'Don't eat bats'

What Page children think about COVID-19

Posted

By Antonia Muskat
Lake Powell Chronicle

PAGE – Most people know what’s going on around the world. Many watch the news on TV and read articles on the internet. But what most don’t know is that little ears are the best listeners. The children of Page have spoken out about what they know about the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 and they have thoughts.

Traidyn Sutherland, 12, said she knows a lot about the coronavirus disease, which has infected tens of thousands of people worldwide.


“I know that it is a worldwide sickness now and that it spreads pretty fast,” Sutherland said in an interview with the Lake Powell Chronicle. “A lot of kids in Page have been dealing with staying inside and school being canceled.


“It’s a big change. Me and my brother and sister have gotten a lot closer and we have more free time.”


Page students are just now learning that their school has been closed throughout the end of the school year due to the coronavirus. Page Unified School District officials said they are doing what they can to help students within the district receive the education they need. During this time though, most children and teenagers are working at home alongside their parents.


Sutherland said she is coping by playing basketball and doing everyday household chores.


“Well, we are just starting online school, so I’ve been doing that, and I’ve been playing basketball outside,” she said, adding that she has been learning about COVID-19 through the news that her father watches. “We want to prevent spreading it to other people who might not be as healthy.”


Coronaviruses are part of a large family of viruses, according to the World Health Organization. Four types cause minor illnesses like the common cold, while other coronaviruses have triggered far more devastating impacts like SARS and MERS. And coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they can jump from animals to humans.


Luke Keisling, 4, sums that up as, “an animal was sick and coughed on many people.”


His parents said Luke realizes that things have been different around the house, including that he and his family haven’t been able to leave.


“He’s a firefighter,” the youngsters said about their father.


“We cover our mouth,” he said, on how to help prevent spreading the virus.


When asked Luke how he felt about school closures, he said, “I’m really, really sad. I miss my friends. I miss Jack, and Ally and Chloe.”


Luke’s family said they have been washing their hands and are staying inside.


“We colored with chalk on our (sidewalk) and we played outside,” he added.


Siblings Kameron Clay, 10, and Gracie Clay, 12, said they are either staying indoors or playing in their family’s yard.


“We have to stay inside, and we can only go play in our yard,” said Kameron, who added that she knows about the coronavirus and how rapidly it spreads.


Kameron also said she is upset that school is canceled.


“(I’m upset) because kids can’t learn, and they have to stay at home and do home-schooling without a teacher,” she said.


Kameron said he has very good advice on how to prevent COVID-19 from spreading from person to person around the world: handwashing and simply, “don’t eat bats.”


Kameron said he and his family play board games during the day since they don’t have school. Gracie said that the difference from school and being at home is that she and Kameron have to stay inside.


“We have to stay inside and me and my brothers are always at each other’s necks, driving my mom insane,” she said, adding that she hangs out with her family and helps clean the house to stay busy.


Most children know what’s going on, or at least have a vague idea. Parents need to make sure they get reliable information and they need to hear it from their parents, according to KidsHealth from Nemours’s Jennifer S. Pendley, a pediatric psychologist. Here’s how to talk about it.

Find out what your child already knows. Ask questions geared to your child’s age level.


For older children, you might ask, “Are people in school talking about coronavirus? What are they saying?” For younger children, you could say, “Have you heard grownups talking about a new sickness that’s going around?” This gives you a chance to learn how much children know — and to find out if they’re hearing the wrong information.


Follow your child’s lead. Some children may want to spend time talking. But if your children don’t seem interested or don’t ask a lot of questions, that’s OK.

Offer comfort – and honesty. Focus on helping your child feel safe but be truthful.


Don’t offer more detail than your child is interested in. For example, if children ask about school closings, address their questions. But if the topic doesn’t come up, there’s no need to raise it unless it happens.


If your child asks about something and you don’t know the answer, say so. Use the question as a chance to find out together. Check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for up-to-date, reliable information about coronavirus. That way, you have the facts and children don’t see headlines about deaths and other scary information.


Speak calmly and reassuringly. Explain that most people who get sick feel like they have a cold or the flu. Children pick up on it when parents worry. So, when you talk about coronavirus and the news, use a calm voice and try not to seem upset.


Give children space to share their fears. It’s natural for children to worry, “Could I be next? Could that happen to me?” Let your child know that children don’t seem to get as sick as adults. Let them know they can always come to you for answers or to talk about what scares them.


Know when they need guidance. Be aware of how your children get news and information, especially older children who go online. Point them to age-appropriate content so they don’t end up finding news shows or outlets that scare them or have incorrect information.

Help children feel in control. Give your child specific things they can do to feel in control. Teach children that getting lots of sleep and washing their hands well and often can help them stay strong and well. Explain that regular hand washing also helps stop viruses from spreading to others. Be a good role model and let your children see you washing your hands often.


Talk about all the things that are happening to keep people safe and healthy. Children might be reassured to know that hospitals and doctors are prepared to treat people who get sick. Older children might be comforted to know that scientists are working to develop a vaccine. These talks also prepare children for changes in their normal routine if schools or childcare centers close in the future.


Put news stories in context. If they ask, explain that death from the virus is still rare, despite what they might hear. Watch the news with your children so you can filter what they hear.


Children and teens often worry more about family and friends than themselves. For example, if children hear that older people are more likely to be seriously ill, they might worry about their grandparents. Letting them call or Skype with older relatives can help them feel reassured about loved ones.


Let your children know that it’s normal to feel stressed out at times. Everyone does. Recognizing these feelings and knowing that stressful times pass, and life gets back to normal can help children build resilience.

Keep the conversation going.
Keep checking in with your child. Use talking about coronavirus as a way to help children learn about their bodies, like how the immune system fights off disease.


Talk about current events with your children often. It’s important to help them think through stories they hear about. Ask questions: What do you think about these events? How do you think these things happen? Such questions also encourage conversation about non-news topics.