Q: Holidays are here and last year I lost my eldest son to drugs. He started to hang out with friends and before we knew it he was doing miriwana  and now cocane. Cam you kindly advise the mothers thanks. Question sent by woman for our children.  jazakallah

A: You have presented an excellent question. Do your holiday planning before the holidays. Make a list of things that you are going to bake, foods that you are going to cook, types of  ice-cream you are going to make, brownie ingredients all set aside, etc. In other words, get that which you need before the holidays come by, this would save you time and making unnecessary purchases when the children are home.  Reduce your regular workload and prepare to dedicate the quality time to your children.

To avoid boredom, have places you would like to take your child(ren). The choices could be inclusive but not limited to the following: horseback riding, hiking, sking, indoor swimming, picnics, fishing, etc.  Additionally, have them bring their friends over for a few hours every now and then, so you can observe who they are with in school.

Likewise, after every prayer fix a plan and accomplish a small religious activity. Example, after fajr, memorize a part of yassin, after Zohar read tasbeeh, after Asr talk a little about the different prophets (peace be upon them all), after magrib read surah Waqiyah and talk about the importance of a good diet, after isha read surah mulk and talk about happy family things.

Be creative and keep the child(ren) active. May Allah (SWT) bless all our parents, amen.

Allah Certainly Knows Best.