One evening, while I was relaxing in our living room, I noticed that my daughter was staring at the wall. After observing her for about 3 minutes I called her, “Maryam! What are you thinking about?”. At first, she was startled. Then, she smiled.
To my surprise, she said, “I remember when I was small”.
I mean, this is a girl who’s still struggling with her Phonics and Spellings but there she was, recalling events that happened 2-3 years before…
I asked, “OK, what do you remember?”.
“My hair was long and you used to put ribbons for me. My brother was very tiny and I used to kiss him… ” and she went on and on…
As children grow older, parents (especially those of us who work for long hours outside the home) become less cuddly with them. When she was a toddler, I made her hair almost every other day. I bought her new ribbons every weekend. We exchanged more hugs and kisses. But life happened, and I got busy and distracted…
She’s also wondering how her brother changed so fast. When he was much cuter, she would carry him and play with him for hours without any wrestling involved. But now, they are like Tom and Jerry. Such is life my dear. People grow. People change.
You see, children are not just a bunch of playful tiny humans. They learn as they play: actively and passively. They have magnetic brains. They notice everything that goes on in their environment. They see changes in people’s moods and attitudes. They store all the information, consciously or subconsciously, until adulthood. These external factors interact with their genes, to mould them into the personalities they would become.
Parenting is a serious business. You’re not done until you’re gone. Try your best to give your children beautiful moments today, so that they can have beautiful memories tomorrow, in shaa Allaah.
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