How Has the Pandemic Affected Our Children?

It’s been almost two years since the first lockdown in the Philippines happened. It’s been almost two years of wearing mandatory face masks and face shields, sanitizing everything, boosting your immune system by eating healthy food and following all health and safety protocols. 

Sadly, some people seem to have not learned anything. Some people have been very cautious while some people are still careless. Some people choose to stay inside their houses and prepare their meals to be safe while some people continue to go out and pretend the virus does not exist.

A lot of people I personally know have been infected by the virus. Some of them survived and some of them died. It is both sad and terrifying. It has affected my emotional and mental state which is why I chose to distract myself by keeping myself busy at work. I also stopped watching the news.

What happened all this time during quarantine? Who were the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic? How has the pandemic affected our children?

It’s sad to see my daughter missing out on her childhood — playing outside, getting into shenanigans, scraping her knees on the concrete, etc. Everything is online now. They study online. They communicate with other kids and play games online. No physical interaction. No exercise. Now, I see many parents allowing their kids to play outside now, perhaps in a bid to keep the children entertained (or for their own sanity). We’ve been in quarantine for almost two years now so I couldn’t really fault other parents for giving in or giving up.

As a mom, I never wanted this for my kid but I had no choice. I can’t let her play outside and risk her own life just to have actual playmates. I can’t risk her health just for several minutes of fun.

It saddens me to see my own daughter not having friends she can interact with and almost losing her childhood. In this pandemic, my husband and I became her “circle of friends” but in my heart, I know that it’s not enough. We can’t play with her all the time because we are both working. What we can do every day is to make her feel that she is loved no matter how grim the situation outside is. 

We allow her to have video calls with her cousins whenever she wants to except when she is having her online classes. We allow her to play online games as long as she is done with her school tasks.

We make sure that she takes her vitamins and eats healthy food every day. We make sure that she doesn’t touch anything from the outside that has not been sanitized. What else could we do to protect our children?

Is it Okay to Let Your Child Go Out to Play?

Nope, especially if they have comorbidities like asthma, obesity, or if they are immunocompromised. Right now, there is no place safer for our children other than our own homes.

Children can get COVIF-19. Eating healthy food, washing hands and being proactive is your best defense against the virus.

What Can You Do To Help Your Child Cope?

Schedule a Family Day

As a working mom, you might sometimes not be able to find the time to bond with your children. Take a day off and schedule a family day every once in a while. Plan some indoor activities. You can play board games with the family or even multiplayer video games. Enlist the help of the gamer dad for choosing a good video game that is appropriate for your child’s age.

Do a family art activity. Is one corner of the house looking boring? Paint a wall mural. It doesn’t have to be a grand piece of art, as long as it’s done with family, then it’s good art.

Schedule a Group Call with Friends and Family

Being in lockdown means children don’t get to go out to play and they are missing out on a very important aspect of their formative years. Play is very important for learning and developing children’s personalities. To help fill this gap, you can arrange for a group call with friends and family of the same age. Let your children interact with other children of the same age. While face-to-face interactions are ideal, this is the best we can do right now.

Get Your Children Vaccinated

Get your children vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccine so they are protected. If they are vaccinated, it is safe to give them some freedom to play with other vaccinated children in a limited capacity. Remember, vaccinated children can still get and pass on the COVID-19 virus. If they are not of the right age to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, give them flu and pneumonia vaccines instead.

Limit Screen Time

Many parents might be tempted to just give their children a mobile device so they can have their peace and quiet. This is fine just as long as you limit screen time. Give them other activities to do like arts and crafts so they can keep busy. The MayoClinic has a good guide on how to make the most of screen time for your children.

Get a Tutor to Help with School

Odds are your children are having trouble with school because of the lack of face-to-face classes. It’s okay to admit to this. Many children all over the world struggle to adapt to online classes. Tutor your children if you have time. If you don’t have time, you can hire a tutor or ask an older niece or nephew to do the tutoring in exchange for some pocket money.

When Will This Pandemic End? 

Are we going to be like this for another year? Why is it so hard for the Philippine government to end this pandemic? Is the government inept? Is it the people’s fault? Are they both at fault?

Everyone wants this pandemic to end but not everyone is doing their part. Instead, we all keep pointing fingers. The people are saying that the government is so inept it cannot come up with a half-decent strategy to fight the pandemic. Some are saying that it is the people’s fault for being irresponsible, selfish and careless. Some others just got fed up, stopped being scared, and started doing the things they used to do pre-pandemic.

Businesses are now re-opening so they can survive and so their employees can make a living. Some are against it as it seems to be luring the people to go out. The government has also allowed children over the age of 11 to go out. They have approved lower age groups to get their vaccines. Hopefully, we can all soon go back to normal as we achieve greater herd immunity.