With the onset of the summer season, and the annual school holidays on our doorstep, children across the country are overjoyed and are eagerly awaiting the hours of fun they will enjoy in the sun.
In this regard, it is of vital importance for every parent to adhere to certain guidelines that will ensure the Deeni and physical safety of their children during this period. It takes just a few moments of carelessness to cause a lifetime of regret and remorse, so we should all be vigilant and should not take our children’s wellbeing for granted. With this in mind, a few basic guidelines have been outlined below:
Deeni Safety Guidelines:
1. Ensure that your children perform all their salaah on time. If they are big boys, then ensure that they perform their salaah in the masjid with jamaat.
2. Though the children are on holiday, make them set aside some time daily for recitation of the Quraan Majeed, zikr, etc.
3. If they have access to any devices, ensure that there is complete supervision. Do not allow them to engage in haraam (communicating with the opposite gender, listening to music, watching haraam movies or clips on YouTube, TikTok, etc.).
4. Monitor and scrutinize their circle of friends, and ensure that they keep good company with good children that will be a positive influence in their lives.
5. In order to strengthen their imaan in the midst of the fitnahs that erupt in the holidays, take them for some Deeni programme. Girls can be taken for the weekly ta’leem, while boys can be taken for any programme or bayaan in the masjid.
6. Though the children are on holiday, ensure that their dressing is still appropriate. Just because it is the holidays, it does not mean that their dressing should become bereft of hayaa, or resemble the fashion of the disbelievers, etc.
7. Ensure that boys and girls who are growing and discerning do not mix and play with one another. Rather, the males and females should remain separate.
Physical Safety Guidelines:
8. Know the whereabouts of your children at all times (e.g. if they visit a friend’s house to play), and try to keep them under adult supervision. If constant supervision is not possible, at least get someone to check on them from time to time.
9. If your children go to another person’s home, or someone else’s children come to your home, make it a habit to phone and inform of the children’s arrival. This will assist in keeping them safe and will also keep the parent’s mind at ease.
10 Discourage children from playing on the street. Let them play in the yard instead. In this way, they will not be run over by a car, mugged by thieves, etc.
11. Do not allow the children to play with dangerous items e.g. lighters, matches, knives, etc.
12. If they will be in the sun for a prolonged period, apply sunblock to their skin so that they are protected from sunburn.
13. Children swimming must be supervised by an adult at all times.
14. Keep floatation devices in and around the pool (pool noodles, etc). If a child falls into the pool by accident, or begins to flounder in the water, he will be able to grab onto the device and save himself from drowning.
15. Keep a net on the pool when not in use. If there is a fence around the pool, keep it locked. After using the pool, ensure that the net is placed over the pool again.
16. Teach and educate your children regarding the dangers of drowning. Explain to them that even an experienced swimmer can suffer a sudden cramp that can cause him to drown. Hence, they should be careful at all times and should immediately exit the water if they feel unwell.
17. Keep antihistamine medication or other allergy medication on hand, in case your child or any other child is stung by a bee etc. and suffers an allergic reaction.
MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL – together with taking all precautions, always make du‘aa to Allah Ta‘ala to keep your children safe – in body and in soul.
*original article: http://uswatulmuslimah.co.za/family-matters/home/3191-summer-safety.html
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