One of the misconceptions during this pandemic is that adults believe children are not that affected by the situation. They assume that kids do not understand what the world is going through. That all these children have to do is listen to what adults tell them. However, adults do not recognize the emotional and mental stress that kids also had to go through during this global health crisis.
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For Your Information
Children may respond to stress differently. Some tend to be so clingy, anxious, stubborn, withdrawing, angry, and impulsive. Most of the time, parents do not look at the signs intently because they somehow assume that children’s behavioral issues are normal and are a part of growing up. However, given this pandemic situation, the emotional stress that kids feel is different from what parents know. Children in times of crisis may suffer from mental decline due to lack of social school interaction, limited access to outdoor play, and sudden change of routines. With all these complications, here are some of the things parents can do.
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Providing Reassurance
One of the factors that cause children to become emotionally unstable is the lack of emotional support. That is the reason why most children tend to act and respond to their surroundings differently. Some of them become too anxious that they can no longer pay attention to themselves. So in this unfortunate condition, parents must learn how to listen to their kids. If the children say they are worried and afraid, prioritize by giving them an assurance that whatever happens, they will never go through the struggle alone. Make them realize that the situation is only temporary so that they can find it in their minds and heart not to get emotionally distracted with what they negatively see and hear on the news.
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Explain Things Calmly
Understandably, adults get too stressed because of the limited things they can do in this time of crisis. But they are not the only ones. Kids also feel deprived of their freedom because they understand they are not allowed to do things they were supposed to. These include playing and socializing. Thus, it is the parents’ responsibility to talk to the children and explain things calmly. At first, the children will get confused and might ask a lot of questions that can sometimes tend to be annoying. But that doesn’t have to cause an emotional burden to parents because that’s how kids are. They are curious about everything. Therefore, that is enough reason to tell them the truth about the people and the world’s suffering.
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Avoid Any Forms Of Separation
As much as parents want to keep their children safe, it is essential to not allow kids to feel alone in times of crisis. One thing that most adults wrongly do is trying to keep the children safe by allowing them to be with people they thought are more capable of taking care of the kids. Yes, assuming there’s the possibility there. But to avoid children’s emotional stress, parents must always stay by their kids’ sides. And if example, a member of the family needs to go to the hospital or might need to run an errand, they must ensure regular communication with the kids. That way, children will never feel left out, especially in moments that they need their parents’ with them.
For most of us, we somehow underestimate the children’s understanding of the situation. Thus we often make mistakes in taking care of them. In this time of crisis, we must all learn to understand that kids also feel the pressure, anxiety, and stress we all feel.