Has your home also become a ' Hotel ' ?

The home of today has become very much like a hotel. Strangersstumble
in and out at odd hours, each one doing his own little thing. "The
family" has now almost become just a fond memory. "The family" having
meals together is a rare occasion. Just sitting together and chatting
is even more rare. Part of the blame can be apportioned to the fast,
demanding pace of life in the modern and "advanced" world we are
living in. The other part can be attributed to the lack of will and
the apathy on the part of members of the family to get together more
often. Every one seems quite happy with leading his/her "own life".
Parents have a responsibility to bind the family. Upbringing playsan
important part on how close off-spring will be with their parents and
among themselves in later life. If they have grown up comfortably in a
cold, detached home environment, the "hotel-type" home, they can
hardly be expected to take muchinterest in family affairs later on.
Parents need to spend time withtheir children daily - Quality Time.
Quality time means a time of day or night when neither of them or
their children are tired or occupied with other things. Try to fix a
time daily so that a regular pattern can be set. Sit down as a family.
Talk. Discuss. Ask children about school. How did the day go. What did
they learn. What was exciting, etc. Tell them about your own work,
your day. Children are good talkers. They get excited. They need to
express themselves; their feelings and emotions. Givethem this
opportunity to talk. They need it. You will be surprised how much you
do not know about your child's life.
Parents should never regard thisdaily get-together as a small or
unimportant part of their lives. It is VITAL. This togetherness will
convince your children that you are interested in them. This will
motivate and encourage them to perform better in all what they do.
This daily get-together will also lead to the BONDING OF THE FAMILY,
which is so important for the family and the children, especially.
Today the family unit is slowly disintegrating all over the world.
What is more sad is that it is even happening to Muslim homes and
families.
A strongly-bonded family will produce a stable and strong child.
Otherwise the child will suffer psychological disorders that become
progressively worse. Such a child eventually becomes a lost cause; a
liability to his/her family and to society at large. The implications
for society in a neglected child are enormous. This is very sad and
unfortunate for the neglected child. It is also dangerous for
thefuture of the child. Such a child will easily be influenced by
outsiders and alien influences, as s/he will not find fulfilment inthe
home. Such a child could end-up becoming a drug-addict or even a
criminal. Parents may be in for a rude shock and could possibly
realise the harm only after it is too late to really reverse the
damage. May Allah save our children from such a day.
A good way to get going with the family-evening is to assist children
with their school work. Get them to bring their school bag and books
along. Look at their work, even if you do not understand much! Ask
them a few questions about the work they have learnt; from their
books. Help them along with their Islamic Studies as well. Listen
keenly to their Qur'an recitation lesson. Ensure they have learnt all
Islamic Studies lessons for the next day. Get them to complete other
school work.
Finally, talk to them for a few minutes about good manners, good
behaviour, the importance of discipline and hardwork. Narrate to them
some interesting anecdote from whichthey could learn a lesson or
moral. If possible read to them for a few minutes from a good Islamic
book or Kitaab. All of thiswill go a very long way to developing your
child into a highly successful adult.