The pandemic impacted everyone in the world in various ways. Some people suffered from the illness, others had to make changes to their lives and other events occurred. However, people don’t always focus on the children and how the pandemic affected them, so we want to point out five different ways children had their lives changed by this pandemic.
Online School
First, many children need to attend online school now which can affect their learning environment. At school, children have the chance to talk with the teacher, easily ask questions, and receive help with work. However, trying to help children through online schooling stands out as a more difficult situation since the teacher can’t directly point it out.
This happens because children have a harder time showing their teachers what they struggle with. This can lead to a drop in understanding causing children to get lower grades at school, so this could impact their academic futures. On top of that, children may struggle to use the computer making school even more complicated for them.
Fear of Sickness
Since the pandemic caused millions of people to pass away some children may develop a fear of illnesses. When they get sick, they won’t know if they caught COVID or not, so they may develop fear and anxiety toward any signs of sickness. For example, some children may become anxious if someone coughs, or if they start to feel ill in any way.
On top of that, parents will want to make sure they have the best doctors for their children. This means they need to make sure those doctors went through the pediatrics board review and passed everything they needed to. Either way, children may develop a fear of illness while parents try to help them out by getting good doctors.
Wearing Masks
Since people can easily catch COVID-19 and some kids aren’t old enough to have the vaccine, they need to wear masks in public. While masks help children remain safe, they will naturally impact the lives of these kids. For example, it makes the kids physically aware of how dangerous the virus is since they need to take these extra precautions.
On top of that, some children may find the masks uncomfortable if they have to wear them which may cause them to complain about it. While masks are necessary to defend against the virus, we can’t ignore how they impact children, so help your child understand why they must wear them.
Social Isolation
You should also recognize how the pandemic can cause social isolation for children. During these young years, children learn how to interact with others, make friends and develop key social skills. However, the pandemic makes it harder for children to learn these skills.
On top of that, some children may struggle if they can’t spend time with their friends. This means you need to do your best to encourage them to interact with friends through the internet. If possible, you should let your kids spend time with other children while taking the proper precautions. This should include meeting outside, staying six feet apart, and wearing masks when they need to.
Life-Changing Events
The pandemic can lead to many life-changing events that will have a serious impact on children. For example, many people died during the pandemic, so some children will have relatives who passed away due to COVID. This will affect their perception of life while also directly impacting them since they could lose people close to them.
On top of that, the parents could lose their jobs which could lead to financial difficulties for the children. If the parents don’t have as much money, the children may not have access to the same things as before. This can lead to stress, anxiety, and other difficulties, so do your best to support your children.
Mental Health
The pandemic has been a life-changing event for many children between a drastic life change, losing family members, and being socially isolated. This has led to a rise in mental health issues among youth. Depending on their age, children can express signs of stress and depression in different ways. Parents need to learn the signs of mental illness symptoms in children, provide love and support and get them professional help if needed. There is a false belief that children best cope with events by allowing them to cry and “figuring it out”. This is false. Children need to be shown that it is okay to express emotion; parents need to be there as emotional support and teach productive ways to cope with emotions.
Conclusion
The pandemic affected people in different ways, but they don’t always think of how it affects children. If you understand how the pandemic affects children you can work with them and ensure your kids remain safe and happy. Feel free to review these points, so you can do your best to help your children during and after the pandemic.
Author: Mandy Kloppers
Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.
