Most children will choose junk literature which has little...

Most children will choose junk literature which has little benefit for the mind or for literary development. Children must be guided towards choosing good books. Not necessarily boring or didactic ones, but ones which have value in their stories and language. Many classics are interesting for children but they need to be told about them. Most libraries these days have information on good books for various ages. Another good idea is to get some Islamic books for children to read.

Islamic literature for children, both fiction and non-fiction, is being published at a fast rate these days. Many of these books are of very high quality. Popular genres such as mystery books are now being written by Muslim authors with stories involving Muslim children and Muslim lifestyles. The illustrations and plots of the stories are fascinating for young children. Reading such books allows children a feel for Islamic culture, and enables them to take pride in themselves as Muslims.

Friends Another great influence on the life of children is the friends they associate with. Many people stray from the straight path as a result of the negative influence of friends. The Qur’an tells us that on the Day of Judgment, people will regret the wrong friendships they had in the world. It says: On the day when the unjust will bite their hands (regretfully) saying, would that we had taken a way with the Messenger? Woe to us! Would that we had not been friends with so and so.

He led us away from the true guidance after it had come to us. (1) There is no doubt that the behaviour of a friend can affect a child. He picks up mannerisms, ways of speech etc. from the friends he plays with and works with all day. Especially when children are at school, the hours spent with classmates often have a great influence. Parents should be aware of who their children are friends with.

If they find out that a certain friend does not have the right type of character, and is having a negative effect on their child, they should try and discourage the friendship. Although it is necessary for children to spend time with their friends, parents should discourage going out all the time with friends, especially as the children get older. Many children insist on going to the mall with friends or going for outings in groups. Such outings should be discouraged.

Friendships with children who share the same values should be encouraged. Children need friends and it is wrong to tell them not to play with anyone.