Achievements & Failures

Today I did what most mothers would have done. Amidst doing the never ending spring cleaning in the house, I have for quite a while put all my children's trophies in a box. My thoughts were to give each one their own trophies to keep so they can show their children their achievements. No, that was not a good idea at all. So I cleaned them all and put them back on top of the book shelf where I have a collection of my books. While doing this I felt proud within me to see what the children had achieved during their school and University days excelling in both academic and sports and even karaoke!!! I even have mine to add to the collection, about 5 on the left of the picture, a sportsgirl then, a school hockey player, not sure if the chidren knew that. They never had a second look at my trophies earlier when I had it arranged previously also on a bookshelf upstairs, not in the way I look at theirs. I guess...

The early achievements are only tell tale signs of what they will become when they are older but never a guarantee of who they will be as an adult and what they will achieve. Their achievements in life is what we as parents feed our children with when they were growing up. Looking at them I see my failures more than my success, thus my role as mother cannot end just yet. How do you influence them as adults without being seen as dominating & controlling but seen as doing it with love till eternity.

When they were young I was not an examplery figure at all. The focus was a lot on day to day issues and as a career woman I had to juggle work and the children's development unsuccessfully though I did have house help. Focus also was on the daily needs, a car, a house, clothings, holidays and little extra luxuries for the 'nucleus' family. Religion was not a big focus in the family I hate to admit. Religion was compartmentalised by sending the sons to religious school and quran reading at a young age and that was it. Even today I am still struggling in this department. My failure, there is no Quran reading in the house on a daily basis as I never instill in the children from young.

Sending them to religious school was never in my strategic planning for them as I wanted them to have good careers when they grow up so I thought. How ignorant of me. In my daily prayers now, are prayers for the generation to come to be more religious in their thinking and planning. To my children, education for your children should include religious education concurrently, it seems a must now. Take time off to learn the Quran, to become Al-Hafidz if need be. You have a choice now for your children. I am even thinking of doing it myself but I guess it is too late. Do not repeat my mistakes where I have failed. I believe each generation has to be better than the last. Great achievements are only those that will guarantee us protection from the day we open our eyes in our graves and Al-Quran is the only answer.... The three things that will help us upon our demise are our charitable deeds, our good deeds and the pious children we leave behind.....