I WORRY constantly about my teenagers in this pandemic. I have a son approaching his 18th birthday and my other teenager has just turned 16. These years are so important with regard to finding your way in the world and developing socially. Yet everything has been taken from them.
They are without their friends, they are learning from home without the important social contact with their school friends, they have at best an unstable routine and their social life has been pummelled into the ground. Through no fault of their own, they are stuck at home living through the most surreal of days as a global pandemic rages on outside their windows.
When we look back on our own teenage years, we remember nights out and groups of friends, nightclubs, discos, concerts, teenage romance, fun. When this generation looks back at these years they will remember lockdown, being stuck in the house, masks, online teaching, rules, restrictions, curfews.
I spoke to my son about this the other day. I said it must be awful for him and his friends: endless lockdowns, school closures, not being able to do what they wanted, having their exams cancelled, having to embrace a new way of learning. I told him that I was so sorry it was this way. And he surprised me by saying that it was certainly different but it wasn't that bad. He told me that things would definitely get better and we just need to get on with things. He also said that, looking back in history, the roaring 20s came after the world emerged from under the Spanish Flu and that he and his friends would be embracing that fully when it comes around again.
And as I listened to him roar and laugh with his friends online gaming later that night I thought to myself, teenagers are just magic. There is rarely anything good written or said about them, they tend to appear in the media negatively. But they have lived through the worst global health crisis in living history, been challenged beyond measure and yet they are still standing.
They are more resilient and adaptable than we think. They struggle, like we all do, faced with the crazy challenges that coronavirus has presented us with. Some are navigating mental health issues in this pandemic, some physical health issues. But they carry on regardless, for the most part just getting on with what they have to do and trying to keep putting one foot in front of the other and moving forward.
Despite everything, our teenagers are remaining vibrant and creative and compassionate. Every week on Facebook our local schools are showcasing the most awe-inspiring and brilliant art and written work, science projects, wonderful cooking, all produced in lockdown. That is just amazing.
But our teenagers are still teenagers, navigating these tricky years in the middle of a pandemic. Everyone, including them, is in survival mode at the moment, just getting through the tunnel. They still need our support. They need encouragement to talk, to express themselves.
Despite the laughing, the "I'm grand" and the stoic front, they still need us to show them everything is going to be all right. They need to talk things out.
This week is Children's Mental Health Week and the theme is 'Express Yourself'.
Expressing yourself is about finding ways to share feelings, thoughts, or ideas, through creativity. It is about finding a way to show who you are and how you see the world that can help you feel good about yourself.
As parents and carers, we play an important role in our children's mental health. Have a look on this website for tips, advice and tools to nurture your child's mental health: childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk.
Take care, everyone. Spring and better days are just around the corner.
