NEXT time I'm feeling hard done by because I've got a mountain of washing up to do or the ironing basket is overflowing, I hope I remember last night's Channel 4 documentary.

Aged 12, and Looking After the Family told the heart-breaking and at times shocking world of child carers.

Documentary maker Jane Treays was allowed access into the home of 12-year-old Louise and nine-year-old Jenny who between them look after their four young brothers day in, day out, because their parents are blind and disabled.

On the surface, the girls seem to be coping well with the constant demands, tantrums and day-to-day struggles of bringing up a family. When Treays gently asks them if they resent having so much responsibility, they simply shrug their shoulders in a gesture that shows they know no other way.

But the documentary took a darker turn when it emerged that Jenny tried to commit suicide by putting a black plastic bag over her head when she was eight because the strain had got too much for her.

As a viewer you couldn't fail to be humbled by the children's dedication and courage - or feel saddened that while other girls were playing with their toys and watching cartoons, this pair were doing the washing and making tea for four rowdy toddlers.

And the documentary left you wrestling with some difficult moral questions on whether parents unable to look after their children are right to have them in the first place.