Parents and Being the First Generation In the U.S.

Salaam,

My apologies for not posting anything in a few days, I've been sort of busy with a lot of stuff. Anyways, this post is about some thing that a lot of Muslims and non Muslims, growing up in America today, face on a daily basis: our parents. This is so hard to deal with at times, trust me, I know this for a fact. Honestly, it gets so hard sometimes. But one quality of a believer is patience (sabr). This is essential, if your parents give you a hard time, you shouldn't even express the slightest bit of disobedience to them. I had a very tough situation the other day; it was extremely difficult. The thing is with any parents, trust is such an important thing. It is extremely hard to build, and simultaneously it is tremendously easy to lose. In addition to that, considering the barrier that is between us and our parents, known as the generation stake or generation gap in Psychological terms. We must realize that our parents grew up in a different society than where we are right now. After my experience the other day, I talked with the legendary Umu Faisal, and he gave me an analogy that when I thought about it, I was literally brought to tears...and I don't know if anyone else can seriously relate this analogy with themselves. The analogy was with cats and how they treat their young. Some cats, out of love, anxiety, and fear, cling on to their kittens so hard that they accidentally kill their own kittens. Subhan'Allah I related this analogy to my life so well, and I found it so applicable to our lives, of course not to the extent of accidental death, however the degree of this fear and love is very close. So the next time you have trouble with your parents, remember they are only doing this out of love, nothing more. With close friends and family having young children, I totally understand the amount of love a mother and father have for their children...that love is something else...........