Dear Diary: Kelty's Amy (10) shares her lockdown thoughts

Amy Smith’s words reveal the realities of what children are experiencing in a completely changed world.

Kelty Primary School shared Amy’s work with the Times after asking their pupils to write a diary piece as part of their school work.

Deputy headteacher Amy Turk said the Primary 6 pupil’s work was an extremely “poignant” piece of writing.

“I think many others would appreciate her honest words and enjoy reading the beautiful figurative way she has recorded her thoughts,” Miss Turk said.

“Amy’s been working so hard through this lockdown period and has been completing everything we’ve given her.

“It’s lovely to recognise her thoughts and it’s obviously quite sad but you can see she is trying really hard to just get through this incredibly tough time.”

Amy told the Times the thing that she missed the most about school was seeing all her friends and she couldn’t wait to go back to meet her new teacher.

She’s been keeping busy by drawing, painting, going on walks and speaking to her friends online.

Her mum, Claire, said: “I think the difficulty for Amy is that she’s normally quite a busy child.

“She goes to gymnastics and swimming and is on the go all the time. Now she doesn’t know what to do and she’s really honest in her writing!

“But she’s brilliant at just getting on with her work and accepting what’s going on.”

You can read Amy's diary below. 

Tuesday 26th May 2020
Dear Diary, Today is like any other day. Mum wakes me up for breakfast to set me up for the long day ahead. As I walk downstairs, my legs feel like lead and difficult to move. 

The bright light beaming in the window burns my eyes and makes me squint. Do we really need to get up because we can’t go anywhere? I slump in my chair and tackle my enormous bowl of cereal. 

Once finished, I quickly head for the shower and get dressed as time is moving on. I promptly log onto my computer to see what tasks are awaiting me. I appreciate all the work and effort that teachers put in to make each ‘school day’ happen but this is not the same! I miss my friends, I miss my teachers, I miss my classroom and mostly I miss my freedom!

Before I know it, it’s lunchtime! After working so hard, I never noticed the time fly by. I hear my mum clattering in the kitchen preparing lunch, my baby brother is like a tornado causing destruction in every direction he moves. I know my mum has a hectic day juggling us, work and her daily chores so I rush to clean up the chaos! As I clear up the trail of toys, I wonder how such a small person can cause so much mess.

Five minutes later, and what feels like a wrestling match to get my brother in his highchair, lunch is served! 
During lunch, I like to watch TV but thanks to my brother my options are limited. Will it be Shrek or Hotel Transylvania today? I don’t mind though, as this keeps him happy and makes lunchtime so much easier. After lunch, I make my way back to the computer tired but knowing the work has to be done. I really wish we could go out and enjoy the sunshine!

As the clock’s hand crawls to five o’clock, my belly’s rumbling and I think it is time to log off. Usually on a Tuesday night I would attend swimming and gymnastic classes but now I am searching for ways to entertain myself. I can bake a cake, go for a walk, play a board game or watch Shrek for the fourth time today! Same as any other day. It’s been hard to adapt to life in lockdown. I am grateful that I have my family and my dog Bruno to keep me company, I try to be upbeat and positive but I am counting down the days until this is over!

As I sit in bed with my headphones in and iPad on my lap, I see my bedroom door slowly creep open … it’s my mum and can only mean one thing: it’s bedtime! She gently kisses me goodnight and tucks me in. 
That’s another day over but too many to count to go. Lockdown has been gruelling but I try to take each day at a time and be grateful I am safe. I am getting tired now so am going to leave it here.              

Goodnight. Amy