Imagine you’re sleeping; you’re warm and cozy under a few soft blankets, dreaming of wonderful things and then all of a sudden you hear your husband vacuuming outside your bedroom door. You jump up, open the door and tell him, “I was sleeping!” To which he replies, “I know, that’s why I’m vacuuming.” You, perplexed, ask him why he simply couldn’t wait till later. He responds by saying that you need to learn to sleep through noise. A bit crazy,... Read more
It was a sweltering hot summer day when I was visiting my parents at their home. It must have been at least 100 degrees outside and the AC in their brick house was out of order. My daughter was begging me to take her to the playground. I was already miserably hot, but I figured it couldn’t get much worse by stepping outside. We hopped in the car and drove a couple of miles to a local park. When we... Read more
The following are true events, though they may not have necessarily happened in the sequence mentioned. Who can deny, Who can refute, That Baby’s actions, Are really cute? Imagine then, That you have not one, But two little babies, On the run. We start the morning, With warm oatmeal, This isn’t going well, I begin to feel. Then one grabs the spoon, Excited and squealing. Where’s the food gone? Onto the ceiling. Now they’re both off, To the shoe rack,... Read more
Want to be featured on growmama.com? Join us in our Ramadan Spirit Contest! We would love to post pictures, reflections, photos, poems, recipes etc. of the blessed season’s activities in your home! We would also love to hear from your children on “What Ramadan Means to Me.” Teaching young children the meaning and spirit of Ramadan can be done through many different media. You may want to draw the different phases of the moon, make crescent cookies, help out at... Read more
Since my daughter was born, I’ve been mostly a stay at home mother. I am in graduate school, but go part time so that I only have to leave my daughter with my mother-in-law twice a week for a few hours. Recently I was invited to attend an out-of-town conference. In order to go, I would either have had to take my toddler and a baby-sitter (one of my younger sisters-in-law for the weekend, or leave her for one night... Read more
I had a spiritual experience sitting in a plastic chair in the kiddie play area of a fast food chain this week. It was while rocking my baby’s car seat, trying to keep him asleep, with an eye on my two older children, all the while reflecting on a verse from the Qur’an. The morning began as usual, except I had to take my son and daughter to the dentist for a check-up, balancing the baby on one hip, pitifully... Read more
I’m always on the lookout for easy, wholesome ideas to entertain my two daughters, and never bore of reading how others do it with their children. Here are some ideas that take zero to little preparation on my part, and hopefully keep my toddlers and yours entertained for a fairly long time. Water Play Kids love playing with water, in any shape, structure or form. It takes a little bit of effort on my part cleaning up afterwards, but the... Read more
Every time I walk into a store or pass by a television, I gingerly walk a minefield of tiaras, gallant princes, and Disney princesses. Their long flowing hair, beautiful voices, and sparkling eyes call out to us. My four-year-old daughter still does not know the difference between a princess and a bride, but even she stops in her tracks with a hypnotic, dreamy look when she catches a glimpse of Beauty and the Beast playing on the TVs at Costco.... Read more
Did you ever get frustrated, angry and started shouting at your kids? I used to do so, sometimes, followed by a feeling of tremendous guilt. I knew what I was doing was wrong but I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t know how to direct this energy. I tried many techniques to calm down, sometimes it worked and sometimes not. Then I heard a lecture by Sheikh Sudais [Imam of the Holy Mosque in Mecca], where he told mothers... Read more
Fact: All living things can worship Allah SWT. Does that mean Dora, Diego, Ariel and Curious George worship Allah? Well, why not? In our children’s minds, all these characters are living friends, comforting adventure companions. While many make efforts to keep certain “influences” out of our homes and hearts, the reality is that even “non-tv watching”, masjid-going, homeschooled children are still infiltrated by the lure of Disney, Noggin and Sprout adventures. The timeless debate lingers….should we let our children play... Read more
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