Lockdown a blessing in disguise for parents to bond with kids and discover their interests

Dr Vivian Kapil, Psychiatrist at Ramachandra Medical Centre, Porur said, “Lockdown has been helping the parents bond and know their children’s interest. It has also significantly reduced the number of children coming to the hospital with mental illness.”

“Parents are continuously engaging their children in one way or other by keeping them busy. Even during vacation, they send the children to music classes or sports classes whether the child has an interest or not. But now, due to lockdown, parents are spending time with them. They should not feel it as pressure,” said the psychiatrist.

Medical experts said that parents should introduce games like chess, carrom board, crafting, art and drawing. They could do these activities along with their children to know them better.

Anandhi, a mother of 7-year-old, said, “My son and I would draw together. The drawings would be judged by my husband. And I am introducing my son to crafting. To beat the boredom, I have been giving him tasks like cleaning his toys, washing the plates, etc. It is going well as of now.” But not all parents are happy being stuck at home. Pavithra, a homemaker in the city, said, “Since my husband works as a travel agency car driver, he is away for most of the week. I look after my 8-year-old son. But now even though my husband and I are in the house, we can’t control him. Either, we have to give him a phone or let him outside with his cycle. We are waiting for the crisis to be over.” “Many working parents don’t even know what their children like and dislikes. This is the time to reconnect with their children. Let the children be independent and teach them responsibility. The bonding should continue even after the crisis is over,” said Dr Vivian.