While we often speak of the deadly virus and its demonic repercussions on the world level, we overlook its tertiary impact on children at large.
As soon as the virus seeped in, schools were shut down keeping their safety in mind. It was obviously an imminent requisite per se. Initially, it was thought of as a temporary phase that will pass off after a finite period and life will bounce back to normal. But gradually reality became an apparition whose actual countenance was quite brutal and deadly.
Children stopped going out and started having online classes, which became an absolutely life-changing experience for them. Parents got involved in the process as well. While knowledge about technical nitty-gritty was learned, but it turned out to be a daunting experience for both the child and the parent along the way. Sometimes there are electricity issues, whereas other times net is slow or not working at all. Some acclimatized themselves with this current set-up, but most of them showed psychological symptoms after a prolonged stay at home.
Their inability to go out, real talks with friends, frolicking in green parks, touching the sky in swings were all missing. Their life got caged within the four boundaries of their house.
The detrimental effect slowly surfaced with time. Their screen time escalated-- not only their online sessions at school; they now spend more time browsing the net, playing games on their mobiles and tabs. They are even spending unending periods in front of the television.
Serious anger issues have cropped up, they have become restive and get agitated at a trifle. They hardly lend an ear to the bickering and monitoring of the elder members of the family and are lost in their own virtual world. This present scenario has not left any alternative to them. Their inability to interact in person has left them with little or no options. Long presence in front of the screen is amplifying eye-sight complications and headaches. Obesity is another botheration to take note of. Children are binge-watching with little or no exercise. There is hardly any real movement of the anatomy. They have become torpid.
It might not be such a serious issue as compared to the global pandemic that has swept the world off its feet, but its underlying implications are far-reaching and worrisome.
The missing link in the growing up years is there to stay for a long time in the future. The behavioral changes behind the mask might remain hidden temporarily, but the child within will always anchor for a normal life.
Parents need to be more cooperative and understanding without being critical all the time. If it is a challenging situation for adults; it is far more miserable for children. They are missing out on a part of their childhood as they are growing...
When shall I play in the green meadows?
When shall I stretch my hands in the air?
When shall I catch the butterfly as it sits on a flower?
The muddy puddle is missing the naughty shoes,
The drizzling rain is missing the colorful umbrella,
Long chats among the friends are all but virtual,
Holding hands has now become a tale of the distant future.
Let's wait for a better tomorrow
When we shall sit in the classroom and
Stare at the blackboard with renewed
Enthusiasm and dreams, as they unfold...
@Nandini Sengupta