The Love of Children
Wealth and children are the ornaments of this worldly life. It is imperative that we prioritize their upbringing and maintain proper conduct, just as a flower flourishes when nurtured with love and care, yielding goodness, happiness, and joy. Additionally, children are the leaders of society; thus, we have compiled expressions that reflect the love we bear for our children.
Beautiful Expressions of Love for Children
- The love for children stems not from their being offspring, but from the friendship nurtured through parenting.
- The absence of children does not harden a compassionate heart.
- Often, children are deceived by grandeur, while men are guided by faith.
- A house filled with children is impervious to the devil.
- Children are more valuable than riches.
- Love your children with your heart, and raise them with your hands.
- A parent nurtures ten children, yet those ten children may struggle to care for them.
- Children require role models far more than critics.
- Meat without salt and a child unraised both spoil.
- It is preferable for a child to cry than for a father.
- A child’s future is shaped by their mother.
- A righteous child is a delight to their parent.
- A child is the lamp in a dark house.
Poetic Verses on the Love for Children
Poem: Memoirs of a Thirty-Year-Old Child
Memoirs of a Thirty-Year-Old Child is penned by Abdullah bin Rafoud Al-Sufyani, a Saudi poet born in Taif. He holds a PhD in Islamic Education Philosophy and serves as the Director General of the Global Encyclopaedia of Arabic Literature.
I have come…
To ignite the cold distance with memories
I crossed the ocean of noise..!
And the corridors of turmoil..!
I came as if I were the (phantom of the blind)
As if I were the yearning of orphans for their mothers..!
I came to awaken my wound from its slumber..!
It was just a while ago with me
On the roads of temptation..
It leaned a little to rest from our impossible journey
It shall not rest.. until it finds relief..!
Nor shall my heart rest with it..!
I have come, a whirlpool spat out by the sea
Salted upon every door..
I became the anthem of awakening
Gated by insanity..
The sea raged against the land!
Emerging from the rock, I sought
A drop of water in our parched land
So come, let a kiss depart in my mouth..
And in my blood a journey from the clouds..
And within my heart, health..!!
I love you, I still sing it into the void..
For no one in the neighborhood engages anymore..!
And the madman of Layla.. and Layla in the neighborhood
Neither questions nor is questioned..!
The mayor of the neighborhood told me
Referring to (Saad)..
Don’t disturb the air around us
For there’s no love in our time..!
.. nor do they mourn..!
And here was a bench..
Caressed by the tide..
The tide of the sea..
And the tide of the skies adorn the sound and the image ” that is lifeless “..!
For there is no heart.. no face to distribute smiles to passersby
For in every house, there are corners..
And in every corner, a marble bench..!
Whispers that time has reversed..
And moved on..!
And the neighbor of hearts has become the wall…!
My discourse gathers its threads from
The adornments of designs..
The madness of youth!..
The whispering of shrubbery to the light
A child sings in school..!
I gather it from the remnants of life here..
From mud..
From the mutterings of alleys..
From the allure of evildoers..!
And from our gathering at the dusk
When we were separated by the intentions of rain..!
And from the tremor of bread
In the hands of its baker
From the inner street
To the outer street
And from their footsteps in the hearts..!
And from the murmurs of the elderly before sunset
Scaring us with myths and folklore..!
From their spinning of the wool of life
From their unraveling of the spin of separation..
While they sing the legend they adored in youth..!
I gather it from the talk of curtains
Through windows for the arriving guests..
And from the whispers of the children about the trick that is yet to come..
And how they will share the chewing gum..
And await ” the anthem of success ” ..!?
These corners are filled..
Silence there possesses a murmur..!
And in the depths of corner hide remnants
I, the speaker..
Was her genius teacher..
And was the pious playful scamp..!
So what should I talk about…?
Time has squeezed its olives..!
And leaned upon the balconies of years, shadows..!
And the earth trembled beneath our feet, burdened
And there remained in the sentences no verb or subject..
And our constructs became neglected..!
There is no larger space now..
And time has narrowed upon places..
And the wind has startled us
To the right.. and to the south..
And its laws have betrayed the compass..!
