May 29th, 2020 / 0 Comments

After several months of coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown, kids seem to be adjusting to life without their friends, classes and hobbies. But is there a difference between the way boys and girls are coping with quarantine?
First, one important caveat – when talking about behaviors, especially gender-typical behaviors, we speak about generalities – these characteristics are OFTEN true, but not ALWAYS true.
The short answer is yes, boys and girls are generally coping differently. Many girls are still communicating with their friends by phone, video calls or social media and sharing their feelings and emotions, but many boys are turning to video games. And, while boys talk to friends on video games, the content of WHAT they share is limited, and leaves boys with a hole in their social support.
This difference has a lot to do with the ways boys and girls communicate in general. Girls are more likely to make time for conversations with friends to talk through their problems at length – it’s their way of processing. Boys, on the other hand, are more likely to talk while focused on a shared activity or goal, like playing sports or building Legos together.
Unfortunately, during this pandemic, boys don’t have those moments anymore. As a result, many of them are finding social connection primarily through video games, which have more limits and less flexibility than other forms of virtual social connection. While boys can talk to their friends in video games, their communication is focused on a shared goal (winning the game), and is NOT about sharing or processing emotions/stressors.
So while video games do games provide competition, brain-stimulating entertainment and social connection, they do not provide the emotional connection and support boys need.
Here are some ways to help both boys and girls reach out to friends and family during the pandemic:
**Remember, both sets of families should wear masks and encourage kids to stay 6 feet away.
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