This Nine-Year-Old Kid’s Thoughts on COVID-19 Are What We Want to Hear Right Now

We adults have all been chatting about how COVID-19 is changing the world, but how often have we asked the kids for their own perspective? This week, Ashlynn Nolan, an aspiring writer and nine-year-old girl, has offered her own perspective in the form of a Q&A. Read on to learn more about what the minds of the next generation are thinking through all of this.

When did you first learn about COVID-19? How did you find out about it?

I learned about COVID-19 sometime in February when I overheard my parents talking on the phone. My teachers also told us about it and to use more hand sanitizer. My teachers also showed us a BrainPop video on COVID-19.

What were your first emotions, and how do they compare now?

When I first heard about COVID-19 I wasn't really very worried. I was also excited that my dad was coming home because he was gone at the time. I didn't think it would be a big deal. I thought we would still go to school and I can still see my friends for playdates. Along the way I figured out that life is 10 percent what happens and 90 percent how you react to it. This means to me even when we go through hard times, I can choose how I react to the hard time, such as now we are going through a hard time but I can choose how I react to COVID-19. The lockdown is still uncertain of when we will go back to school or dance and piano. More people have died than when 9/11 happened. This is a big deal. It would be really sad if someone I know gets sick.

How has life changed for you? Have you found it easy or hard to cope?

Life's changed because I'm not able to go anywhere. Not being able to go anywhere has been easy to cope with because I have siblings and my dogs to play with. Not being able to see my friends is harder to cope with, because I haven't been able to see them. We have been able to talk and play video games on the phone luckily. School is so different; I have to help my mom when she tries to log on with me. My sister, brother, and I made a Luxray game that we play together to pass the time we are home.

Do you feel more creative or more bored during this time?

I feel more creative during this time by picking out our own outfits. We come up with really creative outfits like one day it was orange day so we all wore orange. One day we dressed to recreate a photo of Red, Blue, and Green from Pokémon. My brother was Red, my sister was Green, and I was Blue. The reason I was Blue was because my favorite color is blue, same story with my brother. My sister was Green because she has brown hair like Green does. Our Positions were even the same as the photo. I'm so excited about what we are going to wear next. We are also more creative with coming up with new games. We also make fun performances for our family.

What do you think the children of your generation will remember most about all of this?

I think the children will remember how they are on lockdown. They will also probably remember online classes. What else would they remember? They would probably remember most of the world is on lockdown. The shelves at grocery stores are really empty they will remember that. They will also will remember the people wearing masks everywhere they go. Most of all I think children will remember spending time with their family and all the games they play.

What message do you hope this virus sends the world?

I hope that this virus sends the world the message of together we are stronger. Even though we can't be together we can help each other through this difficult time. We encourage each other and many people have thought of fun and creative ways to give hope to someone. I hope it also sends the world the message of don't share germs.

How has all of this changed you? What types of things will you keep doing, or do less of, when we all go back to "normal" life?

It has changed me because I'm starting to spend more time with my brother and sister and I would like to keep doing this. I don't want to keep using Zoom for dance and piano. The reason I don't want to do Zoom for dance is that it is sometimes hard to hear. For piano the Zoom screen is too small so we can't see what we need to see.

Have or know a tween or teen? Start a conversation at home using these questions!