If COVID-19 Disappeared: Impact on our Children’s Emotional Health

What would happen if suddenly, tomorrow, COVID-19 would disappear? We wake up to find our air germ-free and no vaccine needed. Life as we once knew it resumes.

Or does it? I imagine people slowly emerging from their places of shelter after a hurricane. They can see trees that crashed through homes and homes that remain undamaged; cars submerged in water, while some are in perfect condition.

That’s how I picture a post-coronavirus world: Nothing quite the same, some damage to assess and some miracles to be grateful for.

Let’s check out the children first, since they are always our main concern. We find a level of anxiety permeating their emotional world.

Family dynamics are different now: For children in stable homes, life has come to mean being with parents 24/7, bonding with siblings and having more of their parents’ time and attention. For some children, unfortunately, the inability to escape family dysfunction has taken a serious toll on their mental health.

Almost all children have experienced social isolation, where the usual play and shared personal discussions have virtually disappeared. We begin to grasp the suffering of the children’s development, the absence of lessons in sportsmanship, sharing, opportunities for compassion and offering support.

Has this absence left a permanent hole? As with everything else related to COVID, we simple don’t know.