‘Please send my child back to shelter home...’
CHANDIGARH: They are getting a number of calls from parents seeking expert advice on dealing with behaviour issues in children confined indoors for weeks due to the Covid-19 lockdown in Chandigarh, but two requests have left people manning Childline 1098 flummoxed. Two sets of parents have called up enquiring if their children can be sent to shelters.
Confirming that the requests had been made, Sangeeta Jund, director Childline 1098, a 24-hour free emergency phone service for children in need of aid and assistance, said two couples had called to say their children were “virtually out of their control”. While one couple was currently being counselled with the child, the other request from the parents of a 16-year-old girl had come as no surprise.
The teen had earlier been sent to a shelter because she had run away from home, kept making self-harm threats and refused to give up smoking. Her parents had often sought help from Childline, which responds to the emergency needs of children and also links them to relevant services for their longterm care and rehabilitation.
“Her mother says they cannot handle the child,” says Jund, adding that the teen has been moved to a home again.
Commenting on children without any clinical disease, Dr Sunil Gupta, MD psychiatrist, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) says, “The situation is exposing the faults in our parenting. As far as parenting is concerned most of the parents try to control their children rather than understand . If we focus on the understanding part we might sort it out in better way.”
Of other distress calls coming in, Jund says, “It’s happening probably because of people getting too stressed because of anxieties due to the Covid-19 outbreak. With schools closed and movement restricted, wards are stuck at home. Also, parents are burdened with work pressure as well as other issues.”
“Parents have to be more supportive and understanding. The golden part of the lockdown is that families are spending more time together,” says Nitin Goyal, president, The Parents’ Association, Chandigarh.