“My daughter is 17 years and had just cleared her class 12th board this March. Like most of her friends, she is outgoing young person who likes to shop, follows celebrities and international singers on instagram, likes to hang out with friends and has a boyfriend from the same school too. Till before COVID hit us, I was irritated with these same habits of hers--rushing off to meet friends whenever she had time, out shopping from the flea market, and trying to be the first patron of any new restaurant or food chain that would open up in the city. I thought it all frivolous and useless--but now ever since, she is at home and deprived of her normal lifestyle, I feel sorry for her and my perspective has changed.

My husband has an auto-immune disorder that makes him very susceptible to COVID because of which all of us had to make the difficult choice to isolate ourselves and stay indoors. I am the only one who steps outside and that too only to buy essentials. We don’t visit anyone and have had no visitors in the past 3 months.

While it is hard for us to cope with the isolation, it is literally stealing and gnawing away at my daughter’s personality. She is becoming highly irritable and angry and quarrelsome. It is affecting my peace and my family’s. Till the time there was a strict lockdown, she did not fuss much, but once a few constraints were lifted, she started insisting that she wants to go and meet her friends and especially Manav, her boyfriend. Obviously I refused and that ticked her off. She flew into an uncontrollable rage first and then dropped down crying. She accused me of being selfish and not wanting her to be happy and then later apologized profusely for her harsh words.

I tried putting things for her in perspective that she is doing so for her father. She understood but apparently her desire to meet friend’s is stronger. She heard that three of her friends, including Manav, were planning to meet nearby in a park area and insisted on going.

Again we had a huge temper tantrum about it...but how could I let her go? She may wear a mask etc., but obviously there will be no social distancing with three other friends..and what if they hug or give high fives to each other? After all they are still children and might forget things. 

I don’t know where the families of the other three children have been and what if anyone of them is a asymptomatic carrier and gives the virus to my daughter who brings it back home to us?

But I was also not prepared for her response to the either thing. She has taken it really badly--she doesn’t talk to me at all; to her father also, her communication is limited. She seems to have decided that we don’t want her happiness and are against her...It was wrong of me, but I did check her whatsapp messages one day, and saw that she had told Manav that once she goes to college to study, she will never ever want to come back to this house. I am deeply saddened.

My teenager feels unloved and uncared for in her own house...but for no fault’s of anyone. She is not taking the social distancing easily. I have sleepless nights and keep worrying about her--what if she runs away, or decides to self-harm just to prove her point? She has to give a few entrance exams this year and if this extreme unhappiness and grudge continues against us, how will she focus on her exams? What if she carries this bitterness through her life for me or her father?" says a worried Navneet Taneja, mother to 17 year old, Mannat, Delhi.