The viral disease has been harsh on everyone. Its impact on high schoolers or teens is higher as most of them have to transition to college. Like adults, children are feeling stressed due to lifestyle changes. Some common challenges include unpredictable schedules, uncertainty around learning due to closed schools, restricted access to mental and physical health support, no vacations or holidays, and a sense of loss of safety and security because of rising violence in the family. If you want to help your kids, you would first need to understand their mental state and find solutions.
Signs of struggle in your children
As mentioned, the pandemic has affected people across ages. So you cannot rule out the possibility of the negative effect of the pandemic on your toddlers and school-going kids. For example, you can see a rise in bedwetting, tantrums, or separation anxiety in them. They may not sleep well at night. You can find them irritable and crying often. Also, some of them can exhibit aggression during playtime. Among older children and adolescents, the signs of pandemic effects can be different. They can be gloomy and crying all the time. If people were outdoor previously, they could hesitate to go out now.
Experts say these changes hint at the beginning of depression. High school kids usually start withdrawing from their parents and family. Besides that, frequent fights with friends, mood swings, irritable behavior, lack of sleep, loss of concentration, and changing eating patterns can be other reasons. Peter DeCaprio points out that stress and eating habits tend to have a direct connection.
Ways to help your kids
As a parent, it can be challenging for you to see your children suffer like this. That’s why you have to keep your problems aside and pay attention to them to help them come out of this. For example, social isolation can be pretty common with these kids. To overcome this, you can create a proper daily routine for them. Fix their bedtime, breakfast, and others while keeping in mind their online classes. When you build a structure for them, they get a sense of safety and cope with their emotions and behavior better.
Another thing you can implement to help them socialize once again is to build small groups for activities. Children can resist this initially. But don’t let them stay away from it for too long. Treat them patiently and gently while convincing them to take part in an activity with others. Also, you can ask them about their likes and dislikes when planning any such event to make them feel comfortable.
In the end, you need to recognize that these are not regular times for anyone. Kids can test the limit of their parents’ patience. On other days, you could afford to be strict with them. However, the pandemic has changed everything. So you may have to show some more patience to deal with their behavior. Understand the difference between rebellious nature and normal misbehaving so that you can take suitable measures for them.