The kids aren't having in easy during the pandemic. Well, none of us are, but often it's the kids who have to pay a higher price, as they have to bear the brunt for longer periods in future.
For more than a year, they have had to cope with online classes, instead of being in school, in classrooms. Of course, now, some of them have been able to go to schools, in some places, and some of the online classes have transformed too (to hybrid mode, for instance). But does that mean they are in a better position? How has the pressure been like? Well, the pressure has been overwhelming. Since the kids have better coping mechanisms, we are not often able to see the damage the unavoidable pressure situation does to them on the surface level. The strain on their mental health can be detected upon careful observation and behavioral analysis by experts, I'm sure.
Right after the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020, I had to discontinue home tuitions for obvious reasons. For me, the break was a welcome change, and it was something that I would have otherwise chosen as well, as part of personal compulsions, yet it meant saying goodbye to my students for good, or so I thought. With many of these students, and some ex-students, there's the opportunity of staying connected virtually on social media. All through 2020, and more acutely in 2021, I have had interactions with kids (teenagers, actually), and some of the conversations I had were startling for me.
Many of their words and dialogues were indirectly cries for help. Though I did try to address them responsibly and sensibly, I could see my limitations, as I couldn't actually help them in the real, physical place. Also, I couldn't address their parents, on most occasions, since I was bound by confidentiality. The follow-up on the kids' progress could also be done satisfactorily. I felt helpless at times.
My earnest request to parents and guardians would be to seek emotional counselling for the kids and young adults compulsorily. Some of the better schools have already understood how imperative mental health is, especially during these trying times, and have rolled out initiatives to bolster essential social and emotional skills. In fact, all educational institutions should. Specifically, to help kids deal with panic attacks and to cope with extremely stressful situations at home (or elsewhere), there are simple yet effective techniques that are needed to be taught.
Unless we all understand how important it is for kids to be helped with fostering of communication skills, developing self-acceptance, learning coping strategies, for better relationship management and decision-making, we won't be taking care of them responsibly. Our generation did not receive decent mental health education, accept the sad fact. My school was one of the very first schools in Calcutta in the late '70s to have a designated 'psychologist' in the Senior Section, however, the system was hardly functional when I was a student (in the '80s). I did gain my perspective on the dysfunctionality much later. How I wish, as kids, we were taught that putting ourselves first is okay! In all the lessons of kindness (in Moral Science, that we were compulsorily taught) towards others, we should have been taught to be kind to ourselves too. We should have been taught that self-love isn't necessarily selfish, that choosing ourselves over others shouldn't come at a cost.
