CTP (20260101 S3EJanSpecial1) Gabrielle Crichlow Kids Health BTS/SP Video

Joseph M. Lenard

CTP (S3EJanSpecial1) Kids, Screens, And The Cost Of Isolation Exploring more of the fascinating intersection of Activism, Community Engagement, Faith / Religion, Human Nature, Politics, Social Issues, and beyond  We trace how kids’ mental health and learning have shifted since lockdowns and why face-to-face school still outperforms screens, even as some students benefit from remote tools. Practical steps for parents, tutors, and communities help rebuild social skills, language, and daily habits. • why suicide risk eased but long-tail effects remain • how COVID remnants shape schools, health rules, and routines • when remote learning helps and when it harms • speech and language delays from limited facial cues • tech as a tool versus a babysitter • widening gaps between well-resourced and struggling schools • faith, duty, and caring for the vulnerable with balance • parent involvement in health, habits, and motivation • tutoring as targeted support and accountability   https://tinyurl.com/SubscribeToCTP   CTP Audios: https://tinyurl.com/CTPonBuzzsprout  CTP Videos: https://tinyurl.com/JLDonBITCHUTE  https://tinyurl.com/CTPgear

Transcript

00:00Hello, welcome to another episode of Firstitutionalist Podcast.

00:06I am your host, Joseph M. Leonard.

00:10That's L-E-N-A-R-D at the French.

00:13It's not, it's Leonard without an O.

00:17Thank you for tuning in, as Graham Norton used to say, on his show.

00:24Let's get on with the show!

00:27Hello, everybody.

00:28I just wanted to let you know this brief intro.

00:33I'm going to double up two a week for the rest of January.

00:39I get caught up on a few interviews I've recorded lately.

00:44They're kind of piling up.

00:46They're going a little too far in the future.

00:48I don't want to keep people waiting that long.

00:51So for the rest of January, I'll do two during the week rather than one midweek drop on Wednesday.

00:57So Tuesday and Thursday, the rest of January.

01:00Anyway, let's get some guests on, as Graham Norton currently says.

01:06And I'm borrowing.

01:07Hello, everyone.

01:09Welcome to another episode of Christa Tushaw's Podcast.

01:13Joining me today is Gabrielle Critchlow.

01:17And, of course, if you're viewing behind the scenes, you can see her name already in the lower left corner there.

01:25But I'll put it in bigger, bolder letters in post-production in the scrawl on the bottom of the screen.

01:33Welcome to the show, Gabrielle.

01:35How are you?

01:37I'm well.

01:38How are you?

01:38Like I always say, could be better, could be worse.

01:43Right?

01:45Of course.

01:46Take it one day at a time, as I also like to say.

01:50Yes.

01:51Yeah.

01:51All right.

01:52Worry about today, today, tomorrow.

01:55Worry about tomorrow, tomorrow.

01:57Yes.

01:57You're here.

02:02We're going to talk mental health and mainly regarding kids because we met the pod match, a service.

02:11And part of the back and forth that we had was I had said how concerned whether during the lockdowns, the Wuhan hysteria and the lockdowns, suicide rates among so many groups shot way up.

02:30But mainly among our kids because they, some that felt isolated then were obviously even more isolated by the hysteria and the lockdowns.

02:45Have, have those rates come down at all?

02:48Have we, have our kids recovered from the damage we did to them yet?

02:54So, I just, let me just say, as a disclaimer, this is purely my opinion.

03:06Well, then, before you answer that, I didn't ask the usual.

03:10I need to ask the typical first.

03:12Yeah.

03:13Where, where, where were you born and raised and where are you now?

03:18And we need that nitty gritty first.

03:20Okay, well, I was born in, in Trinidad and Sebago.

03:27Um, and I came to America when I was three years old.

03:33Uh, so now I am in the state of New York and I have been here ever since.

03:39God, uh, at least you're not in the state of Missouri.

03:44Like I like to joke, the state of misery.

