The lockdown has truly been painful for me. It is like an injection, something that gets under the skin and pricks or pokes my very conscience. Even though I understand the necessity of it, it’s exhausting and so it is for most teenagers, I think.
There are assignment deadlines to deal with, essays to work on, and family to deal with. Our parents incessantly lecture us on finding our 'inner selves' and being productive. But at the end of the day, after completing our school work, let's be honest, we're sitting in front of a laptop or television screen watching ‘Big Bang Theory’ or ‘The Office'. Our parents also urge us to go ‘out’ to run, jog, jump, do acrobatics, whatever! But again, after that one run in the week, we’re back to our snuggly habitat, the sofa or bed, watching the latest episode of ‘Space Force.’
Not a productivity race
I feel that parents ought to just relax a bit at times. Guys, it’s a global pandemic we’re experiencing and not a productivity contest. Nevertheless, being productive can be made entertaining and fun. Exercising, for one, can be a family programme. Laps around the building or, if one is daunting enough, the nearby park, can be a competitive sport between family members — with a timer in hand, see who runs, leaps or walks the fastest. Parents can also compete with their children at home, maybe do a squash or push-up or even an abs competition. Another great way of staying healthy could be to trying out various diets together. If the family is extremely health conscious, try out the Keto diet and the more ‘milder’ ones may opt for the Paleo diet. If someone breaks these diets, there can be ‘consequences.’ If they emerge triumphant, there can be rewards, too.
To understand ‘us’ better, parents can also, sometimes, partake in TikTok-like activities or take up the latest Instagram viral challenge. We can create a #quarantine bingo challenge. Using a piece of paper, just make four rows and columns and voila… you have boxes in which you can write down things you have experienced in life, it can be funny or otherwise. The newly bingo card can then be sent to family and friends, and everyone can take part in some pastime joviality. Also, especially for the women and their daughters out there, there is the very popular Instagram Dalogna challenge. Use the Instagram recipe to make a unique, refreshing beverage. Another favourite is the Ludo King application, where one can win virtual coins based on their ‘winning streak’ - a super competitive game that will be great fun with a child who loves online games. These various viral challenges and apps in our #Lockdown will not only be super entertaining but will also strengthen in-family bonding making the lockdown productive, after all.
Recently, I was re-watching the hilarious ‘Big Bang Theory’ and physicist Sheldon Cooper said a phrase that resonated with me. No, it wasn’t Bazinga. Instead, it was something rather simple and yet somewhat forgotten today - YOLO! (For all the adults out there, this means You Only Live Once). The phrase got me riled up and that day, I went for a run to the garden with my father, helped my mom bake a lemon cake in the kitchen and played a Nerf gun fight with my sister. Spend time with your children and take part in all these ‘crazy challenges.’ Likewise, children should have fun with their parents and place the laptop out of sight once in a while. There can be some sense of fun even in these frustrating and excruciating times. I think Professor Dumbledore said it best: “Happiness can be found in the darkest of times when only one remembers to turn on the light.”
(The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author. They do not reflect the views of Onmanorama.)
