General Chat

I felt so sorry for these wee girls and thought their parents were a bit selfish. What do other people think? Ros

Made my blood boil - that selfish couple wanted a good slapping. They should have been sterilised after two children. OC

That`s what I thought and she didn`t know she`d had a miscarriage. These wee girls didn`t have a normal life except when they went to the Carers group .Then he had the cheek to say that if they didn`t help they wouldn`t be 'Young Carers' Ros

I wanted to grab that little girl up in my arms and adopt her and give her the life she SHOULD be having! Poor little mite! I agree with OC...Those parents should have made the decision to be sterilised! Sorry if i offend anyone but the crying over the dead babies grave made me even madder!...They already have a beautiful Daughter that leads a life of drudgery!....shame they dont cry for her! Gerri.

Wasn't it amazing though, that both those girls AND the teenage lad looking after his mum, were such NICE children - sensible, and doing well at school? I wondered how that couple will manage when the 12 year old turns into a sixteen year old and heads for the hills? OC

I was absolutely disgusted, the parents were just down right lazy sitting there smoking all the time while those poor girls looked after the children. Many people who are completely blind manage to look after there children. As for wanting more children they should not be allowed. The poor boy who was looking after his mother ...well how sad was that, there again i know someone with her illness and she still manages to do lots of jobs around the house. Val

Hi I only watched a wee bit of it. Was I right in thinking the couple were blind? I just heard them say..they wanted a big family to look after them when they were old. Very selfish I thought. Sitting there with fish'chips still in paper, even the wee one was eating the paper. That poor 12 yr old. I can see her taking off and leaving it up to the others. I didn't watch much of it so maybe I got it wrong. Marion

They were partially blind ...when they went to visit a grave of a still born child the father managed to ride a disabled scooter while the others walked.!!!!!! Val

So they were as selfish as I thought in the few mins I watched. Marion

I was still thinking about this when I went to bed...did anyone else notice how spookily silent the four younger children were? Apart from a bit of crying, I don't think I heard them utter a sound, let alone a word. The parents talked to each other, the two girls talked to camera, but the four little ones didnt talk, and nobody talked to them. And yet - SS can take a child away from a loving foster home because the parents don't encourage its ethnic culture, or don't braid its hair properly. OC

Couldn't believe it.I was so angry. Those poor girls!!As for the parents, how selfish. They didn't seem to be bothered. Those kids crawling about in goodness knows what!!I noticed at one point the baby under the bin outside. I would like to knock those parents heads together. How they can keep on having more kids and puting a strain on the two girls beggers belief.

Rosalyn i was shocked by the prog the selfish feckless parents my heart went out to all the children.Now i am sorry re their disability but those poor girls i didn,t see any love of any kind in that house at all.As to how the powers that be is allowing this to happen beggars belief. June x

When she cryed and said i just wish my mum and dad weren't blind.....i thought my heart would break...;0(( And i have to say...they made me very angry!!!! For all reasons you have stated!!

I didn't watch it myself, but it was discussed at length on the lunchtime phone-in programme on Radio Devon today. Think it's maybe a good job I didn't see it - would've got really annoyed! Angela

Sounds heartbreaking, and although children were looking after thie parents and families before the word 'carer' was coined, it seems to me ludicrous that a television programme was made about a situation that would normally have Social Services through the door in an instant. Or would it?

I really thought at the end it would say something about the Social services getting involved....but it didn't.. Mind you, don't think they would have broadcast it if that had been the case.xxx

Haven't watched it yet ,but i will do. Was wondering is a child carer only a carer because of spending cuts ? Years ago surely they would have had more / some help ? Or is this thought through rose tinted glasses ?

More help? No, I don't think so. My mother used to think that it was good that I could cook a complete sunday dinner at the age of 8 unassisted. That and many other things had been a case of having to, and in those days, as others have said, what went on behind closed doors was 'private' and not considered anyone else's business. When I was 13, I plucked up the courage to talk to my headmistress about the situation at home and was told 'Everyone has their cross to bear, this is yours.' I never mentioned this at home. One of my siblings looked for outside help too and got into a great deal of trouble for it.

I think it said at the end that they now had a Case Worker, were in a bigger house and were told to smoke outside. They were a bit ignorant about smoking too , weren`t they? Ros

Felicity One of the things which made me really mad - the family had refused all offers of outside help, except for a cleaner who came in two days a week, and Social Services said they 'could not force them to accept help' WHY NOT! these children were being dangerously neglected - not cruelly treated, just dangerously neglected. The mother had no interaction with the children at all. and obviously, two little girls of 9 and 12 were not aware of what kind of stimulation and attention small children need. The four younger children slept where they fell and stayed in soiled nappies till the two girls came home from school. I have a feeling - maybe wrong - that Channel 4 made this programme in the hope that the Authorities would have to take notice and do something. Since the programme was made, the family have moved to a bigger house and have been assigned a Child Social Worker. OC