03:47And my audience knows I can't pass on the stupid pun.

03:53So, now back to the serious topic.

03:56Indeed.

03:57Have our kids recovered?

03:59I would say slightly.

04:02Um, so in regards to the suicide rates, I think, in my opinion, it has come down a lot,

04:11especially now that things are slowly returning to normal, uh, with, you know, kids going back

04:19to school in person, with kids being able to congregate with other kids again, um, which

04:29started happening around 2023, I want to say.

04:33Um, so the suicide rates have come down as we've started accumulating ourselves around

04:41each other again.

04:43Um, but in terms of have we fully recovered?

04:48100%?

04:49Not really.

04:50I don't think we've fully recovered as a society, um, let alone our children.

04:57Um, like, even with schools, um, there, every year there's an outbreak.

05:04So, you know, with flu season around, I want to say September, October, November, now COVID

05:12is part of the flu season.

05:15Um, so, you know, I would even go as far as December.

05:21So, from September to December, um, I would say it's cold season, flu season, now it's

05:28COVID season, right?

05:30So, now we have that to, to deal with.

05:34And, you know, we still have their, they're still making us get booster shots every year.

05:40So, the COVID prevention is still a part of our society now.

05:45It hasn't exactly gone away.

05:46Like, even, like, going to the doctors, for example, they may still make you wear a mask.

05:53Um, and then you still have, like, people that choose to, to wear a mask in their everyday

06:01life, not necessarily someone in the professional field.

06:05So, because we still have those remnants of COVID, it does trickle down to the kids.

06:11Um, and even, you know, like I said, even with schools, you know, there is, remote, remote

06:19learning still exists, right?

06:21Um, so, in case, and there's still, like, if one kid gets COVID, like, the school will

06:27shut down, right?

06:29So, um, they'll, they'll tell the child to, you know, stay home, and then they alert all

06:35the parents.

06:36So, either the school shuts down, or they'll just put everybody on alert, hey, a kid was

06:43tested positive for COVID, so just FYI, right?

06:46So, I think because we still have those remnants of COVID, um, and I don't think it's going to

06:54go away anytime soon, I, the, the kids still feel it, right?

07:00They still feel, um, you know, now classes are on computers now, and there's this move

07:11to digitize everything.

07:13So, um, because of all the, the changes in the educational system, there's more of a,

07:22a push to digitizing everything, and there's more of a push for things being on computers

07:27and teaching on computers.

07:29So, because of the changing landscape in education, and even in our society with, again, with the

07:37doctors' offices, still having to wear a mask, still having to get COVID boosters, um, and

07:44then, of course, you still have the paranoid, anxious people, like, I don't want my kids

07:48around a crowd of people.

07:51We still have those remnants, and, and the children do that, and they feel that, yeah.

07:55Yeah, even though now all these years later, we know the Wuhan hysteria is mainly, and always

08:05has been, a threat to those who have comorbidities.

08:10I know a few people that died through complications, like one was a nurse, and she had asthma, so she

08:20had a comorbidity, and indeed, catching COVID caused the issue with the asthma, they combined,

08:30and she literally drowned in her own, you know, drowned in her own bed due to pneumonia.

08:37It wasn't the COVID that killed her, it was the complications with her asthma that brought

08:44that up.

08:45Yeah, so it doesn't affect the kids as much, but, and even all these years, hundreds of years

08:56of mask science, the COVID particulate is smaller than even an N95 mask protects against, so wearing

09:12these cloth masks are a placebo, but if it helps make some feel better, then, okay, knock yourself

09:22out.

09:23But, yeah, I want to go back to schools and, and society in general.

09:32FaceTime, the computer version, cannot and will not ever replace actual teacher-to-student actual

09:45face-to-face time and socializing of our kids actually being in the same place, being face-to-face

09:53face-to-face, than face-to-face time on the computer.

09:58It's a totally different socialization, and many of them lost several years of that development.

