| Page 4 of 4 < |
When a Kid Becomes the Caregiver
Students were throwing Frisbees in the parking lot and carrying cases of beer to the pool when Castillo brought her family lunch last weekend. She did a load of laundry, looked through old photos with her mom and reminded Anthony to wash his hair before she left.
She said she's not interested in beer parties. "I grew up a lot faster than a lot of people" she said. For her, college is about "pursuing what I want to do," she said. That could be opening a day-care center, learning sign language or becoming an orthodontist. "I want to do a million things," she said.
Gallery
A Young Caregiver's Burden Aleyna Castillo is not like most college freshman. On top of taking classes and pursuing her dreams of opening a day care center, learning sign language or becoming an orthodontist, she must also care for her 40-year-old mother, who has multiple sclerosis, and her young cousin. |
She's committed to her family, but she also wants to make friends and relax. That's why she plans to live in her dorm room unless there's an emergency. High above a leafy, cicada-filled courtyard, she finds respite there .
On a Friday night, she and her roommate, Anna Campbell, 17, entertained some new friends from orientation. The visitors pulled up padded desk chairs or plopped down on the side-by-side single beds and harmonized to pop music blaring from laptop speakers.
Campbell asked Castillo for advice on some of the finer points of hip-hop dancing. "What's the difference between shaking it like a salt shaker and shaking it like a Polaroid picture?" she asked referring to lyrics from popular songs.
Castillo offered a pact: "If you teach me how to sing, I'll teach you every dance I know."
As the light outside their window faded, they mused about their schedules and possible majors. "What is anthropology?" Campbell asked, holding up her freshly purchased text.
About 9 p.m., the roommates headed to Wal-Mart to stock up on some essentials: Pop-Tarts, ramen, cleaning supplies. On the way, Castillo made a quick stop at home. She wanted to make sure Anthony was in bed and see whether her mom was all right.
Post a Comment
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.