Corona and its Impact on Children: A Mother’s Perspective | Dr Bhumika Barot

Corona virus has changed the world order, things have gone for a toss. The pandemic has forced us to rethink and restructure our beliefs, work patterns in fact everything we do. Work from home, online teaching, home schooling is the new normal. The pandemic has had a lasting impact on the behaviour and psychology of children. Witnessing these changes first-hand the report documents the impact these testing times have had.

Like any other situation this pandemic too has its share of pros and cons. On one hand the epidemic gave families the much needed “me” time. I am a working woman and the first stay home gave me the time for bonding with my son. I learnt a lot about his interests and activities that keep him engaged. Which was somehow lost in the routine parenting. It was taken for granted. The pandemic gave us the time to bond.

I realised that even parenting had changed. Why wouldn't it. I remember, my parents would say go out and play television is not good for you. The last few months changed that. To ensure the child does not wander outside the house, screen time was permitted. In fact, learning contributed to additional screen time. With online classes it is a lot more screen time. This new change has got me wondering about the ill’s and benefits of online learning.

With my 6-year-old kid seated in front of the computer, fidgeting with the mouse, keyboard and sometimes even the charging cable. Is shouting on him a viable alternative? Just because he is inquisitive about the functioning of a device, he has seen his parents working on but was not permitted to play with it. He had seen computers in his school computer book or the occasional visits to the computer lab. He has learnt how to click on the link received from his school and join a meeting, in his case his class. This routine of clicking on a link to enter the class and then sit staring at the screen is not what one would describe as an engaging class. Yet asking to do that everyday is not very encouraging for the child.

Amidst all this, online teaching is somewhat taken for granted. With the child just standing up and going to drink water or even to enquire about the commotion happening outside. The foundation of “discipline” is weakening is what I felt. But later realized that it's not easy for a six-year-old to adapt to new learning methods overnight and needs time. Parents cannot prevail over teachers and their approach toward a child cannot be compared to a teacher. With parents forcing the child to be seated in front of a screen that does not have human touch and sometimes does not have the required bandwidth.

I happened to read about a father, in a leading newspaper, who sold his only cow to purchase a smartphone, so that his daughter too could attend online classes. This makes me wonder; what about those parents who do not have such devices at their disposal. Or as a matter of fact those parents who have two kids but have just one smartphone / computer. With all these in place the connectivity is another major issue. And yet we force them to sit staring at the screens. Screens cannot replace teachers and have the same student teacher engagement.

With the child forced to stay indoors, frustration builds up. Bursts of anger and mood swings - even the most patient parents are bogged down. Leading to emotional outbursts. A child has to go through all this and yet is expected to behave. Watch television when permitted to and shut it down when asked, he is not a robot that should obey orders. The child is learning nevertheless. Sanitisation and social distancing are two words that are embedded in his mind. Having taught the child to distance himself from others is his new learning. Though I sincerely believe social distancing is not the right term. We could have called it physical distancing for socially a person can be connected through the many social media platforms or with just a phone call. It's the physical distance that does not permit him to go out and play with his friends. It's the physical distance that makes him miss a hug as soon as his father returns from office and it is this warmth and affection that the child is losing. Corona can stop the child from meeting his friends, but if the schools permit the children to talk to their friends everyday after class just for 5-10 minutes, this could have a positive impact on the child's psychology and give them the much-needed boost to up their morale.

Corona is not going away anytime soon. This does not leave us with a lot of options either. Corona has changed things and we need to adapt to the change. Parents will have to give children the space they need. Constant haggling will not help. Schools will have to change their curriculum and teachers' teaching style. All together will have to evolve to get the child to adapt to the new normal. Help them get over the fear of the unknown and live a healthy balanced life.

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