10:08Yes, I, I'm sorry, my phone is ringing in the background, but, um, but, um, so I, I apologize

10:16for that, yes, it doesn't replace, in person, it really, it doesn't, I mean, there are pros and cons,

10:25I will say that I wouldn't completely knock, knock down FaceTime, and, you know, but, and, but.

10:33It's better than no contact.

10:36Right, right, and then there are some students who have special needs, for example, like,

10:41those with, um, with autism, with those with physical disabilities, or, you know, those

10:48who are, um, who may be blind, or, or mute, or, or deaf, like, they need, they need more.

10:56Yeah, like, everything, it's not a one-size-fits-all, right?

11:01It's not, like, some people need more hands-on, more physical contact in terms of learning, um,

11:08but there are some kids that may do better on the computer, right, um, so maybe those who

11:15may be anxious, or what, maybe, who have been diagnosed with generalized anxiety, I'll say that,

11:23or, you know, there are some kids with autism that might actually do better

11:26on a computer, right, with someone teaching on a computer, so there are benefits as well as

11:34detriments, but I think over, overall, it, it doesn't, um, it doesn't replace face-to-face

11:42contact.

11:42Yeah, for every rule, there are exceptions, but for thousands, or if you want to go and

11:51say millions of years, humanity as creatures has been an interactive species, that's the rule,

12:00but yes, there are some exceptions.

12:04Absolutely, absolutely, and, and I do think that because kids are, we've been moving into

12:12a digital age for a while now, definitely beyond, before COVID, um, I think since the internet

12:22was born, I think, uh, we have definitely been moving into a digital age, particularly with

12:29children, particularly with schools, um, like, there's more, we're introducing tablets into the

12:36schools, um, which blew up more during COVID, but it showed up before, and then there's all,

12:46um, like, the assisting technologies, um, like, you know, talk to texts, uh, dictation, you know,

12:56recording classes, trans, transcriptions, right, so all of these things happened before COVID,

13:03um, Zoom happened before COVID, it just blew up because of COVID, right, so these things.

13:09And I'm a former IT guy, so I'm, obviously, I've seen the stuff coming from, from, uh, up close

13:18and personal from the inside, but everything is great as a tool in its proper place, but not

13:27as a crutch as a babysitter, right? Oh, here, here, you know, let, give, give that as an excuse

13:37to then not have to interact, uh, so, yeah, it can be a great useful tool if we don't use

13:47it as an excuse, uh, for other things we can and could and should be doing, uh, you, I, am

13:57I making sense in that?

13:59Like, definitely when it comes to babysitting, and I have to admit, I'm, I'm guilty of that,

14:05um, you know, when it comes to babysitting my niece and nephew, it's like, here, just watch

14:11the TV or just, just go play on the tablet, right?

14:15Um, but then by doing that, it's, it's already addictive, already, right?

14:22So, it's just throwing them into the, into the addiction, but.

14:26Yeah, what they're doing on it matters.

14:29Yeah, if they're doing something constructive or if they're indeed mindless video games that

14:36addict them and keep them distracted from reality, the, like you said, upsides and downsides to

14:45everything and we, as parental units, have to make sure we are aware of what they're doing

14:53digitally.

14:55Right, and we don't, and a lot of times we don't really know what they're watching, right?

14:59Um, and then just, and then because we're kind of throwing them into these electronics, we

15:06are, we're breaking the, the communication and there's a disconnect now between trying

15:14to relate to one another, right?

15:16And kids, they're not really picking up social cues or, or looking at facial expressions,

15:23right?

15:23And so, there's that, there's that disconnect there.

15:27Um, and I remember someone telling me because of, because of all the mask wearing, a lot

15:33of kids now have difficulties with speech because they're not reading lips.

15:41Um, so there's a lot more of that happening.

15:44And so, there's a lot of speech difficulties because of.

15:47Right, because we all have.

15:48All the mask wearing, yeah.

15:50Yeah, we have varying accents and whatnot, including regional.

