CHILDREN: THE HIDDEN VICTIMS OF THE PANDEMIC

 I want to start this post by explaining why I decided to write about this topic ... I have a younger brother who is 5 years old and lately I have seen my parents very worried because in my family all our cousins ​​are very old and he is the smallest, so he has no one closer with whom to relate. He has not been to his school for 1 year and does not interact with children his age and my parents are beginning to wonder if this could have some repercussions on his socialization process because he recently met a child his age and he became very shy and did not want to talk or play. I decided to research and saw that some experts maintain that socialization is vital for children under five years of age and studies by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) have found that distance education does not have the necessary tools to transmit social knowledge that are learned in the first years of age.

The pandemic has caused us to have many more restrictions when it comes to going outside, and much more for children because they were one of the last to get authorized to go outdoors, being one of the most affected by mobility, right to play, recreation, etc. It should be noted that playing and socializing with other children is not only fun for them, since the game is language, communication, but it is also the possibility that they have to be able to process their life experiences, representing, playing roles, etc.. And in addition to this, the relationship of children with their peers is very important especially because it causes a natural stimulation that is necessary for the nervous system. Children had to leave their school without even having time to say goodbye to their friends and without thinking that it would be for so long. Children fill in the lack of information by frequently imagining a reality much more terrible than the one they are experiencing, which increases their worry and anxiety. The limited social contact could increase the feeling of loneliness in them, and we have to also take into account those who suffered from some family loss for these reasons.

In my case, it is a bit difficult to let "Isaac" my brother interact with other children his age in a pandemic because we go a lot to my grandmother's house and she is in a vulnerable age and something serious can happen to her if she contracts the virus. Which has led me to think that children are becoming the hidden victims of the virus by limiting the socialization processes that they must go through for their growth.

Kieffel, J. K. (2020, 6 abril). Cómo hacer que los niños sociabilicen en tiempos de distanciamiento social. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographicla.com/ciencia/2020/04/ninos-sociables-en-tiempos-de-distanciamiento

Parente, E. P. (2020, 24 junio). Niños criados en pandemia: ¿Cómo suplir la sociabilización? LaTercera. https://www.latercera.com/paula/noticia/ninos-criados-en-pandemia-como-suplir-la-sociabilizacion/UFMXHRCWUJEX7CRCQJLYSL7D7Q/

Salud mental de los niños, la próxima pandemia. (2020, 25 julio). [Fotografía]. Semana. https://www.semana.com/on-line/vida-moderna/articulo/asi-afecta-la-cuarentena-la-salud-mental-de-los-ninos--bogota-hoy/688805/