O Parents, Don’t Forget Your Own Words!
Don’t forget your parents’s words! This is the sentence that frequently said to us in order to refresh our memory of their advice; a thing that’ll supply the energy for our body. This sentence will motivate us to move forward, since usually their advice is for us to be a better person.
“You must be a doctor, O son.” “Be an engineer, my child.” “Aim to be a governor, honey.” Sometimes, their advices are a request to achieve specific position as mentioned, since in their ideal, those are professions that could raise the family’s position and honor, or something to be showed off in front of people.
There are also advices that come in general, as in, “O son, learn as much as you can, and be smarter than your parent.” And this is the advice that is mostly said by parents. Because they have no idea where to force their kids’ dreams onto. But by study diligently, pursue the knowledge abroad, they are sure that their kids will be better than themselves. Their kids lives will be better than their own lives.
The children always remember their advice, and study industriously ; not only that he is able to surpass his parents’ knowledge, but also surpass his friends’ as well. Thank you, o father, and mother, your advice has always became my motivation.
Unfortunately, when the children came back to his village, and reunited with his parents, the reality he faced couldn’t be more different. When he explained to his parents, about some mistakes in their society’s tradition, from the religious and scientific perspectives, what he got in return was their rejection over his explanation.
“What do you know, you are just a new kid on the block, but you dare to mock-teach your parent. This is our tradition passed from generation to generation; how dare you, with just your little time of study, blame our ancestor?”, they said defiantly.
To his credit, the child- who, in fact could answer, “Father, you told me to aim high in my study, so that I can be smarter than you. Now, after I fulfilled your dream, how come you’re the first person to belittle my knowledge, and refuse to acknowledge my proficiency??” Decided not to stand against his parent. There are still many options to enjoin them to take step by step.
Let this short article bear the message to parents, or to us, who in turn will be parent in the future. Do not forget your advice to your children. If the religious matter he explained is something with strong basis if knowledge, such as from the Qur’an and sunnah of Allah’s messenger, why should we defy it just because of tradition that we do not know who started it first.
We parents should not be the first to oppose our children and prevent them to be righteous persons. Instead, we should support them, because their piety could serve as an intercession for our behalf later in the hereafter.
When our daughters comes home wearing garment that cover her awrah, with large veil or even face cover, don’t be the first to scold them. Be their supporter, since they have followed the clothing style of the wives of Allah’s messenger.
Let’s be a grown up and behave as a grown up. Even though we (the writer) are actually embarrassed to persuade elders to think as a grown up, but we have no choice, since their mind somehow is still childish. Just remember our advice in the past. And give our children chance and lend our support to them, to raise their position in this world and in the hereafter.