Worried about the isolation affects on young children

[phoenix_45]

Hi Everyone,
I am new here. I have often clicked on the beyond blue website page though I over the course of the last 10 years.
I have suffered from anxiety and depression (mostly anxiety) in the past. Breathing techniques and yoga has always helped me greatly but often it isn’t enough.
I have one, young primary aged child who I obsessively worry about. He loves games on the screen and I am obsessed with the fact that too much screen time is in some way damaging his mental health. My worry is compounded by the fact my partner completely disagrees and thinks screen time is a positive thing. This causes a lot of arguments.We don’t have a backyard, though we do have a balcony big enough for skipping.
I should say this worry is compounded by the current crisis in and that my child had a broken bone injury a few weeks ago and so he has also been inside a lot before the stage 3 restrictions. Also I had quit my job last year due to stress and have now gone back on a casual basis. Due to covid this casual work has now ceased and my income has been halved (although I am thankful for the $550 pw I am eligible for). The worry is too is that I was trying to get out of one career and get back to my old career (one which there are literally no jobs in at the moment due to covid). So the metal stress of realising I have to probably stick with something I was finding stressful anyway...as there aren’t too many other job options..has been hard. I have had some casual work over zoom....Then there is the pressure of knowing I should feel grateful for at least being qualified and capable of doing work that will be in need at some point.
I am very concerned for the mental health of all children during this crisis. But I am still trying to find the right coping mechanisms for myself.

Things I have been doing:
- walking each day on or bike riding with my child even if brief each day
- playing audio books form my child as well as reading
But much of the time has still been screen.
I obsessively read web posts about what to do with kids to keep them occupied at this time...
He is usually a pretty happy kid but this covid crisis affects everyone and he has been sad which is so so hard to see.
Anyway, just sharing. I would love to hear from other parents unsure about screen use but finding other options just impossible at the moment.

Thanks for reading.

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi phoenix_45

Welcome to the forums and I'm really glad you decided to join us after what seems like a really long time. I hope that you'll find that being here is worth it with the community that we have.

I'm not a parent but I have no doubt you'll get lots of responses from parents who are in the same boat as yourself.

What I did want to say though was a little welcome, because I know it can be really hard to reach out for the first time. It sounds from your post like you've been working really hard on your own mental health and trying to find some consistency.

Gaming and screen time can be both a positive and a negative thing! It can be hard to find a balance in normal times let alone the weird times that we are living in now. Here's a great article on screen time that might help - https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/big-issues/time-online

What do you think is making your child so sad at this time? Is it the feeling of not being able to play, see his friends.. ? Being able to look at the reasons can help his mood and find some great alternatives for gaming.

I hope that you can show yourself a bit of compassion during this time. It is hard for everyone and there isn't a scale of terribleness - it's okay if you're not feeling grateful and you don't need to be! It's okay to feel how you feel.

I hope that this helps a little

rt

[phoenix_45]

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. Everything you say make sense. Can I ask, have I posted in the right place?

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi phoenix_45,

You're very welcome. Yes your post has gone to the right place.

If ever a post goes to the wrong place/section, the mods will move it and let you know.

rt