Dear June,
My young teenager is spending too much time in his bedroom during this pandemic. He has many interests: longboarding, motorcross, cooking, acting, weight lifting, drawing, and building computers, and he loves to make others laugh. He also really likes his phone and video games. When school was in, even though he didn’t like getting up at 6 a.m. or homework, he loved seeing his friends and going to football games, school dances, and school plays.He is also a bit of an introvert and keeps a very small group of friends. He has one best friend and has lost contact with most of his friends during this pandemic. I have noticed that our relationship has improved during all this time with him out of school, but most days he chooses to spend his time alone in his room on his phone or playing video games. I have no choice but to work long hours every day. I would love to foster his interests. It takes a lot of persuasion to get him out of his room. I’ve talked with a lot of other parents who are also worried about their young teens spending so much time alone in their rooms during this pandemic.
