Prudent parenting in the lockdown era

Parenting in lockdown era – PW presents advice gathered from psychologists and parenting experts on ways and means parents can empower children to cope with the rigours of the Covid-19 national lockdown and the summer holidays which will prolong the at-home period of children to early June and July, if not longer – Cynthia John, Jayalakshmi Vaidyanathan & Mini P. The rampaging Coronavirus aka Covid-19 pandemic, which has infected 6.19 million people and killed 370,000 worldwide including 208,000 affected and over 5,800 killed in India, and forced a national lockdown of industry and business and mass closure of education institutions, is playing havoc with the psychological and emotional well-being of hitherto active children and adolescents suffering incremental anxiety, fear and stress. According to a recent study titled ‘The Psychological Impact of Quarantine and How to Reduce it’ published in the globally respected medical journal Lancet (March 2020), an assessment of quarantine and isolation in precedent pandemics indicates high prevalence of “emotional disturbance, depression, stress, low mood, irritability, insomnia, post-traumatic stress symptoms, anger and emotional exhaustion,” in human beings. Beyond anxiety about the health of elders and loss of personal freedom and mobility, the pandemic lockdown has forced families indoors, straining and damaging personal relationships. Inevitably, women and children are bearing the brunt of the lockdown, which has been especially harsh on low-income and poor households. In India, the National Commission for Women has reported a sharp increase in domestic abuse and violence with 587 complaints registered between March 23 and April 16 — almost double the complaints received in the previous 25 days. Moreover, the Central government’s Childline India has reported 92,000 calls from abused children between March 25-April 8 — a 50 percent increase after the national lockdown was dramatically announced in a nationwide broadcast by prime minister Narendra Modi on March 24. The lockdown has resulted in closure of all manufacturing plants, business offices and suspension of public transport and forced confinement of all urban residents countrywide. “With family members forced to remain indoors 24/7, fear of contracting the virus has been exacerbated by financial anxiety and stressed inter-personal relationships transmitted through verbal and non-verbal messages. This stress manifests in the form of irritability, anger, and frustration and usually the most vulnerable family members — children and women — bear the brunt,” says Dr. Sangeetha Mahesh, psychologist and relationship consultant and founder-director of Psycafe, Chennai. Dr. Mahesh believes that children internalise parental fears of the pandemic and associated financial, socioemotional and health anxieties. “Young children may not understand the seriousness of the Covid-19 crisis but witnessing their parents engage in conversations laced with anxiety and fear makes them anxious and insecure. They react by crying, shouting and sulking. In such situations, parents need to be calm and positive, assuring children of their complete love and attention,” advises Mahesh. UK-based internationally respected parenting expert and author of the best-seller Parenting Made Easy — How to Raise Happy Children (and PW columnist), Sue Atkins warns that the likes of the rampant…