The last two years have had their fair share of ups and downs for all of us. Let’s face it, the pandemic put a major damper on society in all aspects, and I know all parents (myself included) have struggled with our children, be it socially or academically, no matter their ages.
Two years (and counting…) is a relatively short window of observation time when trying to establish anything concrete when it comes to trends, but we can see some obvious concerning ones, like social development and confidence levels. Looking at my own boys, they have had their ups and downs over the last two years, with the biggest impact on my oldest in grade 2. Every time he gained his confidence back, there would be another lockdown and we would start again. Luckily, we had lots of neighbourhood kids playing outside, so they were able to still maintain some human connection and interaction other than immediate family.
As the pandemic continues, adults are generally able to handle such social changes in moderation given our established skill sets, but with the developing child this isn’t always the case. We often think kids won’t understand more complex situations and conversations, and that they’re not picking up on everything happening in the background, but they are constant sponges for information. We expect because they’re kids they can handle these challenges easier because most of the heavy stuff flies over their heads, but they are deciphering much more than we give them credit for. But really, what worries do they have, it’s only been 2 years of on and off rounds of glorified house arrest – for good medical reason I might add, not playing with politics here people! Regardless, the longer the social isolation periods last, the longer it’s going to take a significant number of children to catch up to the proverbial pack. Yes children are resilient, but to what extent? Educators have always preached that children are stronger and more resilient then we give them credit for, but when do our kids hit their breaking points, and how much toxic stress have they been exposed to that could lead to concerns in the long term?
Children are still learning how to socialize and we’ve been pushing their pause button for 2 years. Will they bounce back? Absolutely. Will they have scars? Absolutely. Some children will have gone through this pandemic relatively unscathed, (not speaking to the obvious medical implications of covid) but that’s not the case for a vast number of children out there. There are a number of variables to look at. Increased screen time, decreased social connections, isolation, anxious parents, added stress with restrictions, the list goes on.
People may be quick to point out that increased screen time is solely to blame for the decrease in childhood socialization and covid has certainly exacerbated that notion, but by no means is it the main culprit. Screen time sees its fair share of controversy and can undeniably be used in negative ways, but in the pandemic, screens were able to give kids a connection, to grandparents, relatives and friends. In older kids, video games were their only connections to other peers. If actually used effectively, screens can greatly increase a child’s ability to make positive connections with friends or peers that perhaps they may not have had the confidence to do before. They can be a safe bridge for these connections, but the parent and elder millennial in me knows they can also lead to negative experiences. So long as you have proper interventions in place with your kids, you can keep a relatively tight lid on them.
When we allow too many of our own anxieties to enter our children’s lives, we are helping to perpetuate those mindsets into the next generation, and you can see where this could pick up speed with other parental influences and bias… We can only keep our children safe to a certain point of control, but many allow themselves to be consumed by it and try to control the parts we can’t, which then breeds developmental road blocks.
In my opinion, I can see a number of children and teens carry social and emotional scars through their development into adulthood based on these pandemic years, and the missed opportunities the had to build connections and relationships. Now that restrictions are eased, (whether you may agree with them or not) the longer we hold children back from having new experiences and keep them socially isolated, the longer it takes them to find their foot hold and keep climbing.
Play. challenge. grow 