Our youth are facing tough decisions — and stress!

I’ve had some interesting conversations about future expectations and plans with both young and old people. Now that we’re in our 4th month of shelter-in-place with new COVID-19 surges in half of the states, we’re really feeling the stress of the unknown. When can we see our families again? Will schools and colleges offer on-campus classes this school year? Will I ever go back to work again? How did this pandemic become so political that misinformation has become rampant? I’ve addressed these questions in past blogs.

Learning how to deal with pandemics may become part of the way we live our lives. All of the brides and grooms who have postponed their weddings and honeymoons for months are having to make difficult decisions about their nuptials and who they can invite. Guest lists have been stripped from 250 people down to 40. Church and restaurant venues are now being replaced with outdoor beach gatherings with social distancing. Grandparents and at-risk family and friends are watching the event on Zoom or Google Meet.

Deciding when or if they should have children has also become a serious conversation. Grandparents are missing opportunities to be there for baby arrivals and celebrations. Many 30-somethings are considering not having children – after all, should they bring babies into a world where pandemics isolate kids from family and friends? What about another real threat: climate crisis? While our climate problems have been sidelined as the world focuses on finding a vaccine for the coronavirus, we still need to reduce our CO2 and develop sustainable energy.

High school and college students are stressed as they make decisions about how to finance an online college experience and how far away from home they should go. Parents worry that their children may become infected by other students if they return to campus this fall, yet parents need to go to work and school has always been the place kids go during the day. If we knew that the coronavirus would be contained in 6 months, we could make plans and start living our lives. But this pandemic may take years to understand and eradicate.

70% of current college students (who took a survey) have lost income due to the recession caused by the coronavirus. 50% changed their living situations in the spring; and 25% dropped at least one course. Over 90% are concerned about their colleges shifting to online learning.

It’s time to rethink how we socialize, work, learn, and celebrate. We need to look ahead and make smart decisions. And, we need to do this as people, not political parties. It’s time to work together so we can move on.