This post is from August 2021. American history and the fallout for our kids is now manifesting. Over the coming year we’ll have parents sharing their – often heartbreaking – stories of how the COVID-19 lockdown detrimentally affected their children’s mental health. For now, let’s just say it’s good fortune we have as many child therapy providers as we do.
To a five year old child, 1.5 years of forced lockdown is 30% of their life to that point. Extrapolating:
30% of a 10 year old child’s life is 3 years.
30% of a 15 year old teenager’s life is 4.5 years.
30% of a 20 year old adult’s life is 6 years.
30% of a 30 year old adult’s life is 9 years.
30% of a 40 year old adult’s life is 12 years.
30% of a 50 year old adult’s life is 15 years.
30% of a 60 year old adult’s life is 18 years.
30% of a 70 year old adult’s life is 21 years.
30% of an 80 year old adult’s life is 24 years.
Remember how summer vacation seemed to last forever when we were kids? It’s because as kids three months of our lives was a very large percentage of our living experience. Recognize this when in a few years we have the result of socially crippled kids needing tons of psych services for missing out on 30% of their social lives because of forced lockdowns.
And consider how we would turn out if we – as adults – were forced to stay at home for a decade or more. How socially crippled would we adults be after one decade of forced lockdown?