Raising children in an R-rated Society

(a letter to a married daughter born in USA)

Thanks daughter for calling us with the news of pending new arrival

We are thrilled to hear, let Allah worry about the child’s well-being and survival

The whole society is becoming R-rated, that in itself is scary enough

dear daughter in raising your children, don’t fret, and don’t sweat the small stuff

Dear one, You have known that the empty mind is the devil’s workshop

Fill their mind with good things, otherwise it will get filled with Hip-Hop

Be alert of their involvement with alcohol, losers, drugs and gangs

Those are downright unhealthy to their life & limb, besides giving you guilty pangs

Take them to madresa, markaz, masjid and spend quality time with them at home

Swimming lessons, soccer practice, cross country runs will not make them a drone

Spend money on madresa, school and sports and other healthful activities

If you don’t, then same money will get spent on Hard-Metal or Hip-Hop CDs

Teach them to pray early, praying brings tranquillity to ones mind

Look at other kids who don’t pray, very quickly they go out of their mind

They have to go to counselors, psychiatrists & pay good money to spill out their guts

You talk to your children honestly and soothe all their emotional bruises and physical cuts

Careful listening, talking, and doing activities with your children is the big secret

Kids will grow up anyway, but how wonderful they will grow, will not be a secret

Give them all-around education in both deen & duniya, the best you can

Achieving one while losing the other would be a shame, don’t be an “also ran”

Instill our culture by taking them back to our home country as often as you can

Take them often to ashra, zikra and shehrullah & show them our Maola’s shaan

Look around at your kid’s friends at school, they have gone berserk

Instill in your children the values of our deen & ethics of hard work

Hard work never kills anyone, at the time it may seem so

Teach them to treat everyone kindly, as they will reap what they sow

Teach them to respect their elders and not talk back as you see on TV

Their aggression should be directed towards learning, but not from TV

They should achieve and become somebody before worrying for a mate

Early dating and indulgence has caused many ills in this society, of late

Your mother and I did our best in USA in raising you as a momena

We had Maola’s blessing every step of the way, may he live till Qiyama

Abd-e-Syedna, TUS – Shk. Husain Jamali, Anjuman-e-Burhanee, Los Angeles, CA