15:55At times, you need them, uh, facial, and as you said, lip cues, uh, you may not hear the

16:05word clearly, but if you're having that real IRL in real life face to face, you can kind of

16:13see the mouthing and grasp the con, uh, context of the word and know what it is.

16:20Uh, rather than if you were on the phone and only hearing the word.

16:25And it's like, what, what was that?

16:27I, I didn't quite get you.

16:30You're, the way that we form our lips around certain words, you're mimicking that with your

16:35own lips, right?

16:36So, if you're not really seeing it because of all the mask wearing and you're young, right?

16:40You're going to end up mispronouncing words, right?

16:42Or hearing words that, uh, may not make sense to you, like, wait, what?

16:48So, I think, and a lot of those speech difficulties have been coming up, right, as of late, uh,

16:56because of that.

16:57So, there has, and that's very big in terms of kids and trying to, uh, develop their vocabulary

17:05and, and understanding what it means in context and, and things like that.

17:09So, there, there's going to be long-term effects, uh, because of COVID and it's going to be a

17:16while, uh, before, I mean, we're, we're on our way, but it's going to be a while before

17:22we completely bounce back.

17:23Yeah, our education system has been on the decline and pathetic for so long now.

17:29Our kids were already generation to generation getting worse regarding language to begin with.

17:37And now, as you're saying, without, without that visual cue, there's even greater language

17:44barrier.

17:46Absolutely.

17:47Absolutely.

17:48Um, and, and, and I think with, with COVID, it, it already exposed the, the school system

17:57already with all of its flaws.

18:00Um, it just exacerbated it.

18:03Um, you know, especially with the, with the, the, the wealthy poverty distinction.

18:10Um, it definitely made that worse, right?

18:15Um, cause of course, you know, COVID it, in terms of what schools did, schools in wealthier

18:21neighborhoods, they were able to get more access to resources, but then you have the schools

18:26in foreign neighborhoods that, you know, had to struggle.

18:30So, of course, there's that wealthy poverty gap.

18:35As always has been.

18:37Yeah.

18:37As Jesus said, the poor will always be among you.

18:41That wasn't an economic or governance statement.

18:44It was, there are some who always choose to do the least possible in everything and therefore

18:52don't quite get as head as they may otherwise be able to if they exerted themselves.

19:01But now, uh, throwing everything out the window, a complete non-sequitur, right?

19:10For those viewing on video, I can only see the top of your shirt.

19:15So I'm curious, what does your shirt say?

19:20No, um, it's, um, so there's a, um, actually no.

19:26So, so I went to a family reunion last year in Trinidad and, um, it's, it's like a big

19:35event that we had and we made t-shirts.

19:38Ah.

19:39So it says, remember where you came from?

19:41And there's a big tree and then it says, um, well, everything's backward on video, sorry.

19:48But it's, uh.

19:49No, I can see, I can see it in front of the way.

19:51Yeah.

19:51Okay, Critchlow Millington Family Reunion 2024, family is everything.

19:58Wonderful.

19:59Uh, I'm glad I asked.

20:04Uh, but I forgot where I did want to go next.

20:09Uh.

20:10With the schools and.

20:12Yeah, I mean, uh, um, we could talk for 30 years.

20:16On that alone and the medical issues alone and, and whatnot here, but, uh, I, do you have

20:30a website for people to go to?

20:35Yes.

20:35So I tutor.

20:39Um, so if you, you know, for those watching or listening, if you are looking for tutoring services,

20:46for your child between, um, third grade and 12th grades and, and even early college, depending

20:55on where you are in college, my website is www.astepaheadtutoringservices.com.

21:03So we provide astepaheadtutoringservices.com.

21:07Uh, that's kind of long.

21:10I gotta be honest with you.

21:13That's a little long.

21:16Uh, but.

21:19A step, just, you're moving a step ahead, right?

21:22So a step ahead and then tutoring and then, yeah, it is, it's long.

21:28Uh, I will get it to, it will fit on the screen.

