The Loss of Childhood

As an immigrant, you never get the full experience of growing up. From finding new friends, to having a faster developed sense of maturity, an immigrant is never able to feel “normal”. Often viewed by many as the outcast and treated differently than others lies nothing else but a kind, loving kid, waiting for their time to have fun. Unfortunately for many, this time is nothing but imaginary.

A childhood is essential for all. It serves as the building blocks for one's future. The loss of someone's childhood will lead to a loss of a part of their soul. Without this they will not be able to operate such as others do. This can all lead them to a higher risk of experiencing mental health problems in the future. I like to think of this because they were not able to experience enough love and happiness in their early life, which makes them more vulnerable to mental health problems. 

However, childhood is not only about friends and having fun. The most important aspect of all is family. Though it is sad to say that many children do not experience or enjoy this aspect, whether it is from immigration problems, where the family is split up, or personal problems. By nature all humans are selfish, especially early on in our lives, this can escalate and lead to a feeling of resentment towards something or someone. Immigrant children experience this selfishness towards moving away from what they have learnt to call and classify “home”. Their lack of understanding automatically leads them to blame their parents for this, and as stated before this feeling can spike to a sense of hatred towards them. A poor relationship with someone so close to you is a primary cause for the development of mental health issues. 

Nonetheless, there is always sunshine at the end of the rainbow. While it may seem that immigration only causes bad to people, there is some good. For example, immigration can help develop and refine social skills which serve very useful for the future career-wise. The reason for this being that they might need to serve as translators for their parents and also do not have the privilege of their parents solving their problems for them. On top of this, young immigrants develop a sense of maturity and responsibility earlier than non-immigrants due to their severely sped up growth. 

Unfortunately, there is no real solution for this problem. People will continue to immigrate for any reason that they have, whether that is for safety, job, better education, etc. As well, one cannot change human nature and their feelings. However, something can be done to help these kids live out their normal childhood. Welcome them, treat them as you would anyone else, help them because in the end we are all the same. Human.

Juan Luis Martinez Arnaz