Category: Students Social Life

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What Is Digital Dating Abuse and How It Impacting Today’s Teen?

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

Majority of the teens have become the target of cyberbullying due to online dating, with ‘name-calling and rumour-spreading’ being the most common form of harassment.

Nowadays, technology becomes an integral aspect of our daily routine, and our lives become more exposed to cyberspace than before. When there is a hope that in the era of social distancing, technology can minimise the physical distance and provide a sense of empathy, there is also a risk that the same technology may deteriorate individual’s privacy and freedom. Since March 2020, I received 2 cases of Cyberbullying and one case of Cyber-Dating Abuse. Moreover, a massive increase in cyber abuse cases in India and Pakistan has been seen since the Covid-19 closure. Alone Pakistan has a tremendous 189% increase in cyber-harassment cases since April 2020. There are loads of researches available on the topic of Cyberbullying, and you can Google it at your ease. However, in this short article, I will discuss two critical questions that, I believe, every teen and parent should ask before engaging in any sort of online social activity. Why and how teenagers around the world, including Pakistan, are becoming more prone to cyber harassment than before? What is Digital Dating Abuse, and how it affects me or my kid’s social development? Continue reading “What Is Digital Dating Abuse and How It Impacting Today’s Teen?” →

Adolescence and the Loss of a Close Friend

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

This article/reflection is a little bit different than the ones which I usually write on this blog. This article is based on actual events that occurred recently and the discussions I had with some of the people related to these events. To maintain privacy, the identities of people and places will not be mention in the article

How differently it felt when you lost someone beloved or even someone whom you just met for a while? I believe many will say that it depends upon the amount of time spending and engaging with each other. However, sometimes a person whom you meet in a while would have left an everlasting impact on you than people whom you know since ages. Most of us wish they could be so lucky to finds a best friend at least once in our lifetime. But the question is why a great gift when it occurs, becomes a significant pain when it is lost?

Last year, one of my students shared that she lost her best friend in a car crash, and she was devastated about that. She considers her as a family even they know each other for a couple of years only. I simply counsel her and start giving advice like don’t avoid the pain, remember you aren’t alone, remember all your great memories etc. When she left, I felt relax that somehow my words might ease her pain until recently when I felt the same pain. Whether it’s a friend, a sibling or even someone you just sort of know, the loss of their life can make you feel like you have an enormous hole inside yourself. Continue reading “Adolescence and the Loss of a Close Friend” →

Corona Closure: How Parents Can Cope Children During Quarantine

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

Corona Closure: How Parents Can Cope Children During Quarantine

It’s been two weeks since the closure of schools and educational institutes resulting teachers to work from home and teaching students virtually. So far, the commencement of educational institutes is not certain and we also have been advised to stay at home to stop spreading the virus. Schools and teachers are scrambling to get their courses online so that students can continue their education without interruption. However, where teachers are struggling to keep the dice rolling virtually with their students, the parents, on the other hand, are burdened with their sudden responsibility of their kid’s homeschooling. Especially those parents who are also working from home, it becomes challenging for them to minimise the boredom of their kids while completing their office tasks on a daily basis. Last week, even some parents texted me sharing their concerns on how to cope with their kids’ boredom at home without disrupting their daily routine.

Whether you are a parent whose job is letting you work remotely, or you’re missing work entirely and have to look after your kids, the pandemic is likely disrupting your routine and leaving you with a young scholar to watch after and guide. However, situations vary as some kids would no doubt be more than happy to spend the entire day playing PUBG or CS: Go and watching TikTok dance challenges. And then some kids give a tough time to their parents asking questions which are difficult for parents to answer. Moreover, parents whose kids are spending the whole day in front of a computer screen are also concern about their health and routine. Continue reading “Corona Closure: How Parents Can Cope Children During Quarantine” →

Why Is It Necessary for Teens to Set Emotional Boundaries?

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

Why Is It Necessary for Teens to Set Emotional Boundaries?
By Ahmad Amirali

Being emotional is necessary for kids, especially for their personality grooming (Previous Article: Why Is Being Emotional Necessary for Our Children Better Future?). However, it is also essential for teens to maintain some emotional boundaries as they are entering the practical phase of their lives. Every year one of the parent’s most severe concerns consist of their child’s sensitive behaviour towards their social, religious or academic circle. Parents concerns make perfect sense to me because, being an adult, they themselves finding it difficult setting their own emotional boundaries and therefore they consider being emotional is kind of a weakness which is not true.  Let’s get through it with an example; you living in a big house with your family and a huge barn with a horse stable.  Every morning you wake to witness this remarkable peaceful site where everyone, human and animal, loves each other. However, the whole area where you are living has no fence in it or a ‘boundary’ that mark your territory. What would be the repercussions of not having a fence? Yes, the security of loved ones, kids, wife, parents, animals and the beautiful, peaceful life will be on stake because its ‘open to anyone who wants to come’. Now put your teen’s emotions in place of this remarkable site and repeat the situation and you will find ‘having fences’ will come handy. The solution is ‘having fences’ not to get rid of this peaceful site and to shift somewhere else. So, the question is what is an emotional fence or a boundary and how we can manage to put it in our life? Continue reading “Why Is It Necessary for Teens to Set Emotional Boundaries?” →

Why Do Teens Shut Themselves Away from Their Family and Friends?

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

Why do Teens Shut Themselves away from their Family and Friends?
By Ahmad Amirali

There are times when students find it difficult to express their stressed-out feelings to anyone. In this case, they simply isolate themselves from their families and friends to sort out available solutions for their problems.  Similar kind of behaviour I witnessed the day before yesterday, in one of my students when she appeared late in my session. She was quite all the time and hardly even participating in any activities. She is one of the active students and therefore her behaviour was quite suspicious to me. When class concluded she simply come to me and handed over her worksheet and the moment she starts bursting in tears, crying out loud. Some students who were there simply have no idea what had just happened or why it was happening. I asked other students to leave the classroom. I didn’t say any word, and after a while, when she realised about her situation, she stops crying. I offered her a glass of water, upon asking she reluctantly shared that her sister’s marriage and her midterm exams are falling on the same week and she did not do well in her previous year’s tests. So, her parents are quite pissed this time. But She also does not want to miss all the shenanigans and memorable events of her sister’s marriage. She is not performing wholeheartedly for her exams as well as not able to enjoy her sister’s wedding. I counsel her, sort out her timetable, and talk to her parents about it. However, I wondered why she decided to shut herself down when she starts encountering the issue in the first place? Is shutting herself down helped her to sort out the solutions? Or sharing her concerns basically makes a difference? Continue reading “Why Do Teens Shut Themselves Away from Their Family and Friends?” →