Page 10 - ParentsWorld June 2020

nurturing 21st Century Children

Cover

story

Prudent parenting in the

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.

he rampaging Coronavirus aka Covid-19 especially harsh on low-income and poor households. In
pandemic, which has infected 6.19 million India, the National Commission for Women has reported
people and killed 370,000 worldwide including a sharp increase in domestic abuse and violence with 587
T208,000 affected and over 5,800 killed in India, complaints registered between March 23 and April 16
and forced a national lockdown of industry and business — almost double the complaints received in the previous
and mass closure of education institutions, is playing havoc 25 days. Moreover, the
with the psychological and emotional well-being of hith- Central government’s
erto active children and adolescents suffering incremental Childline India has
anxiety, fear and stress. According to a recent study titled reported 92,000 calls
‘The Psychological Impact of Quarantine and How to Re- from abused children
duce it’ published in the globally respected medical journal between March 25-April
Lancet (March 2020), an assessment of quarantine and 8 — a 50 percent in-
isolation in precedent pandemics indicates high prevalence crease after the national
of “emotional disturbance, depression, stress, low mood, lockdown was dramati-
irritability, insomnia, post-traumatic stress symptoms, an- cally announced in a
ger and emotional exhaustion,” in human beings. nationwide broadcast by
Beyond anxiety about the health of elders and loss of prime minister Narendra
personal freedom and mobility, the pandemic lockdown Modi on March 24. The
has forced families indoors, straining and damaging lockdown has resulted in
personal relationships. Inevitably, women and children closure of all manufac-
are bearing the brunt of the lockdown, which has been Dr. Sangeetha Mahesh turing plants, business

parentsworld • june 2020 10