By M K Tayal,

A very chirpy, bubbly Anamika has been brooding on the couch for the last 30 minutes fidgeting on her prized possession, her smart phone. Alternating between SpongeBob SquarePants and her phone, Anamkia is simply restless.

Anamika’s father Manan and mother Poonam, residents of Andheri in Mumbai, nudge her to colour her Barbie but the third grader is not interested in doing the things she would normally be pestering her parents for. From watching television, browsing movies on Netflix, reading a couple odd comic strips, the family has had it all. And there is no exit. In the lockdown, Anamika and her parents have little to do.

Constant presence of the parents and children at home without much to do is telling on the families across the country confined to their homes. Children specially are missing their classes, play time and general freedom which was once not even counted as such.

Excessive screen time

With no outside exposure and limited engagement and plenty of available time, the children and even parents are stressed and getting restless. The only outlet children have is to remain glued to their smart phones or TV sets. Added to the screen time, are online classes that have started by schools in the country. The result – children are logged in all the time.

“My boys are in front of gadgets 24×7. The teachers are taking their online classes. After the classes, the kids switch to watching something or the other on their electronic devices. We don’t want that to happen. But in the given scenario, we are helpless,” admits Mumbai resident Saloni Arya, mother of twins, Vatsa and Varishth.

Are you struggling to keep your child busy?

Guardians are worried over the excessive dependence on screen engagements of their children. Parents are weighed down by stress and are wondering keep children engaged. This is a task that requires dexterous yet simple approach. “The children are craving to go out but we have to enforce strict lockdown restrictions. It is hard for children to understand the importance of staying indoors. And lack of activity is leading to boredom,” explains Dr Neeraj working at a prestigious Hospital in Delhi.

No Rocket Science to deal with stress

Interestingly, it is no rocket science and fairly easy to deal with the situation. It just takes a little imagination and inclination to turn the table around. “You need to spend quality time and engage with the children. Communication is the key,” Dr Neeraj emphasized. Parents need to take out time from the daily chores and be with the children. In some cases, the children should also be included in light household chores too. 

It is imperative for parents is to be creative and use this period and establish deep-rooted bonds, says one of the country’s eminent psychiatrist Dr Samir Parikh, Director, Mental Health and Behavioral Department, Fortis Health Care and writer of the book, ‘How to engage with your kid while working from Home’.

You need to be aware of the stress and deal with it in small but effective measure. Don’t be over pre-occupied and worry unnecessarily about the future, especially the students. Parents ought to divide time equally with their children between themselves and work from home requirements efficiently, says Dr Parikh.

And here are five quick tips to beat the lockdown stress from the book How to engage with your kid while working from Home’:

1. Follow normal routine. Sleep and wake up on time. Do yoga/exercises.
2. Eat your meals together.
3. Pick up a hobby – Music, writing, painting etc.
4. Play together – be it a board game, dumb charades or even antakshari etc.
5. Call friends and include children in video calls.

In short – talk, communicate, share, laugh, love and bond. Stay Positive and do what is in your control. Remember to take one day at a time.

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