Despite this period, our children do not really suffer from 'social isolation' fortunately. I know there is a lot of talk about it in the media and I also understand that unfortunately things don't go well everywhere. But luckily I see with us that the isolation of the children is not that bad, even in times of curfew. And I think it's purely because of the phones and laptops our kids have and the time we give them to use them.
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Let me start with our family composition for the readers who don't know yet. Dad, mom, 16-year-old adolescent boy and 11-year-old teenage girl. The four of us are at home and have been following the rules surrounding the corona policy as best we can for almost a year. Not because we like it so much, but more because we think it's the best thing to do. Working at home with the children works reasonably well here, but that is of course because they are a bit older. Lucky us with these independent kids. In addition, we also have space here in and outside, which also makes a difference. Are we tired of each other? Then we just look for another room.
Of course we have not been alone continuously in the past year and neither have the children. Where possible we did fun things and we also made agreements with others (within the rules of the policy), so there was no real social isolation yet. At the moment, however, I notice that the current rules have more consequences within our situation.
For example, Luc can no longer chill with his friends once a week. Normally, on Fridays, he doesn't get on his bike until around 8 p.m. to chill with a friend with others. And then he won't be home before 21.00 shall we say 😉 . It's a shame, but he understands that it's wise to leave this out for a while, even if it's not fun. And Lotte no longer agrees with several friends at the same time what she was still doing in recent months. Playing and meeting is allowed, but only with one girlfriend at a time. You could imagine that this can lead to social isolation for the children, but with us the telephones and laptops are a real solution here.
Normally we don't get happy when the children spend too much time in front of the computer. Of course, every parent prefers to see his or her child being creative, enjoying sports or meeting friends. But now that the situation is like this, we try to make the best of it and it is very clear to us how much contact our children seek via the telephone and PC. And I'm not talking about staring at social media, watching Tiktok movies or series, but about really connecting with their friends.
So we have also decided to challenge the social isolation of our children by giving them more time on technology. It may sound strange, but we see that Luc is constantly chatting with his friends via discord during the game. They play music, talk to each other and are gaming together in one game. You can't get more social than this, right?
And Lotte? She is very happy with her phone. Unlimited calling at Simyo is a godsend for her in this time. For example, she is working on a diamond painting with a friend. Her friend at home at the kitchen table and Lotte at her craft table with us. Both are working on their own diamond painting and while the telephone line is open 😉 . They chat a bit while they are having a hobby. Awesome. Sometimes a spontaneous appointment comes about as a result of all this talking, but more than once it is just fine at the end of the day. Does she feel that she has had a good time and chatted with her friends? And so it is.
Of course we also spend time together as a family, but I also wish our children to maintain as much contact with their friends as possible during this period. It would even be an argument for me - if she hadn't had a phone yet - to give our youngest a phone. With a Sim-only monthly subscription you don't even have to cut yourself.
Where you normally want to get your children off the PC or telephone because they isolate themselves too much, it turns out to be a panacea for them these days. Our children stay out of social isolation and seek contact with their friends themselves. Preferably all day long (if they don't have online lessons then).
How do you deal with maintaining contacts with friends in this time?
