Stories for Muslim Kids Parent Teacher Interviews

When 1. your teen daughter/son comes home from school, you may want to allow them between 1 to 2 hours to do whatever she/he likes . But what that means is that what they do must be Halal and approved by you first. For example, if they want to watch (non-Islamic) music videos, it’s not acceptable. Re-direct her to Islamic nasheeds and songs instead on YouTube. Check out the Parenting Tips (part 2) on this webpage: Go through the points mentioned there carefully, in shaa Allah. And if you agree that it is a good technique, you can implement them. You see, it’s quite important to make sure that these “free time” sessions are actually Halal “free time” sessions and not the opposite. Let your teens know why it is haram to do certain things and talk to them more about other issues as well. Don’t just say, “Because it’s Haram.” or “Because I said so.” and you do not explain. Please explain further in a calm manner, in shaa Allah. (If you yourself do not know why a certain thing is Haram, do your research first before speaking to your teen. Or ask a Sheikh or Imam or Islamic Studies teacher.) We don’t want your daughter or son to think that “everything fun is Haram” but at the same time, we don’t want her to think that she can do whatever she/he wants without limits. There are limitations and she/he must know how to entertain herself correctly. In a Halal way, of course. 2. If she wants to use her/his laptop and mobile, she/he may use it only outside her/ his bedroom. Showing you what she/he is watching every now and then. No mobile and laptop usage in her/his bedroom. They are rubbish bins which pour filth into your daughter’s/son’s heart and mind. We trust your daughter/son but we don’t trust shaytan. Tip: When your teen says, “Don’t you trust me, Mum/Dad?” Say, “Of course I do, I just don’t trust shaytan.” 3. Parental or profanity or kid-safe or restriction mode or cyber-safety child filter app or software must be installed in the mobile and laptop. 4. What can she do in her/his room after school then? Hobbies of course. Don’t have any? Find one with her/him ASAP. If one hobby doesn’t work well, change it to an- other one in a few weeks or a few months. No worries in shaa Allah. 5. If she/he can’t comply to these standards and rules, then, she/he HAS to face consequences. What consequences? For example, you need to either take her/his mobile away (in my opinion, she/he shouldn’t have one yet anyway) or take away one or two of her other privileges or punish her/him through doing more chores, or take away TV rights for a week, etc. Basically, she/he needs more discipline. But discipline requires you to teach her/him and explain to her/him about the behaviour and practices of a Muslim. It also means that you need to spend more time with her. Point blank punishment without explanation is not recommended at all. You and your spouse must talk to her/him more. And spend time with her/him more, in shaa Allah. Islam has rules and regulations to keep us all safe from harm and the Jahannam. We have to instill in her/him that rules keep us safe. Shaytan is an enemy that has many tools in his toolbox. May Allah protect us from shaytan always. Ameen. Yaa Rabb.