A Generation at Risk – 2020 Pandemic Kids

The current pandemic crisis will leave a scar on our most vulnerable and precious cohort, the youth of today. Regardless of your political or personal take on Covid-19, its undeniably the most serious health challenge any of us has ever experienced. In a three-month period some 45,000 people in this country have died from the virus. Statistics can be argued back and forth and may decrease or increase our fatality rate. That discussion is for another day, another forum. I will listen to trained scientific, medical experts and not social media keyboard warriors, but that’s not what this opinion piece is about.

Parents, family members and anyone having influence with children need to stay closely vigilant right now. Kids from kindergarten through high school will struggle with the effects of this global nightmare. Everyone is different in how they deal with stress. Some kids will handle it okay but I’m sure most will not fully understand what is happening. Especially elementary age children. These kids may not say much but they hear everything. They hear parents and others talking. They hear news accounts on television. Even if it’s only background noise, young kids listen. They may not show it but they’re scared. While all kids muse about not loving school, you can bet that they would give anything to go back to school right about now. Distance learning is better than no education and it seems to be working pretty well in East Providence and elsewhere. But let’s admit, it isn’t school as kids and teachers know it.

As a national debate ensues on re-opening schools and business, kids are apprehensive about when school will resume. They miss their teachers, friends and all the familiar faces they have come to know in a nurturing school building. They miss everything about it and want very badly to get back to regular school. Kids can be further apprehensive if they hear parents arguing or acting very scared themselves.

Additionally, kids have lost all social contacts outside of home and school. No little league, no church, no scouting, no sandlot games, etc. The loss of these extra curricula activities is devastating to many kids. Sports, of course, isn’t everything but is often the catalyst for kids to do well in school or otherwise behave. One cannot get back lost time. We adults have learned that a long time ago.

I’m reminded of the classic sixties song, Puff the Magic Dragon. A reference to that magical time in our lives when Santa Clause was real (he isn’t?), when we played without technology and let our imaginations take us far away. The song reflects on the loss of youthful innocence and inevitability of growing up and leaving childhood. These children of the 2020 pandemic will not be able to get back their time lost. From little league to graduations and a lot in-between, our kids are sad for sure. They may not show it but they are.

If kids can get back to school soon or at least be back in September, they can rebound. High school seniors will have lost many social rites of passage, but life will go on. The younger kids are resilient and can resume classes with a renewed effort. Attendance should certainly be high! It would be very therapeutic if some summer sports could resume, although that does not look promising yet.

So my main hope here is that parents and guardians stay very cognizant of the fragile state of mind of kids. We adults must try our best to mask our own fears and stress. Support your kids distance learning but don’t worry about it. If they show good effort and are reading and doing some assignments, that’s fine. Computer learning can’t replace actual classroom education, but it suffices. Take some time to talk with kids about the crisis but don’t dwell on details. Cut them some slack, be flexible. The three-R’s are important but that will come. I also hope that school systems assign a pass/fail grading system. A student should only fail if they and their family show no effort or cooperation with the school.

From the parents, guardians, teachers and other caregivers I have talked with, I think we are doing a pretty good job for our kids. Keep up the good work, listen to the trained experts and hang in there. From the youngest child to our President, I hope for the absolute best solutions and a quick return to life, albeit a “new normal.”


(Publisher's Note: Bob Rodericks is a feature writer for the Reporter News Magazine. His commentary here is his own and not necessarily that of this paper.)