On the occasion of the abolition of the obligation to wear masks at school in classes in Istria and Međimurje County, journalist Lada Marinović prepared a TV enclosure about masks in schools on the RTL Direkt show broadcast on September 14, 2020. The psychologist of the Zagreb Child and Youth Protection Center, Krešimir Prijatelj spoke about how difficult it is for students to adapt to wearing masks and what adults can do to help them adjust to them.
Namely, among the tips for parents on how to make it easier for children to wear masks, Fr. Pavle Vučković Elementary School published, among other things, the following: “Point out that children who wear masks are better than others who do not (playing on a sense of superiority)”:
– Such advice can be more harmful than helpful – said the psychologist of the Zagreb Child and Youth Protection Center, Krešimir Prijatelj: – We often give orders to children, and we explain very little to them. It is usually told to children that they should do something or that they should not do something. What the rest of us know how to schedule is to fail to say why something is being done, thus achieving a sense of purpose and meaning. We can’t expect children to adjust to wearing masks in class overnight. Adjustment can be difficult. It can be difficult for children to communicate under a mask with a teacher, class teacher, adults. On the other hand, some children may have problems because masks can create an additional feeling of fear, frustration, anxiety…
Source: RTL
Disclaimer: This is unofficial translation provided for information purposes. Zagreb Child and Youth Protection Center cannot be held legally responsible for any translation inaccuracy.
