yard, offer to take the parent to the doctors so that teenager can study for their history test or write that English paper. Be innovative and act. All of us can make the time. How? Each day, we spend, on average, 4 hours and 35 minutes watching TV and 2 hours and 27 minutes on social media. The time is there; we need to rethink how we're using it.
Being an adolescent is challenging, but they show us time and again how much they can give to others. Let's facilitate their success by acknowledging their challenges as caretakers and doing what we can to ensure their well-being.
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Michael Benedict published his first book, The Civil Society Playbook: A Commonsense Plan for a Return to Civility, in 2024. His career spans 25+ years in senior-level marketing positions at Fortune 1000 companies, tech startups, and marketing consultancies. His book covers areas of incivility that are not frequently discussed in the media. It offers solutions - actions - that anyone, regardless of age, can implement to improve civility in all aspects of society. He can be reached at michaelbbenedict@gmail.com. The book is available on Amazon, Apple Books, and Audible.
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