​Let's not push them into living life in text

On the last day of 2020

My 14-year-old tells me excitedly.

"Mom we had so much fun this afternoon. We sang and sang to our hearts content on a call - just like we used to in school."

You were singing?

I ask.

I was sitting right there. I didn't hear you sing.

I say - a little confused.

"No. You can't hear us when we sing online. We play the song and listen to it with our ear phones. And as it plays, all of us type out the lyrics in chat simultaneously.

Many of us are not allowed to be noisy at home you know.

So we have found this new way to sing.

In between we also laugh at each other in text with lol and rofl.

It is great fun."

I have no words. I just hold her in a long hug.

2020 has not been an easy year.

And it has been the toughest for children.

And it is from them that I have learnt the most about resilience and happiness in many incidents like this one.

I hope 2021 will be kinder to them.

And I hope that in 2021 we adults will be kinder to them.

Children need to be noisy - they need to play - they need to sing and to laugh.

​Let's not push them into living life in text.