Stop Messing Up Your Kids

When I was 6 years old my mum and aunt told me if I pray for a brother I’ll be blessed with one. They made it an after school ritual for me. After ‘Salam’ and throwing my bag away, next came praying and crying to for a baby brother. 

Few weeks later I came home and there was GOOD NEWS! They told me now I have a baby brother! We excitedly went to the place where angels distribute babies. To my disappointment it turns out that my baby brother is my aunt’s new born. Before I could question anything, they told me, “He is your brother, it’s just angels accidentally gave him to your aunt.”

It might have made me happy at that age, but with time this lie started to mess things up for me. I mean for more than half of my life I believed with conviction that angels made a mistake! Not only that, to defend this lie I would fight with his siblings. Besides I was the one who asked ALLAH for him in the first place!

I would go check on him in kindergarten every day. The entire school believed Zafar is my brother and Zaib’s cousin, when it was the opposite. All of my time was spent with my little brother every single day of his childhood. In return naturally the kid started to stick with me, his Aapa, more than with anybody else. 

Nothing mattered until my aunt had to move out of town. What if it happened during my childhood? Wouldn’t the outcomes have been worse?

We don’t realize how the aftereffects of one stupid lies could be crippling and devastating. A part of your child would always stay stuck in it, disturbing their ability to deal with facts.

Parents and adults see lies as an easy way out. Anything that is not true may block pain for a short-period but that short-period would keep distorting the reality forever. This damage is continuous and it could be avoided if you care to explain things. When kids start to demand reasons they are at the age to learn to deal with truth and realities of life.

Parents are mostly the first people a kid trust wholeheartedly, don’t sabotage this beautiful faith they hold in you.

2016: New Year's Resolutions!!!

I was winding up work when I heard random happy people sharing their new year’s resolutions on TV. Few minutes later I saw long awkward posts of my friends on social media on the same topic. Everybody was mainly bragging about how previous year have made them “wiser”. Though it felt like Déjà vu. They’d probably make the same mistakes this New Year, only they made it public. How WISE is that?

To be honest I never thought 2016 would come so soon. I mean 2015 already felt so brand new whereas SIXTEEN felt so far away. It’s amazing as well as frightening to see how a year passes by like a day or even faster than that! For me this year went by fast, so fast that I am still dizzy. Still it’s always nice to see people happy however I don’t see a point in celebration. Why do people want to rejoice all the time they’ve lost? Don’t these NEW numbers make them feel old?

Oh well, we generally pursue dumb reasons to party.  And it’s about time I stop being a party pooper and be grateful. Grateful, as we are given another chance to achieve. Another shot to conquer dreams that got lost in the mist of needs for survival last year. New Year comes with new plans, new goals and of course with a bag full of lessons learned. Even if these plans seem like jokes and these lessons are only unwanted baggage. They still come with a burning hope.

It doesn’t matter how crazy your new year’s resolution maybe. If it’s a perfect body, healthy lifestyle, promotion, getting a degree, getting over an addiction, achieving your weird yet awesome dream. Even if you hardly stand a 5% chance, hold on to it and keep going. As the days unfold you will see sometimes that 5% is all you need.

“Ya ALLAH, may we be steadfast with our New Year’s Resolutions, Ameen”

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Me Studying for Comprehensive Exam

I miss him so much.

You were talking to him 5 seconds ago, now it’s time to study.

Wait why do I have to study?

Cause you have your MBA Comprehensive Exam tomorrow.

Weird name for an exam but why do I have to pass it again?

Arrghh!! To get your MBA degree!

Aah right. Alright study first text later.

Good idea, let’s start from your favorite subject, History of ideas?

Nice, let’s start from Plato. I enjoyed that class discussion but what was that crazy Cave story? Caves remind me of bats. Haroon really likes Batman. I think I should buy him a batman mug. Would he think I am crazy if I send him too many mugs?

Focus! Besides that Cave story made sense!

Yeah, it did. Cave = Batman = Haroon. I wonder what he is doing right now. Like if he is thinking about me? I should text him to find if he misses me. We haven’t talked for like… ten minutes; he must be worried about me by now.

Hey! You have to study to pass this exam! Do you want to fail this test? How would Haroon feel about it?

Yeah you are right. I must pass this exam. I want him to be proud of me just like I am so very proud of him. He is just a gentleman. I like how he is so decent. Sometimes I wonder if our love is too platonic. Is that bad?

Fine, forget Plato. Let’s start from I.T.

Did you know Haroon knows computers a lot better than me? I mean isn’t that amazing? I’ll ask him to teach me this alien device because I use to get the best sleep of my life in I.T class.

How about starting from Human Resource Management?

I think Haroon would make a really good HR manager. You know why? Cause he is so nice to people. He understands them so well. He must be a mind reader. A friendly one though.

Do you know what a 360 degree Feedback is?

No, but it sounds pretty sexy if Haroon is the HR manager.

*Sigh* Go text him. We will study later…

Yay!!