21:34It'll just have to be a smaller font than someone who is a shorter website, but we'll, we'll get

21:43it on there.

21:44Uh, I remembered where I was going to go.

21:49What I forgot.

21:50Now I've forgotten.

21:51Oh, the, the, the, uh, haves, have nots divide has always been there and it's sorry.

22:00It's unfortunate part of human nature and the way the planet is.

22:06There's always right.

22:07Those with means will always have access to more.

22:12And yeah, it, it just, if, if you're on the upper side of it, it's great, obviously.

22:19But if you're not, then, you know, but it's a part of reality.

22:26We either have to accept and do our best to work within, or we're just going to be miserable

22:34our whole lives.

22:36And, you know, claiming victimhood and blaming others doesn't really help ourselves when we're

22:44doing that.

22:45You know, I'm not saying any particular person or whatever is, but there is, that is part

22:52of human nature and accepting our lot in life and doing whatever we can to improve it.

23:00I don't know where I'm going with this, but I'm just reacting off of what you said, your

23:06thoughts, your additional thoughts.

23:08I do understand that.

23:11However, there tends to be a favoritism to the ones that have, right?

23:17So yes, it is a part of, it is something that we, we have to accept as part of our society.

23:26There's going to be those who have and those who have not because there are more people than

23:31there are resources.

23:32However, I think there needs to be more of a favoritism towards the ones who have not,

23:38right?

23:39Because the ones that have, there is a privilege, right?

23:45And it's a, it's a privilege to be able to have access to more resources.

23:50And so if, if we had more government funding and they funded more public schools, right?

23:58Then that would address a lot of the issues that schools are having today.

24:02And then also with teachers leaving in droves.

24:05Well, I'm going to push back because every year funding goes up and our schools get worse

24:12and our kids get dumber.

24:13The issue is not funding, it's a will to actually educate rather than indoctrinate is my take

24:23on it.

24:24And of course, with the United States, I mean, there's a reason why you want to be here and

24:31not somewhere else.

24:32Never before in the course of human history have people had an opportunity to lift themselves

24:39up through the wonders of our particular governance and economy.

24:48So again, Jesus said, the poor will always be among you.

24:52There will always be some who choose to do little, but I get it.

24:58Indeed, there are those who are held back.

25:03I don't deny that as part of our reality, though, either.

25:07And I understand that, but how you treat the poor is, it shows a reflection of who you

25:18are.

25:19Absolutely.

25:21This is a Christian show.

25:23Jesus said, you are to be your brother's keeper and to take care of widows and orphans through

25:31biblical community, God-given free will.

25:36Well, I am to want to do that.

25:39The Bible also makes the distinction between those who are unable to help themselves versus

25:46those who are unwilling to help themselves.

25:49Hence, the poor will always be among you versus stealing from somebody to give to another and

25:57pretend you've done something when you've not given your blood and treasure in the process

26:03under biblical community and free will.

26:07That is true.

26:08And even looking at, I don't know, there's a parable in the Bible that there was a young

26:14king that came to Jesus and said, what do I need to do to get to heaven?

26:21And Jesus said, get rid of, well, he listed a bunch of things, but then the last thing he

26:26said was, get rid of all of your riches and what did the king do?

26:30He sulked and walked away, right?

26:33So, I mean, it's a parable, but basically, the Bible has mentioned, yeah, you know, like

26:44the Bible has mentioned several times about, you know, you're not going to take your wealth

26:49with you when you die, right?

26:51So, there's a, you know, and what, what, how, what is the profit of man if he gains the

26:59world and loses his own soul?

27:01Amen.

27:01I've quoted that, that, indeed true, there's so many things that you can, if you need to

27:12take them all in the full context, as opposed to some who just pick and choose one thing

27:19or another.

27:20And indeed, but also, it doesn't say God helps those who help themselves.

27:29It doesn't say that, but much implies such that you can't help others if you don't help

27:40yourself also first, right?

