Ihsaan Magazine May 2020 Issue - Living your best Life | Page 16

If I had a dollar for every time I heard
that I’d probably be a rich woman. It is
a natural assumption given the times
we now live in, that having such a large
family must be a stressful life. People
often forget that “small families” are
still a relatively new concept when
compared to the centuries before ours.
It may seem taboo in this modern fastpaced
age but when you think about
it, people haven’t changed, mentalities
have and that’s okay too.
Remembrance in the fact that Allah
SWT’s plan for all of us has already
been written, is the greatest of comfort
in the most difficult of times. Unlike
some parents who find themselves into
this position unintentionally by Allah
SWT’s decree, my husband and I always
wanted a big family, a farm, chickens,
goats and a simple life. We haven’t
secured that farm dream just yet, but
the big simple family life is a blessing
unlike any other and we substituted
with a rabbit, fruit trees and a mini
pond. Alhamdulillah for Allah SWT’s
mercies.
aLHAMDULLAH:
my fOOTBALL
team
“ Six kids?!?! ”
How do you manage?!
Written by, Sana Azizah Muhammad
[ Mom of six, Inclusive Tutor ]
For our little brood, however, much
of our coping strategies come from
enforcing an 80s style of parenting.
Another taboo of our generation. When
people see our children climbing trees,
fences and digging dirt, faces tend to
turn upside down. People have different
expectations of children now and yes
we do worry that their very “orthodox”
upbringing would affect their ability to
fit in with their peers.
Reservations aside, the fresh goal was to
raise a new crop of trendsetters rather
than put the focus on assimilation.
In my humble opinion, we could not
accomplish this with 21st-century
ideas and parenting strategies. Raising
strong minds amongst very different
personalities is not an easy task, for
ANY parent, but it is an ambition
that is worth the ride. A very tedious,
remarkable, challenging, adventurous
and emotional ride.
That being said, here are little pointers
for large families or those who come in
contact with a large family: