Have You Heard From The Children?
Illumination
What about the children? Those who are healthy and the ones with special needs. How are they coping with their limited knowledge and experience of our world? What are they thinking right now? Do they understand what is really happening? How do you explain to a 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 years old why so many people are dying every day? How do you explain why they don’t have enough to eat? Why mom and dad must stay at home? They might believe they are prisoners in their homes. Why does everyone look so sad? Who took away the laughter? Why are smiles hiding from us?
Many of us are on the edge and it won’t take a strong breeze to push us over. In fact, another second stuck at home will do the trick. Most of us are at our boiling point, and some have already passed theirs. Children are watching, they are seeing all of what their parents are going through. Some of them are paying the price from the built-up anger and uncertainty their parents are facing, because being stuck at home, rage and regret must also find a place of their own. So, some children are paying their own price for the condition our world is in, so yes, they are the victims, twice. Thank God COVID 19 doesn’t bother a lot of children, but when it does, many aren’t strong enough to fight back.
This crisis has created lots of anger that must get out, wants to get out, and some of us don’t have the strength or power to determine where our rage goes. Being stuck at home, children unknowingly become a punching bag. They are defenseless, so they rely on their parents to protect them, be that strong rock they rely on. We must be strong, if not for ourselves, but for our children. For those without children, they have someone relying on them. I pray for everyone, but I say a special prayer for our children.
Many of us think they don’t understand what is going on, many of us are wrong. As a mother, I never underestimate the incredible ability of my children or any child. While raising my children, I learn that if you take the time to explain honestly, many children will understand. They want the truth, which many adults often reject.
Please take the time to explain, encourage, motivate, give lots of hugs, answer lots of questions with smiles, and a dash of honesty. Laugh more, just for fun, they will think you are silly and laugh too. Find ways to expand their imagination, and yours too. Take the journey with them, and you will survive with them.
When my children started school, I learn with them straight up to high school. That has contributed to their success educationally. We take that journey together. We had a lot of fun and they haven’t forgotten. As a result of that, I became the go-to person when they are in trouble. Please be good to the children during this crisis, they are little people and they feel the pain of what is happening around them, and what their parents are enduring as a result of COVID 19. They don’t have an outlet, they only have you, their mother, their father, grandmother, grandfather, their siblings, their family.
Inspired by Anne Fricke: Crisis Learning Quarantine Poem #15
Thank you for reading this piece. I hope you enjoyed it.
Children want the truth, isn’t that amazing, because many adults don’t want it or can’t handle it.
