Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Lifestyle
Sarah Ayoub

‘Your needs came second’: love, resentment and being the other child

An illustration of two women holding hands
Psychologists say giving children the freedom to ask all kinds of questions leads to a reduction in stigma. Illustration: Victoria Hart/Guardian Design

When Joanne* was 13 years old, she invited a friend home from school to work on an assignment. They had barely gotten through some initial research when Joanne’s younger sister, who had an intellectual disability, became “fixated” on using the computer, which she did not know how to use.

“I kept [saying] no because I had my friend over and she lost it,” Joanne recalls. “She was screaming and throwing things and kept following us through the house. We had to call my friend’s dad to come pick her up because we weren’t going to get anything done.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.