Parenting During the Pandemic
Dear parents,
It’s hard for me to write this e-mail; it’s my first time on this platform.
I’m a mother of three. Their ages are twenty-three, twenty-one, and fourteen. As a parent, I am alarmed because my family doesn’t have time for much communication. This is because technological gadgets (laptops, iPhones, iPads, and so on) have overtaken them. When I try to communicate with them, the answers come in monosyllables—yes or no.
I might say something or give an instruction, and the response is “yes”—and I find out later that they did not hear me in the first place because they were engrossed with the phone. To give an instruction, I have to ask that we put our phones down for a certain period so that we can listen to each other. They get irritated, feeling that we are wasting time.
When I’m assisting the girls to choose an appropriate dress or hairstyle, they tell me they prefer the style they saw on social media.
I sometimes try to watch a film with them. However, I soon realize that I am the only one watching the screen because they are on their phones. Then the film doesn’t interest me anymore.
I am trying to find a way to deal with the situation.
When they were going to school, it wasn’t like this. They had limited time to use their phones. Also, they were more interested in sharing about their challenges in school and elsewhere. It’s not the same now that they have been at home for over five months.
Nigeria
Reprinted from the RC e-mail discussion list for leaders of parents
(Present Time 202, January 2021)