Lived Experience Forum

[saltandpepper]

I'm pondering the pandemic situation here. I've been very lucky being in Tas I haven't experienced the long periods of isolation in lockdown like my mainland friends have endured.

I've been thinking back on my childhood and teenage years as I often do. My home environment wasn't a safe or healthy place to be in. When I was in High School I pretty much didn't go home if I could help it. I'd go to mates places, the arcade, go skating at the warehouse, or I'd just walk around the neighbourhood to pass the time. I didn't want to be at home.

This gets me thinking about all the kids who are trapped in their abusive homes with no reprieve throughout the lockdown. I can't imagine the damage the lockdown is inflicting on everyone, but in particular, the affect this is having on those kids.

I wonder how things will look for society in 10/20/30 years time. I wonder how monumentally screwed up people are becoming from all this. I wonder if the benefits of lockdowns even outweigh the negative impacts it's having on everyone psychologically. I wonder how many kids won't come out of this alive, or if they do, how fu*ked up they're going to be. I'm fu*ked up and I at least had the option of escape. I wasn't trapped in that environment every second of every day.

It makes my heart feel heavy. I wonder if there are new services being established to help aid people in these situations. And how long will help be available to them?

Here in Tas, child protection services are woefully understaffed and underfunded. I remember reading a report a few years ago now how there were over 200 reports made to child protective services in one year and if I recall correctly only 12 were investigated. We later see the results of this in the news where children die at the hands of abuse and it's heartbreaking to hear when child services recieved reports but didn't act.

The whole system is already garbage and it's never been any different, but what's going to happen from here I wonder?

I don't think we're going to be living in a healthy world in the wake of the pandemic. I know it's not fair for me to weigh in really when I'm not experiencing this to the degree most have been, but I'm just thinking here. Just wondering. Just concerned for all the kids who are becoming irreparably traumatised while trapped in their homes during lockdown.

[CalmingNature]

If this post has brought up any feelings for anyone here please reach out to services that can provide you with support around this subject

BlueKnot 1800 421 468

1800 RESPECT 1800 426 820

SANE Help Centre 1800 7263

Lifeline 13 11 14

Take Care, CalmingNature 

[HappyCastle]

@saltandpepper I must confess that this is something that I have thought about too. Showing empathy and concern for what others are going through is a part of the human experience for some of us. You mentioned reflecting on this from the perspective of your younger self, I hope you are travelling through these thoughts gently 💙

[saltandpepper]

Yeah I'm alright @HappyCastle It does make my stomach churn to think about. If I think back to those times when I was younger, I barely scraped through it in one piece. I can't imagine what it's like for so many kids right now. Painful to think about. It must be unbearable for so many right now.

[AussieRecharger]

@saltandpepper 

You have to remember that there is always 2 sides of a story.  For some people, it is a chance to reconnect, a chance for kids to chill out with their parents and for parents to become kids again.  Statistically, there has been a reduction in suicides since the pandemic started, probably because of the focus on mental health and the financial incentives taking the pressure off families to work instead of being family-focused. 

I know for some kids it will be hard, and for some families, they will struggle but most of us now understand what a crap parent looks like and we are more than aware of smartphones and people recording or calling police straight away when kids are in trouble.  Hell, some might even say, we have become a society of dobbers. 

I do feel sorry for kids who don't have playful parents as it will be a huge opportunity missed.