This article was first published in New Vision Newspaper in 2022
Dickson Tumuramye
The two years of staying with children at home were not so easy due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many children had literally dropped out of school; they had forgotten about studies and had now adapted to home life.
It was not until the beginning of this year that the Government officially opened the economy and all schools were fully opened that children reported back to school.
I remember when we were taking our children back to school; there was a lot of excitement. But after a few weeks, the mood changed. Some of the children complained about teachers being harsh on them, not caring about them, the meals were not delicious and they were being bullied by other pupils. Along the way, flu and cough became other challenges and we were in and out of hospital. Therefore, some of them missed going to school for some days.
Nevertheless, our children have started coming back home for the first term holidays and we will have them for three to four weeks. However, what you may be expecting in terms of performance since the beginning of the term to date may be different and this may demotivate you.
There are certain things that should not discourage you, especially the child’s performance. Since the Government had allowed children to be promoted to the next class, some of them skipped two years and went to higher classes. They may have not been able to perform to the expectation in this class. It is not time to panic because there are still two more terms to go.
Keep encouraging the child. Such words of affirmation will make a difference in your child’s life and promote their esteem.
Some children may come home when they have lost a lot of weight due to changes in diet and the quantity of food served. We know well that most children gained weight and grew faster in the last two years of lockdown.
But with the resumed school conditions, changes may have been inevitable. Some children could have been affected psychologically as they had the trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic. It could be for any reason that a child lost weight or has changed a lot, including the behaviour.
Even then, this child needs your attention. Sit down with them and talk, be inquisitive to know what may have caused some changes in your child’s lifestyle.
If the child was bullied at school because of being overweight or height or pregnancy, and possibly the child has some mental health challenges, they need your counsel or seek counselling from a professional counsellor or a church leader, or any trusted person who can talk to your child. Some children were never visited at school like it used to be and all this comes with some challenges for him/her.
In all, be ready to welcome your child home with a lot of gratitude and be strong enough to handle some situations that may be not be normal. Help your child to cope with the situation and put in place things that can bring back this child to normal.
The writer is a child advocate, parenting coach and marriage counsellor
