WE’RE 8TEEN

While COVID is still very real and has the capacity to be deadly, which gives us reason for caution and safety concerns, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you should squander the last couple of years of your childhood being scared to go outside.

Photo+of+Jakob+McNulty+and+Nicholas+Blencoe+captured+by+Mariah+Ona.

Photo of Jakob McNulty and Nicholas Blencoe captured by Mariah Ona.

Devin Jagodzinski, Features Journalist

While listening to the song “8TEEN,” Khalid’s lyrics are able to resonate with the millions of teens who have pulled through this COVID pandemic. While younger people are statistically less likely to have drastic COVID symptoms, the quarantine the world has been put through has provided not only mental health issues but a decline in our learning and social skills as well. 

According to Grant junior Ken Rybicki, childhood is “supposed to be the best part of your life,” where you should “live to your fullest because it ends pretty quickly.” Let’s be honest, it has been difficult trying to live life to the fullest since the quarantine hit. Most of us have “lost a few friends,” strained our eyes looking at our devices, and “somewhat [lost] a year of opportunities,” Ken commented. 

GCHS junior Jania Morales shared the common sentiment of “becoming less social than before [the pandemic],” which makes sense, as many of us have ceased making the effort to refurbish withering friendships. A simple observation of how our social life ties into our school life, would reveal that a lack of motivation to socialize, would make us “feel [like our] motivation to do school work has gone down a lot,” Jania conveyed. 

With quarantine stripping away important parts of our childhood, leaving most of us underprepared for adulthood, you owe it to yourself to still try to have fun, and make the last few years of your childhood count. On a positive note, whether due to the past 3 years or the quarantine itself, many of us have grown to understand ourselves better, which is really one of the only things we could do when being locked away by ourselves. 

With everything going on, don’t let COVID prevent you from enjoying your life. Next to this article will be a list of fun activities to try during the pandemic.