Teens recently shared their experiences this past year in a New York Times article. I am going to post a few of their stories. It's heartbreaking, but something everyone needs to hear. If you'd like to read more go to: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/08/learning/teens-pandemic-art.html?referringSource=articleShare
Stevia's Story:
Ever since I was a child, I looked forward to my 18th birthday. I thought I would suddenly gain years of knowledge and have the power to change the world. Little did I know how difficult the year of my retirement from childhood would be.
When murmurs of quarantining were becoming a reality, my family and I were stuck. My mom, an essential worker and single parent, worked all day while my younger siblings and I attended school. On top of trying to graduate from high school, I had to be a mother for a preschooler and a grade-schooler. My 18th birthday came and went, and I was still the same Stevia.
I look at the last few months and realize this is what growing up in a global crisis looks like for low-income families. Being in quarantine made me realize how much I have been robbed of my childhood and that I’ve been an “adult” for the majority of my life. My photo represents waking up daily with the stress of not knowing what life is going to throw at you, but going through the motions anyway. I took this photo one morning as my siblings were still sleeping four feet away from me. The light was coming through the window so beautifully, and it was one of the few moments of silence I had experienced since March.
This is so unfortunate. It's so sad that there are teens out there who have to deal with this. I feel like the quarantine hurt more families than actually helped. I like what @Erica said. I didn't think about all of those things. That is very true.