Young Parent’s Woes

No one knows or understands our  child raising woes

Raising children in Western society and in its throes

In Indo-Pak countries our duties would be shared by the extended family

Here in the West we have to do it all & more, living as a nuclear family

American parents find it hard raising their children in one culture

Our problems are much bigger in raising children in two cultures

We worry about their madrasa homework and the other school

taking them to markaz daily, we wonder next day would they make it to school?

With winter days so short when can they play?

After school give them some snacks, then rush to markaz to pray

With daily running to markaz, school work is left un-done

In the morning we struggle with a sleepy child and write a note for pardon

Getting uncooperative kids off to school, then rushing off to our own work

Both parents working is not a luxury, lets just say we HAVE to work

Homework of madrasa and school keeps piling up for the weekend

Weekend is the only time for fun & games, otherwise they will get weakened

Fun & games are also essential to build their physique & character

All work and no play would make them dull, they need some laughter

Saturday is gone in madrasa, learning deeniyaat all day

When can they do their homework? Soccer practice is on Sunday

There are other social obligations to attend like weddings, deaths, and birthdays

Allah give us wisdom and strength to squeeze-in a few more hours in our days

When can they memorize Amma sipara and all doas for namaaz?

Inspite of all that we instil in them habits of daily reading of Quran & namaaz

Kid’s madrasa, school, homework, sports are not the whole story

Add to all these woes their or our sicknesses, it gets pretty gory

There is a delicate balance in doing all these & still keeping our sanity

Also keeping them away from drugs, alcohol,dating and other ills of this society

Those in the West who are done raising good kids in both duniya and deen

We wonder how you did it, you shouldn’t criticize the parents of current teen

You must advise and help us as these kids are our Maola’s future faoj

They need to excel in both deen & duniya for their sitara to be on aoj

Maola Burhanuddin’s doas and guidance helps us a lot

We also get temptations to ignore deen but we cry & struggle a lot

One secret I must tell you, if you don’t already know

Those who strive hard in deen are also ahead in duniya from the get go

Maola Saifuddin in one nasihat says,” Duniya si tu ja bharo puro”

Which means don’t run just after duniya, deen nu vaasan bhi bhari lo

O’ Allah give all us young parents, abundant taakhat

And give our Maola abundant sehat and long life ta qiyamat

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