What did the lockdown do to our children?

It was children's day yesterday and I was mulling over what the lockdowns did to our children.?

Here’s the thing, pre-lockdown children learned through one-to-one interactions with a mentor, or a teacher, going to school, having group interaction, playing, and learning. Children learn best through physically being present with their teachers. Social interaction between children is very important for their confidence and growth.

But the closure of schools and the social distancing resulted in personal isolation. Besides this, in most households, the adults were anxious about Covid-19 thanks to mainstream media blowing it out of proportion. That anxiety is something that children caught on to too. There was no certainty of what the future held for them.?

It is widely reported that mental health problems in children have increased with this forced isolation. Children with pre-existing mental health conditions were more significantly affected by pandemic-related changes.

There was a disruption in the way the children learn. When asked about our childhood most of us remember playtime, going out, being in nature, and the interval time.?But children who are born during this lockdown period were left in isolation which resulted in children being suppressed and not being able to integrate with the outside world. They became more clingy, more attention-seeking, and more dependent on their parents.

The lack of constraints of not going outside impacted their minds. These kids didn't have the access to be able to use their bodies to move and enjoy the pleasure of play.?A lot of anxiety got trapped in their body. Their eating habits went down the drain and combined with their increased vulnerability to depression, stress, and anxiety some of them began exhibiting symptoms of complex PTSD. During the pandemic, children got more addicted to electronic devices with learning going completely online.?

The last two years have created insurmountable damage in our children’s psyche, our Children are going to need all our support as they grow up.