Positive Parenting at the time of COVID-19

By Dr. Shalini Tyagi in Paediatrics & Neonatology

May 25, 2020

As of now, COVID-19 seems to have conquered the world and has caused a worldwide lockdown which has subjugated all of the world powers, while bringing down economies to their toes.

Every effort is being made to prevent the spreading of the virus and treat the infected as best as we can in the current scenario. All world health agencies are continuously issuing guidelines to safeguard their citizens and special attention is being given to secure the spread of coronavirus amongst the elderly, as it might affect them more than others.

However, there is one segment of the population that we seem to have relegated to the back of the shelf – our children.

Billions of adults around the world are dealing with the COVID-19 crisis as best as they can, but it’s because they can. They have had time to weather many crises in their lives (albeit not one of this magnitude). They can understand the severity of the situation and despite the fact that it is impacting their lives severely, they can reason with themselves helping them keeping their impulses in check while hoping for a better future.

However, Children see the current lockdown as nothing else but a disruption in their daily lives, in their normal lives.

Even for us, it is hard to stay positive in this situation and we can only make assumptions about what our children might be going through. However, a positive attitude attracts positive outcomes.

This sequestered lifestyle is affecting children of different age groups in different ways. So let’s tackle them accordingly.

For infants, this might turn out to be a good turn of events. While their delicate immune systems will certainly remain safe indoors. Since they will now be surrounded by family and get the proper attention they deserve, this isolation period will also be good for their mental health. This could result in stronger familial bonding and faster development as infants observe more conversations and interactions among the family. Though with all the family members at home, it takes a toll on mothers, still they should set aside a minimum of 30 minutes to indulge with their babies. This will keep you and your child happy.

Toddlers seem to be in an unfortunate situation though. At an age when they are growing daily and need to run around in nature and get fresh air, they are stuck indoors instead. They need an avenue to expend all their pent up energy and being confined within four walls could lead to a tidal wave of cranky toddlers and frustrated parents. One can engage them in indoor games, tell them stories, and be a child for once with them. It will help them connect with you better.

The issues faced by school-going children come somewhat closer to those faced by adults. They still have school work to do, thanks in no small part to information technology. There is still homework to submit, still lessons to learn. But a large part of their school-going experience is disrupted. Being in their formative years, the need to interact and socialize with peers is of great importance. They also need to engage in physical activity. WHO suggests, we should try to connect them with their peers digitally and should make a routine of exercising, yoga, etc.  as a family activity, so they can stay physically and emotionally healthy. 

Nonetheless, the most important need of the hour is to keep them from contracting the virus. This is a necessary sacrifice, one that, under no circumstances, should be belittled or taken lightly.

Of course, now we come to the most troublesome group – teenagers. Stuck between childhood and adulthood, the Corona crisis is a double-edged sword, in this case, affecting both, teenagers and their parents. They are probably the one group of children who are capable of understanding this crisis and why we need to deal with it this way.

While dealing with mountains of schoolwork and the looming threat of examinations once the crisis is over, they are also stuck in their worst nightmare – constant adult supervision. At an age when they need their privacy and need to step out of their parents’ shadows to explore what life has to offer, they have been forced to stay shut in with their parents. As for the parents, dealing with teenagers is a minefield on the best of days; they now have constantly to deal with grumpy, cranky teenagers who are unable to blow off steam when they need to.

But teenagers will be teenagers. They often don’t want to be constantly monitored and need their space. We should encourage them to put forth their viewpoints in current discussions and should give them constructive feedback. Seeking their opinions also builds –up their confidence and they will be more forthcoming with us. Engaging them in household activities like asking them to help while cooking their favourite dishes also helps bonding with them.

All in all, we need to make the best of the worst possible situation, and that includes the mental health and happiness of our children. So while we look at all the changes we have to make in our lifestyles to weather this storm, we must prioritize the needs of our children.

We at the metro group of hospitals are always committed to realizing the vision of providing world class healthcare at an affordable cost and to achieve excellence in Healthcare services by offering exceptional care through state of the art technology.

The Metro Group was established in the year 1997 by Padama Vibhusan, Padma Bhusan and Dr. B C Roy National Awardee Dr. Purshotam Lal with the vision to provide world-class healthcare amenities to his countrymen at an affordable cost.

Metro Group of Hospitals are the leading healthcare centers in our country boasting an ultra-modern infrastructure providing multispeciality care by an exceptional team of healthcare professionals under the leadership of world-renowned interventional cardiologist Dr. Purshotam Lal. We at Metro hospitals provide multispecialty care for 35 specialties that include Cardiology, Gastroenterology, Nephrology, Respiratory, Oncology, Orthopaedics Joint replacement, Gastro and Bariatric Surgery, Neurology and Neurosurgery, etc. 

Dr. Purshotam Lal is a world-renowned cardiologist who has been trained at world’s top medical institutions in UK, Germany, and USA and has been granted fellowships at American College of Cardiology; American College of Medicine; Royal College of Physicians (Canada); Indian College of Cardiology & Society for Cardiac Angiography Interventions (USA). He has been constantly innovating and has provided the world with various procedures in the field of Interventional Cardiology. He has successfully implemented these procedures and has treated thousands of patients suffering from complex heart diseases.

He made monumental contributions in clinical development of Monodisc Device and for the first time in medical history performed Heart Hole (ASD) Closure on a patient from Tamil Nadu. Some of the other procedure that were performed by Dr. Purshotam Lal for the first time include

• The first case of Aortic Valve Replacement with Core Valve, without surgery on July 12, 2004.
• The 1st case in high-risk Aortic Valvuloplasty in July 1990 for the 1st time in the Medical Literature.
• Introduced INOUE Balloon, the most popular balloon for opening tight valve, for the 1st time in the country.
• Developed a new concept of “METRO CORONARY SCREENING” for the patients who have been having a phobia of conventional coronary angiography.
• Introduced more than 20 interventional procedures for the first time in the country such as Coronary Atherectomy, Slow Rotational Angioplasty, Rotablator, etc.
• Performing the largest no of angioplasties/stenting as a single operator in the world – as per HEAL Survey – the leading health magazine.

 His contributions in the field of interventional cardiology are numerous and he is constantly working to provide affordable healthcare to all.