On Bringing Up Children

Lifestyle Relationships
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**“Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.” **
And it is your awesome responsibility to pass on the torch of civilisation to them.Teach them to think.
To wonder.To dream. To meet triumph and disaster, equally.
Teach them the difference between flattery and praise.
Teach them the joy of a sunset.
The joy of sharing.
The joy of discovering the unknown.
More than anything else,
teach them to walk tall.

There is a difference between bringing up a child and bringing up a child.

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Aah, I love genetics........................

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Re: On Bringing Up Children

[QUOTE]
Originally posted by Ghazala Nasir: There is a difference between bringing up a child and *bringing up a child.
[/QUOTE]

Yeah the later is in italics.

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Ghazala,
Where is this passage taken from?
It sure is a great piece for discussion....

Here's my question: How do you teach a child to think for itself? How do you prevent the child from automatically adopting the same mindsets that the parents/grandparents/relatives may have?

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^ Exposure to interesting things, other cultures, I suppose. That would nmean, we would have to open up to other things as well.

In my opinion, a child will think for himslef regardless, the key is to make sure they have the right basis for their analysis.

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Considering desi kids these days, if your child isn't a spoilt brat, you have done your job.

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Is this quoted from the book, "The Prophet"? I agree, bringing up a child is not just about the basics, food, shelter, clothing. But it's nurturing a soul as well. It's scary. We have a 2 year old daughter and she's a little person already with her own mind and thoughts. I'm constantly disciplining and teaching her. But I know she's got a brain of her own to work things out. I keep thinking about the day that she's on her own. All I can do is pray. There's a point where every parent has to let go of a child to find their own dream and path. I just pray that our daughter is a loving and compassionate human being. I don't care about her becoming a doctor or high powered anything...I just want her to keep a pure soul and love of life.

We have a such a fake and materialistic society. Our kids are exposed to so much crap. I just hope my kids see past all that falsity and truly find the meaning of life. I hope they have humility and serve Allah out of love and respect. Inshallah.

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[QUOTE]
Where is this passage taken from?
[/QUOTE]

Actually i read it in a paper advertisement....i liked it very much....thought i could share this with you all :)

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Matsui,
Yes...exposure is important. But untainted exposure. By that I mean, I need to expose the child to cultures other than our own without classification, without my own perceptions involved. How do I do that? If my experiences with a certain group of people have been distasteful, how do I let her make up her own mind about them without worrying what she will get herself into?

Saima,
You have very real concerns. I know exactly how you feel. I have seen vividly what a materialistic and shallow approach to life does to people. It leaves them empty and ultimately a lost soul.

If my daughter learns nothing more than to love Allah, herself and those around her, I will be happy. If she never goes to university but has peace and honor in this life and the next, I will feel that I have accomplished the greatest thing.