Children's plight during Covid19 lockdown amphan
Children's plight during Covid19 lockdown amphan
The present times are not favourable for anyone, especially so in the case of children. At least the adults know that the extra time on hands can be spent in sitting quietly may be contemplating on something. But for the children, it is way worse than can be imagined; and this time around it was a dual attack on their childhood.
First came the invisible tyrant, the Coronavirus, and all the precautions that had to be taken to stay safe from this deadly enemy. Then the announcement of the lockdown left the children clueless. Indeed, they were happy that they did not have to get up early every day for school. But as days passed, they grew bored. They did not know what to do with those extra free hours. Frankly, not all children studied seriously right at the onset of the lockdown. Most of them were considering it to be an extension of the session break they were already enjoying. So, the majority of them were in a holiday mood.
With each passing day and the increase in the days of the lockdown, the children were the first to show signs of impatience. They wanted to go out, in fact, go to school. A lot of us still hadn’t been able to comprehend what this ‘pandemic’ was and how long it was going to last. Gradually, a lot of cases of throwing tantrums and misbehaviour were noticed by the guardians. I still remember asking my mother several times, “Mom, what should I do? I am getting so bored?” For the first few times she suggested some activities but later she too got upset whenever I asked her the same question.
The phone and laptop were becoming an addiction; a significant portion of the day would be spent playing games or watching something on the internet. But even that would become tiring after some time; and added to that the non-stop nagging of parents became very annoying. The bigger children still had the option of calling up their friends and being in touch with them to avoid feeling isolated. The infants suffered the most, and they were the ones who began showing early signs of mental problems. Gauging an increase in the psychological issues of children, several individuals offered to help through counselling over the phone or other distant means.
The schools, however, came to the rescue to a certain extent with the online classes. Despite being virtual, the children did get a feel of being associated with their school and peers. When they were battling with this emotional and psychological turmoil, the super cyclone struck hard. This time it was worse. At least with the pandemic house arrest, they could stay connected with the outside world. But with the devastation, the cyclone amphan caused they were deprived of that too. With the tearing down of electrical poles and internet cables, all that the children were left with were irritation and further restlessness.
Our grandparents and parents were used to spending hours without the television or phone. But the children of this generation were far from these experiences till they encountered the super cyclone. Even the days seemed to be nights with the heavily overcast sky and no electricity. There was hardly anything that they could do. The parents were having a tough time handling them especially those who were already suffering from the psychological condition of attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD). A lot of children were even heading towards it as a lateral damage of the twin strike.
Nonetheless, amidst all this chaos, there were some positive things that the children got - the power of endurance in difficult times; and the time and attention of their parents. Lack of any other engagement almost forced the parents to spend more quality time with their children. Maybe that would have a favourable result on the children’s minds and help them come out of the depression.
© Arked
The present times are not favourable for anyone, especially so in the case of children. At least the adults know that the extra time on hands can be spent in sitting quietly may be contemplating on something. But for the children, it is way worse than can be imagined; and this time around it was a dual attack on their childhood.
First came the invisible tyrant, the Coronavirus, and all the precautions that had to be taken to stay safe from this deadly enemy. Then the announcement of the lockdown left the children clueless. Indeed, they were happy that they did not have to get up early every day for school. But as days passed, they grew bored. They did not know what to do with those extra free hours. Frankly, not all children studied seriously right at the onset of the lockdown. Most of them were considering it to be an extension of the session break they were already enjoying. So, the majority of them were in a holiday mood.
With each passing day and the increase in the days of the lockdown, the children were the first to show signs of impatience. They wanted to go out, in fact, go to school. A lot of us still hadn’t been able to comprehend what this ‘pandemic’ was and how long it was going to last. Gradually, a lot of cases of throwing tantrums and misbehaviour were noticed by the guardians. I still remember asking my mother several times, “Mom, what should I do? I am getting so bored?” For the first few times she suggested some activities but later she too got upset whenever I asked her the same question.
The phone and laptop were becoming an addiction; a significant portion of the day would be spent playing games or watching something on the internet. But even that would become tiring after some time; and added to that the non-stop nagging of parents became very annoying. The bigger children still had the option of calling up their friends and being in touch with them to avoid feeling isolated. The infants suffered the most, and they were the ones who began showing early signs of mental problems. Gauging an increase in the psychological issues of children, several individuals offered to help through counselling over the phone or other distant means.
The schools, however, came to the rescue to a certain extent with the online classes. Despite being virtual, the children did get a feel of being associated with their school and peers. When they were battling with this emotional and psychological turmoil, the super cyclone struck hard. This time it was worse. At least with the pandemic house arrest, they could stay connected with the outside world. But with the devastation, the cyclone amphan caused they were deprived of that too. With the tearing down of electrical poles and internet cables, all that the children were left with were irritation and further restlessness.
Our grandparents and parents were used to spending hours without the television or phone. But the children of this generation were far from these experiences till they encountered the super cyclone. Even the days seemed to be nights with the heavily overcast sky and no electricity. There was hardly anything that they could do. The parents were having a tough time handling them especially those who were already suffering from the psychological condition of attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD). A lot of children were even heading towards it as a lateral damage of the twin strike.
Nonetheless, amidst all this chaos, there were some positive things that the children got - the power of endurance in difficult times; and the time and attention of their parents. Lack of any other engagement almost forced the parents to spend more quality time with their children. Maybe that would have a favourable result on the children’s minds and help them come out of the depression.
© Arked