Create opportunities for the children to meet and react with one another.

Create opportunities for the children to meet and react with one another. If they become friends, encourage them to cement the friendship. This way, even if there are some minor defects in their own child, they [1] Usool al-Kafi, Vol. 72, Page 376. can be warded off in the company of good children. For example, if a child is timid, he might overcome his timidity by being friends with a bold and courageous child. The parents should not be totally oblivious of the type of friends their child has.

Particularly when the child is on the threshold of youth. This will be the period in his life when habits take root. .Any negligence on the part of the parents might result in irreparable harm to the character and conduct of the child, if he persists to be in bad company. They should remember the dictum: Prevention is better than cure! Hazrat Ali says: For everything there is a calamity, and for virtue the calamity is a bad friend.

One gentleman writes: My parents never permitted me to meet my friends. If sometimes friends visited me, I tried to send them away quickly after talking with them for a while. One friend of mine used to live very near our home. My parents knew him well but never allowed us to visit each other. I used to wish to have friends, meet them, chat and play with them. But my parents were the impediment. I was very sad about this. One day I had decided to visit my friend, whatever came!

I told my Mom that I had to go for my exams. I took permission for going to attend the examination but, in fact, I made a beeline to my friends house. This friends house was at a little distance from our home. I boarded an omnibus and reached his place. There were other children too at my friends place. We had lots of fun together, When I returned home in the evening, Mom asked me why I was so late. To hide one lie, I had to utter another.

Now I wonder if Mom was not aware that the children too need friends and companions. Why did they restrict me so much? One girl writes: Once I invited some friends home. I had some savings from my pocket money. With this money I ran to the neighborhood grocery and brought a pack of ice cream. My mother was away visiting some people. While my friends were eating the ice cream, Mom returned home. I was very scared that she might scold me.

She didn't bother a bit about my feelings and said angrily to my friends, You girls are making Saima waste her money! My friends abruptly went away...My Mom didnt stop at this.