Phoebe - 15 years old

I understand how she tries to help me and everything but i also feel a massive pressure from her and the rest of my life as a teen.

My mum was diagnosed in 2010 with breast cancer, this then was treated and now she has been diagnosed again with stage 3 breast cancer and had a mastectomy. I live alone with her so the pressure is on me when she starts chemo.

I also am about 2 months from my GCSE's which i am also struggling to get. My mum is an academic and she wants me to get my 5 A-C grades but the worry and the stress is also a big factor. My school is offering me support but the support they offer is for kids with home problems like parent drug addicts and parents who don't care. You see my mum puts a lot of pressure on me to reach my full potential and anything under that is not worth it, so you see how when i get a D in a mock exam it will never be good enough.

I understand how she tries to help me and everything but i also feel a massive pressure from her and the rest of my life as a teen. Its not hard to feel swapped and angry at people in this position but i also see how everything she does is to help me, every aspect she controls is her way of looking out for me and putting my best interests to heart. I also feel as if she controls my life as she cant control her cancer and its an aspect she feels in control over, which i perfectly understand.

I have done a lot to hurt my mum, being a rebellious teen, but she has never not loved me which is why it is hard for me to see her hurt. This time my fight to prove i can get my GCSE's is strong as i fight for my mum and to make her proud more than ever.

Page updated 31 March 2015