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Children have lost a normal childhood in the past one year, rue celeb parents
We talk to celeb parents such as Raveena Tandon, Adil Hussain, Arjun Bijlani and Juhi Parmar on how difficult the past year has been for their children.
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The ongoing pandemic has certainly been hard for everyone. But apart from the visible physical and mental exhaustion that most people are facing, one age group in particular has been the worst affected is children. With repeated lockdowns and virus scare, they have not led a normal childhood since last year, and on top of that, they have had to remain confined to the four walls of their house.
In what ways will this affect their growth? How difficult has it been for parents to explain the whole situation to their kids and control the natural impulses? These are some questions that have been bothering the celeb parents we spoke to.
Adil Hussain (son Kabir, 10)
It has been very difficult stopping my son from going outside, it’s almost like suppressing his natural impulses. He wants to move and go out to play, run around screaming with his peers, learning life and dynamics of interrelationships. All that has been completely cut down. One has to find ways to let him let out those energies in a house, which is difficult in an apartment. It is not at all a normal childhood for children.
Arjun Bijlani (son Ayaan, 6)
It has been hard on kids on so many levels. I try to talk to my son as much as I can and make him understand what the world is going through. To keep him engaged and help him not feel isolated, I try to make it a point to play with him, spend more time doing some fun activities. I also feel that nothing can replace the physical schooling system. A child learns so much apart from textbook education when he is at school - from sharing to playing sports to extracurricular activities to making new friends. I really feel sad that my son is missing out on making these beautiful memories.
Raveena Tandon (daughter Rasha, 16 and son Ranbir, 13)
The times are such, but children adjust well to situations. Luckily, my kids have been understanding and not once thrown a tantrum or shown any sign of anxiety yet. We have conversations about what is happening around, and they are dealing with the circumstances well. The four of us (Raveena, husband Anil Thadani, and their kids) together actually end up having a lot of fun and we have kept our sanity well.
Juhi Parmar (daughter Samairra, 8)
It’s definitely not easy but from the initial days last year, I taught Samairra about germs, the virus and explained to her how it spreads. Slowly she understood the pandemic. There are times just like adults, a child too says they miss their friends and going down to play but I think children are the most flexible. The times are difficult but they have learned to adapt.
EXPERT TIP
Children are not being able to meet their friends, attend any events, sports, when this is the time for their physical and mental growth. Most of them are feeling restless, anxious and stressed out. I have also seen mild symptoms of depression in some children as well because of that. Parents play a very important role here, they are the captain of the ship and responsible for their mental and physical well being. The way children tackle this entire pandemic will definitely affect their personality for their entire lives, apart from thinking patterns. It is very important for parents to have a constant dialogue with their kids to understand what they are absorbing from outside, if they have any misconceptions, misunderstandings which can be dealt with time to time. Daily dialogue forms a connection.
-- Dr Gitanjali Sharma, Child counsellor and parenting expert
