raising kids
Raising a COVID-19 Generation How the pandemic is adversely affecting our children and pro advice for handling the damage. By Christine Albano
L
iving in a COVID-19 world is scary for everyone -but can be even more traumatic and life-altering for young children and teens growing up in the age of a pandemic. Besides worrying about staying safe 24/7, they are also facing major challenges ranging from social isolation and boredom to the loss of current events and despair over having less to look forward to, according to Dr. Nicole Robinson, a Staten Island pediatric neuropsychologist with a practice in Bloomfield. “Childhood is only a season and many kids and teens are more aware of that than they needed to be before,” Dr. Robinson explained. She said the number of patient referrals rose significantly in the spring of 2020 due to children and teens suffering from COVID-induced depression, anxiety, and social isolation. “For older kids, like teens and young adults, so much of their life is meant to be lived in social circles outside the family, so kids in those age groups are struggling with the limits of socialization in a bigger way,” Dr. Robinson explained. “We are seeing difficulties on the social and emotional side, as well as the academic side. Parents can help their children and teens through this difficult period by recognizing, identifying, and comforting their fears -- but never trivializing their concerns, Dr. Robinson says. She noted that while their frustrations may seem small -- such as missing a rite of passage or milestone -- they are significant problems in their worlds. This includes teenage girls who can no longer buy a dress for their Sweet 16 party or senior prom, athletes whose seasons have been canceled, and candidates for graduation from pre-K to college who won’t wear a cap and gown to live ceremonies. “So much of their experience being time sensitive, there is only one senior prom, one graduation, one freshman year of college,” Dr. Robinson explained. “Missing out on these events that they have been waiting for their whole lives and watched other siblings or friends go through is a sense of loss.”
But, parents should allow children and teens to “mourn” these losses. “They are not wrong about the calendar being blank, and what may seem like a small concern may be significant for them,” Dr. Robinson said. Susan Lunny Keag, a Randall Manor mother of three said her kids have been primarily impacted by the social isolation during COVID. “All of their daily activities were essentially cancelled -- from sports to extracurricular programs,” Mrs. Lunny Keag explained. Her son, Sean, a senior at Monsignor Farrell High School, had a shortened soccer season in the fall of 2020 and he “relished each practice and game,” his mom said. But, at the same time, his senior year was cut short. “Sean has missed so many senior events that he will never get to experience,“ she said. Meanwhile, when the CYO season was canceled for her daughter, Claire, a 6th grader at Blessed Sacrament, she was “devastated,” Mrs. Lunny Keag said. “The girls on her basketball team and her coaches are like her second family, so that took a tremendous toll on her,” she explained. “Sports help kids decompress and is another means of socializing outside of school, so taking that away is definitely detrimental to them.” Her daughter, Bridget, meanwhile, a musician and actress, was at a loss when most of her shows and performances
12 February / March 2021 • siparent.com
2021 Preschool Directory.indd 2
2/17/21 12:07 PM
