Yusra Saqib, Theexpatmommy mentioned this incident at her Instagram. And it just resonated with me so well, in her words:

“Ammi you have to buy me toys

“Ok sure”

“No I want them today!”

“Not today, but we will buy them soon Insha Allah”

“But Insha Allah means no; when you say Insha Allah you don’t do that”

She said she was stunned speechless at this incident –

Kids today are demanding. They are always asking – for a bag of candy, for playing in the rain, for an ice cream in the middle of the night, for letting them watch cartoons, perhaps, for the rest of their lives. A real living Horse and a sheep and turtles and sometime even a dolphin Or a moon and a rocket for commute.

And most of the time they want everything RIGHT-AWAY – they want to go to the park NOW, they want TOYS now, and new frocks and shoes with heel and dolls and dollhouses Now, and cars and motorbikes and a bat and million balls, all NOW.

The list goes on. And many Muslim parents, including myself, are guilty of making this classic mistake – saying Insha Allah at the wrong time.

When we are not sure about something, or very sure that we don’t/can’t/won’t let that happen, or weare just plain distracted and have no idea what their tiny tot is going crazy about – we say Insha Allah, and then totally forget about it because mostly it is not important for us.

The kids don’t forget. They look and interpret it differently because it is not insignificant to them. They read our Insha Allah as ‘no’.

It is very careless of us that we are giving our kids such a negative message about a phrase that encompasses so much faith, hope and trust. Insha Allah, If Allah Wills.

We can’t rewind life, but let’s Resolve today that we will try to be an example to our kids, we will make it something they can love. In Yusra’s words:

“I don’t want them to be afraid of this beautiful phrase but to say it fearlessly, confidently and with full conviction.”

– Insha Allah.

This incident gave me the idea of this pie-chart below: Pun-intended, obviously 😉

Also, Erika’s, aka Dorky Mom Doodles, piechart What Parents mean when they say Maybe was also another inspiration.

Enjoy 😉