I live with my two grandkids , now ages 7 and 12 and I have been tutoring kids grades 7-12 in my community since the pandemic- have seen close at hand the effects of the social isolation and learning loss of the masking and screens. One student accidentally overdosed and died recently- on one fentanyl laced xanax for his extreme social anxiety after losing three friends to suicide during the pandemic . another 8th grader was so paralyzed she sat on the parking lot of her school even after it opened, just being school caused so much anxiety. Others lost all their friends, most lost all their math skills, and so many youth organizations like Scouts, Sunday schools, sports, lost majority of their members. the social fabric has been lost and will take a long time to rebuild . easy to destroy , hard to rebuild .

During the pandemic , it was so obvious as a teacher and parent that this would be the outcome of masking and no schools. I ranted to anyone who would listen to me, and most tired of it or I got banned from Next Door or my church for raising my concerns. so breaks my heart and my anger rises when I see and feel the lockdowns continuing impacts on children and the community. My 7 year old grandson just wants to be a youtuber and play video games, little interest in school or outside activities although I drag him out there as much as I can. ( does have a great in real life when he does get out). so many kids feel the same. what were school and political leaders thinking when they went against all common sense about what is good for kids social and emotional development