‘Spend quality time with children during lockdown’: Delhi CM Kejriwal’s advice to parents

Announcing the interactive session a day earlier, the Delhi government had invited questions from parents and children on how to cope with the nationwide lockdown. With schools shut due to the pandemic, it is a challenge for most parents to keep their children occupied.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, deputy CM and education minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday held an interactive session with parents through social media platforms, on “parenting in the time of coronavirus”. With schools shut due to the pandemic, it is a challenge for most parents who are working from home to keep their children constructively occupied in a holistic environment and keep them safe.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia and experts held a session ‘parenting in the times of corona’ on Saturday, April 4, 2020. (Photo Credit: Aam Aadmi Party/ Twitter)

Announcing the session a day earlier, the Delhi government had invited questions from parents and children on how to cope with the nationwide lockdown. “Schools shut and kids at home. It’s indeed a challenging time for parents to help kids cope with the lockdown. So let’s learn new ways to sail through these times. CM Arvind Kejriwal and experts come together for a live chat with parents about - parenting in the time of corona,” Sisodia had tweeted.

“There are 44 lakh students who are not going to school now and have many questions about Covid-19. I will answer as many questions as I can. Children are innocent. Most of them, specially the very young ones do not understand the significance of a lockdown or why they are being asked to stay at home. The aim of this session is to suggest ideas on how to utilize this time fruitfully,” Kejriwal said.

Parents came up with a number of interesting questions which their children had originally asked them. The parent of a 5-year-old revealed that the child had asked him whether the entire population would die due to the disease. The Delhi chief minister replied, “The challenge is coping with little children who should not be frightened. It is also difficult to explain to them since they are too young and do not understand the precautions we need to take to fight Covid-19. They need proper explanations on why they cannot indulge in all the things they want to do outdoors.”

Most parents, Kejriwal said, normally do not find the time to sit and interact with their children. So now is the correct time to spend quality time together. Despite the fact that most parents are working from home, they need to harness technology to keep their children occupied, the Delhi chief minister said.

“Children spend too much time with gadgets. That access has to be given in limited measure and they need to be taught how to use certain gadgets for e-learning,” Kejriwal advised parents who had tuned in to the interactive session.

Seemant Dhadwal, an expert attending the session on behalf of the Delhi government said most children wanted to know why they could not go outdoors and play in parks. “Children need to be told they cannot do things they like during the lockdown…they have to be engaged with the help of technology and imagination. For instance, they can build an imaginary park with the help of chart paper and colours and then they can pretend it is an actual park and be engaged for sometime every day. Parents too need to adjust with conflicting demands that children make,” he said.

Along with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, the Delhi CM was accompanied by other experts from the field of education.

The country is under a 21-day nationwide lockdown that has been imposed to stop the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus. Schools, public transports, religious places and offices have been shut to break the chain and contain its transmission.