27:42I can't help feed the poor if I'm not able to take care of myself and have enough to then

27:50help feed the poor with.

27:53You have to help yourself before you help other people.

27:57You can't feed the poor.

27:59Right?

28:00Like on the plane, what do they tell you?

28:02In the case of the loss of cabin pressure, put on your own mask first, because you're

28:09no help to anybody else if you're flopping on the floor without oxygen.

28:16Absolutely.

28:17You, you can't, I mean, you can't pour everything out to help other people and not really pour

28:26back into yourself.

28:27And you have to have to pour first before, you know, in order to give to somebody else.

28:34So, you know, there is a balance in taking care of other people and taking care of yourself.

28:40Yes.

28:40Absolutely.

28:41Absolutely.

28:43Positively.

28:43Well, we've kind of strayed from our original initial subject.

28:48So wrapping things back up, what concerns do you have regarding the health in general of

28:59people, especially our kids going forward, if any?

29:05I think understanding that, you know, children are like, I don't want to say they're naturally

29:16unhealthy, but they naturally don't want to do things that are healthy, right?

29:23So just understanding that about kids, like, oh, they would, they would want to eat candy

29:27instead of vegetables, right?

29:29So understanding that.

29:32Why we got to be the parent.

29:34Yeah.

29:35Yeah.

29:36But my, my concern is we're not really as parents, as adults, we're not really involved in their

29:44health and we're not really on top of them about their health.

29:50As we should be.

29:51As we should.

29:52Yes.

29:53Yes.

29:53We are in agreement there.

29:55Absolutely.

29:56So I would want to see more proactivity when it comes to health and being more involved

30:02in it and, and not just punishing.

30:05That's another thing too.

30:07I find that.

30:08Oh, that can be a lot of parents get frustrated and, you know, you don't, you don't brush your

30:13teeth.

30:13You're, you know, your, your mouth is going to burn or whatever.

30:16Like, just maybe explain it.

30:18Like, you don't brush your teeth and things will grow and your breath will smell.

30:22And, you know, people will smell.

30:25I don't know.

30:25Like your people are going to smell that nasty breath and, you know, they're going to

30:30treat you a certain way.

30:31Like there's, there's a way to do it.

30:33But I think if we.

30:34And for every rule, there's an exception again, right?

30:38Every child isn't going to respond to the same motivation.

30:44Right.

30:44Some kids need more strict.

30:47They need stricter motivation than others.

30:50But I think the more involved we are in our children's health, the better it is for them.

30:56I absolutely agree with that.

31:01And so I've done too many interviews today.

31:09My mind has turned to mush.

31:13You're just happening to be the last one of the day.

31:16And my, my brain, I think, is kind of checked out already.

31:20My apologies.

31:21I'm not giving you the best me that you deserve here.

31:28Understandable.

31:29Understandable.

31:30But thank you.

31:34Let me make sure I read it so I get it right.

31:37Gabrielle Critchlow for coming on.

31:40And people check out a stepaheadtutoringservices.com for more information.

31:48I try to keep the show shorter.

31:51I call it today's Twitter attention span.

31:54Being a former IT guy, I've seen the deterioration in attention spans.

32:00Because of social media.

32:01Oh, just give it to me.

32:03If you can't give it to me in 200 characters, I don't need to know it.

32:07Well, yes, you do.

32:09And details matter.

32:11But, you know, if I do long shows, nobody will watch them.

32:15But then nobody wins.

32:19Thank you, Gabrielle.

32:21Take care.

32:21God bless.

32:24Thank you for having me.

32:25Like and subscribe to the Constitutionalist Politics Podcast and share episodes.

32:33We need your help.

32:35Thank you for having tuned into another Constitutionalist Podcast show.

32:42I really appreciate that you stopped by.

32:45Again, please like, share, subscribe.

32:49We need you to help spread the Constitutionalist Movement.

32:55Thank you again.

32:56Take care.

32:57God bless.

32:58Love you all.

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