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Give your Children The'summer Slowdown' they Need Don't get caught up in the discussion about summer camps or sports, vacations, or making plans for all the things we have been unable to accomplish. Even the most fortunate children have had to endure an event of mass death like this. A lot of adults have failed them. They are acquainted with the chaos, more than they are ever likely to disclose to you (or even understand their own). Stop trying to get back to your the way of life you experienced it Although we are just beginning to gather data on the mental health effects of the pandemic on children, the most important indicators are alarming. According to the Children's Hospital Association, mental health problems for children 5-11 increased by 24% in the period between April and October last year. Even in areas with plenty of resources even for children who aren't directly affected by the epidemic, school closures can disrupt routines and limit access to food. This can result in higher levels of anxiety and stress among children. Research shows that trauma in childhood, particularly when it goes unaddressed and untreated, can lead to long-term physical health concerns as well. Even if a child doesn’t meet the criteria for trauma, most children have had traumatic experiences. Since the beginning of the pandemic experts have been preparing for the effect of trauma on children. What can parents do? What can we do over the next week? In the hot days of summer? Since I feel the urge that we will try to fix something that cannot be fixed by overscheduling, planning and filling our days with the same activities that we did last year. Let your children be kids this summer. Instead of trying to make up lost time allow them to breathe and let them find their way. JUST VIEWED A psychologist sings on YouTube to help children manage stress Replay More Videos MUST BE AWARE YouTube: Psychologist sings to help children cope. 02:07 Here's the reason I'm following my own advice. In December my family was at an impasse I began to refer to children older than this year as "Gen C." Although I hope that it doesn't stick I'm noticing signs that my middle schoolers are suffering from burnout everywhere I take a look. They are sharper with their parents, and less likely to listen (my son is non-verbal, my daughter hyper-verbal, however both communicate very well) and arguing in ways that are new. But 16 months of constant focus on our families in our homes, while the world was reeling, will do this. We must be careful about moving our children out of Gen-C into the wild world of "zoomers" If we wish to do that. Over the past month, there's been significant amount of writing on work culture and burnout. Charlie Warzel, who is co-writing a book about the future of remote work, wrote an important essay asking bosses to offer their employees the opportunity to enjoy a "summer slowdown." Parents must slow down and allow their children to take time to rest. Don't overburden your children with extra education, programming or in any other way trying to at once provide them with everything you need to this year. Restore everything you lost during the pandemic. Let them breathe, and if they need to grieve, let them do so. Feeling anxious or uncertain. To create space for people to feel better, let go of the trauma-related fears and to look out for areas of trouble that may require more help. I'm 12 and here's why I got the Covid vaccination I've had to accept that my time was lost. It's hard to accept that. I want my kids to slow down. My daughter is keen to get a sword and learn to fence. My son wants to swim. She would like to play with Minecraft and they both want to do this using YouTube. But not everything about this year's experience for us was so bad. Even when we had to contend with fears and restrictions (and eventually both my wife and son were diagnosed with Covid-19), we came together as family. We went on more walks. We played more games. I bought a 12-foot aluminum vessel as well as one that was battered Montgomery Ward "Sea King" boat in 1985 and took my children fishing on the numerous lakes that surround the Twin Cities' metro. I taught my daughter to make pasta from scratch. My wife and I did our best to keep the children from anxiety while teaching them the basics at a suitable level. Children can pick up on things and even in the best of times, last year was no vacation. The school year started and it continued to grow, as did the winter spike in infections. Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter Sign up to CNN Opinion's latest newsletter. Join us on Twitter and Facebook We are now able to return to work following this summer. As my son goes to high school, I will remain committed to fighting for equitable education. My daughter should be able to complete her first year at a "normal" middle school. Minecraft I am ready to fight for access and distance education. But maybe if I can let my children relax and let them relax, I could be able to as well as they aren't the only ones to suffer the burden of the past year and one-half years. If we can spare the time to do so, we all have a lot to be healed from.
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