Little Prisoners Of The Pandemic

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T Thishalini turned one earlier this month. Her first birthday was celebrated with only her parents and elder sister present. There were no doting grandparents or relatives crowding around her and laughing and feeding her because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the movement restrictions.
However, thanks to video calls, her grandparents on both sides were able to watch Thishalini cut a cake and join in singing the birthday song right from their own homes.
Thishalini is a Covid-19 era child. Since her birth, she has been out of the house only seven times – six of which were to the health clinic for her childhood immunisation jabs.
The most number of people she has ever seen has been at the health clinic, for, at home, it is just her parents and sister. The only others she has seen are her grandparents and some siblings of her parents who visit whenever inter-district travel restrictions are lifted.
According to her mother S Praba, during visits to the clinic, Thishalini would eye everyone curiously. In particular, her eyes would linger on the nurses wearing personal protective equipment (PPE). What would have possibly flowed through the baby’s developing mind?
What would she have made of those with PPEs? Surely she wouldn’t yet have the concept of aliens. Would she have seen those with PPEs as a normal part of the world she continues to discover on a daily basis? I wonder if Thishalini thinks the mask that everyone at the clinic was wearing is part of the normal attire of those outside her family.
The first time she was at a clinic, Thishalini appeared nervous but on the last occasion, earlier this month, she seemed more relaxed. This time she was friendly with the nurse who interacted with her too.
Apart from the clinics, Thishalini has been out of their Semenyih, Kajang, home only once – when the family went for breakfast at a restaurant. This happened during a brief period when there was no movement restriction and Covid-19 cases in the country were very low.
For one year, Thishalini’s house has been her world. And it is almost certain she’ll also spend most of the second year of her life confined largely to the house, as the disease refuses to disappear.
How will Covid-19 and its resultant movement restrictions affect children such as Thishalini?
Her sister Ushalini, who’ll be four in July, understands a little of what is going on, according to Praba.
“Ushalini is aware of the virus, how it spreads and why we shouldn’t simply go out. She also knows what needs to be done – the hygiene practices – once anyone returns from outside.” The four-year-old even tells her father P Thineswaran to go and take his bath the moment he returns from work.
Her standard reply to those who ask her on the phone “when are you coming over to our place?” is: “I’ll come once Covid is over.”
But a child is a child, and so at times she asks why her parents leave her behind when they go out to get food and other essentials. Ushalini, who knows that wearing masks is not the norm, is frustrated that she can’t visit her maternal grandparents in Balakong and can’t go to the playground.
Often, she asks her mother: “When will Covid be over?” It’s a question that neither Praba nor anyone else can answer for now. Interestingly, Praba says Ushalini has prepared a list of places to go once the pandemic is over.
It is fortunate that modern technology is helping children like her stay connected. Video calls have become an essential part of their limited lifestyle and Praba uses it to ensure her children keep in touch with relatives, especially the grandparents.
It is during the Skype calls that Ushalini proudly shows off her artwork or shares the stories that her fertile mind makes up. And without the video calls, Thishalini may not be able to know or recognise her relatives.
But technology can’t stand in for the real world. Children everywhere are losing out on the cognitive and social stimulation – so necessary for healthy living – they would normally get outside their home.
Which is why I fear that the millions of children in the age group of Thishalini and Ushalini will be adversely affected by the pandemic and its inhibition of their natural instincts to go out and play. They are confined to the house, prisoners of a pandemic they can’t fully comprehend.
I’m afraid stifling life events such as this prolonged pandemic will have a negative impact on the health and development of our children.
I doubt if any expert can say exactly what the long-term effects on their physical and mental health and their attitude to life would be? How badly, for instance, will it affect their social skills?
What about children infected by the virus? Isn’t it worse for them? On May 31, we were told that 82,341 children in the country suffered from Covid-19. How will this affect their lives over the long term? Will their immune system be compromised? Will it retard their intellectual or artistic abilities?
Children whose parents have lost their jobs or who live in poverty would indubitably be among the worst affected. Will it stunt both their physical and mental growth? It seems likely.
How many children are going to bed hungry due to the pandemic and the resultant impact on their parents’ jobs and the economy, not just in Malaysia but also in all parts of the world? I fear the world today is full of frustrated parents – parents who feel guilty or miserable that they cannot give their best to their children.
The UN estimated last year that between 42 million and 66 million children worldwide could fall into extreme poverty due to the pandemic and the control measures, adding to the estimated 386 million children already in extreme poverty in 2019. In Malaysia too we can expect the pandemic and the resultant measures taken to pummel more people – including children – into poverty.
There’s no doubt that the education of children is being severely impaired, both here and abroad. And how will being away from their friends at school and in the neighbourhood affect them? There are enough studies to show that social isolation can alter the way one thinks and reasons.
Not all children are fortunate to have doting parents, and lockdowns have certainly increased the risk of children witnessing or suffering violence and abuse. This is because parents are under tremendous socioeconomic stress and their self-confidence has likely taken a hammering. The situation will be worse if any member of the family has been infected.
Large families in small houses will suddenly find themselves cramped as everyone stays at home all the time and it will need tremendous patience and skill to manage the competing expectations and behaviour of all their children at the same time. There will, therefore, be time-bombs waiting to explode.
In 2020, the ministry of women, family and community development reported receiving 4,349 cases of child abuse. We can expect more cases this year.
Like it or not, children will be able to sense the stresses of parents and older family members arising from job loss, lockdowns, social isolation and worry over health and finances.
It will be more important now than ever for parents and older family members to refrain from transferring their anxieties onto children.
Parents have to first ensure their children are not infected and the best way is to keep them at home. Anyone returning home should at least wash their hands thoroughly with soap before coming into contact with the children.
Creating a routine at home to keep young ones occupied can give them a sense of stability. Parents should get them to do any number of things from reading story books to helping in the garden to going through old photo albums and sharing stories about relatives past and present.
To lessen the impact of social isolation, parents can allow children to have frequent video chats with their relatives and friends, while keeping a watchful eye.
In taking care of their children, parents must not neglect their own health. For if they become infected or fall ill due to exhaustion or worries, it will be worse for the children.
But I don’t see everything as negative. There is no need to lose hope or become pessimistic. Humans are good at adapting, surviving and improving.
The stresses and strains can help make us stronger, more resilient. We need to maintain a calm mind, despite the troubling circumstances, and make the best of the situation while teaching our children the importance of fortitude and patience. And yes, keeping healthy.
Much, therefore, depends on parents. That is why Praba, a housewife, spends an inordinate amount of time with her children. She keeps Ushalini and Thishalini occupied, plays with them and soothes their anxieties whenever they get agitated.- FMT
Sisters Thishalini and Ushalini are children of the Covid-19 era.
 
 
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.

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