With one week of India's COVID-19 lockdown done and two more weeks to go, boredom is probably starting to creep in. Perhaps this is the time to encourage teenagers – who are basically young adults, to become self-reliant, fully functioning individuals. More importantly, perhaps parents could be encouraged to loosen the reigns a little and give their kids a little credit? Maybe this is the time to gently guide a teen at home to pick up a few useful concepts and skills:
Parents can involve teens in the process of banking right now, making online fund transfers, using the ATM and so on. Give them an idea of the family’s assets as well as financial constraints – teens don’t have to be ‘protected’ from this ‘reality’.
Every child should know basic first aid. Also talk about this: Does your teen know your family doctor's number? Do they know what emergency numbers to dial or which family member to call? If they had to call for an ambulance or help someone get to hospital how would they manage?
Teach them how to load the washing machine, how to sweep and swab the floor, wash their won dirty utensils, dust and remove cobwebs. They should be able to clean a toilet as well – understand that it is not disgusting and it simply essential for good hygiene. Not only do they need to pitch in right now with the lockdown on, these are useful skills that they need to have anyway.
Right now, teens can help by running errands not only for your own home but for others in need around the neighbourhood. Shopping essentials or getting medications for an older person, running errands or helping the family of a medical or healthcare professional who is working hard at this stressful time --- these are all things they can do quite easily.
Let them start by doing some of the cutting, chopping and peeling. Let them take over the task of making morning tea/coffee. Then they can proceed to make an omelette, and then simple daal-chawal, and then maybe some fave dishes of their own. They don’t have to follow your recipe. Let them get creative find good ones online.
No, it isn't enough for kids to know how to text. They should be able to have proper conversations using voice and words; develop the articulacy that many teens seem to lack these days. Now is a good time for them to maintain regular contact with grandparents, a dear aunt or a fave cousin. They have the time and there is a need to maintain simple human contact at this difficult time.
Right now of course, there will be no appointments to keep. However, a teen should be able to do this: call customer service, speak to strangers politely, get the information they need, ask for solutions, make doctor's appointments and so on.
With odd-job professionals being unavailable right now, kids can learn things like hammering a few nails, using m-seal and so on. With some online guidance, they can debug the PC, fix a leak, plunge a toilet, fix broken stuff around the house and a lot more.
Kids can learn to get their news not just from social media but from reliable news sources. Teach kids to be credulous and sceptical, to identify and reject fake news. Encourage them to be critical and questioning; to discuss current affairs with you and their friends. Maybe kids have the mind space to think not only about things like Harry Stiles’ new hairstyle but also, say, about the latest research on COVID-19? Now would be a good time to give them more credit – for being intelligent and able and sensible – than we currently do.
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