And time spiraled away from places..!
I see astonishment in faces..
And perceive what cannot be seen..
And what cannot be seen, if seen…
A disaster..!
Are you weary..?!
You ask as your sensations fade amidst the lashes of inquiries..!
And I was on the verge of letters, crying for answers..!
And beckoning for light, morning, and truth
I ask in the name of the bewildered
And in the name of the besieged
And in the name of childhood
In the name of streets that have been closed..
So there’s no border.. no tide..
No voice.. no death..
All around is a wall..
I ask…!!
Where are the little ones
And where is the talk of visions for villages
For the old alleyways
For the barefoot passersby
And where are the chairs and where are the anchors
And where is ” the anthem of the shepherds ” ..!?
….. .. and… and…
And where is the life that I have loved and misplaced …!
Have I misplaced it..?
Or … has life misplaced me ..!!?
Poem: A Father
The poem “A Father” by Omar Bahaa al-Din Al-Amiri, a Syrian poet born in 1916 in Aleppo, who composed poetry at the age of nine. He served as his country’s ambassador to Pakistan and Saudi Arabia; among his collections is the “Father” anthology.
Where is the sweet clamor and the lively noise
Where are the gatherings that were akin to play?
Where has childhood gone in its fervor
Where are the dolls on the ground and the books?
Where is the bickering without any aim
Where is the complaint that lacks reason?
Where is the weeping and the laughter during
Our shared moments, amidst sorrow and joy?
Where is the racing, beside me
In passion, as they ate and drank?
They crowded around me, vying for my company
Close by, wherever they twisted?
They directed their journeying towards me
Whenever they feared or desired
Their anthem: “Daddy” when they rejoiced
And their warning: “Daddy” when they’re angry
And their cries: “Daddy” when they drew away
And their safety call: “Daddy” when they drew near
Just yesterday, they filled our home
And today, alas, they have gone
As though the silence that descended
Has weighed down heavy in the household since they left
The lull of a feverish slumber calmed it
Within which worry and fatigue resonate
They are gone, indeed they are gone, and their dwelling
Is in my heart, neither distant nor near
I see them wherever I turn
My spirit has filled with them; they’ve leapt within
And I feel in my thoughts their playful spirits
In the house, not burdened by labor
And the sparkle of their eyes, when they succeeded
And the tears that burnt them when they failed
In every corner, there are marks of theirs
In every nook, there is their uproar
In the windows, they shattered glass
In freshly-painted walls, they made holes
In the door, they broke its locks
And thereupon, they drew and inscribed
In the plate, a remnant of what they ate
In the sweet box that they plundered
In the half of an apple they bit
In the water leftover they spilled
I see them wherever I direct
My gaze, as if flocks of birds flitting
Yesterday in (Qurnail) they descended
Today they’re nestled in Aleppo
My tears, which I repressed with strength
When they cried during their departing ride
Until they journeyed and extracted
A heart in my ribs that beats for them
Finding myself like a child in affection
As though pouring down like rain
Others may marveled at a man
Who weeps; had I not wept, it would be a wonder
For not every tear signifies weakness
Indeed, within me lies the resolve of men.
Reflections on the Love for Children
Reflection One:
A son is the heart of his mother… a piece of her soul… he is life and everything to her… she fears anything that may harm him… if misfortune befalls him, it feels as if it has struck her… she remains vigilant for his comfort always.
Reflection Two:
A son is the support for his father… he is his extension in this world… a son is the apple of his parents’ eyes… he is the greatest blessing bestowed by God upon his parents… they do everything to ensure his happiness and comfort.
Messages of Love for Children
Message One:
Children live in the present day…
In the very hour…
They do not ponder over the future…
Nor plan for tomorrow…
They do not consider how it will be or what they will do…
Their feelings are delicate…
Their conversations are compelling, and their interactions are filled with love…
Message Two:
The love for children is an innate drive…
A profound feeling…
A gift from God Almighty…
Message Three:
We must focus on expressing love…
It is crucial that we convey to our children that we love them…
By doing so, we boost their self-confidence…
And maintain their emotional and psychological balance…