Fasting with Ali
Ali, our 11 year-old, decided that he wants to try fasting this year and so early this morning all four of us had sehri. I woke up at 3:30 to prepare the crepes Ali and Zara had asked for and the two paratas and fried eggs Nasir wanted. It felt strange to me, waking up before the other three to prepare sehri. When I fasted with my parents at home, it was always the house help that woke up earlier to prepare sehri for us. I remember I always wondered how they did it. Didn't they mind waking before us and then staying up after us to clear and clean up. Now I know, it's not that hard. A person does what a person has to do and I liked getting up earlier to prepare sehri for all of us. I enjoyed my bit of pampering them. :-) But that being said I have only done this once thus the novelty value, if I had to do it every night, resentment might start setting in.
Nasir has gone to work and it will be hard for him not to smoke. He has already declared today's fast is a one time event. Let's see how Ali does and if he wants to fast tomorrow.
I am not religious anymore so I'd be happy either way whether he continues to fast or calls it quits. I want the children to know a bit about the religion they were born to but I refuse to try and indoctrinate them on things I myself doubt. I am not sure if this is the right attitude. Perhaps we should be trying to give them a stronger sense of Islam and then allow them to decide whether they want to adopt it for themselves or not. The discussions in our home are agnostic in nature and that is the frame of thinking that our kids are exposed to. Nasir and I both believe in morality but agree that morality is independent of religion. I personally, would like the children to be good people; honest, caring and kind but do not feel that that necessitates religion. I suppose only time can tell whether we are making the right choices in bringing up our children and of course there is no way to ever be completely sure of what the best way is; it being impossible to travel down all roads to see where each choice leads.
Nasir has gone to work and it will be hard for him not to smoke. He has already declared today's fast is a one time event. Let's see how Ali does and if he wants to fast tomorrow.
I am not religious anymore so I'd be happy either way whether he continues to fast or calls it quits. I want the children to know a bit about the religion they were born to but I refuse to try and indoctrinate them on things I myself doubt. I am not sure if this is the right attitude. Perhaps we should be trying to give them a stronger sense of Islam and then allow them to decide whether they want to adopt it for themselves or not. The discussions in our home are agnostic in nature and that is the frame of thinking that our kids are exposed to. Nasir and I both believe in morality but agree that morality is independent of religion. I personally, would like the children to be good people; honest, caring and kind but do not feel that that necessitates religion. I suppose only time can tell whether we are making the right choices in bringing up our children and of course there is no way to ever be completely sure of what the best way is; it being impossible to travel down all roads to see where each choice leads.