Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 386
! ! 386 w ill look the world over for any sort of powder to apply on your child to make him more attractive [in Indian culture, fairness is considered attractive]. Yet, even if you give him the appearance of a human, but his soul does not resemble that of a human, could you be happy upon seeing him? If you do not care for the beauty of your child’s spirit , then you have proven yourself to be his worst enemy , f or you used all means possible to take care of his outside appearance, but you allowed S atan to breed from within him. Hence, if the women of today forego the proper care and upbringing of their children, the future generations will have the traits of snakes and scorpions. When you see these deadly, venomous snakes and scorpions in the faces or shapes of your children, will you be happy? If your children turn out to be righteous because of the pious upbringing you provide them, someday they will be praying for your souls ; otherwise, they will only end up cursing you. There are many such examples where mothers instilled the habits of lying, cheating, and stealing with in their children. For example, there was a child who had the habit of stealing. He st ole things from outside the home or from school and brought them home. His mother acc ep ted these stolen items from him. As a result , he bec ame a harde ned burglar and murderer. He then was caught and given the death penalty according to the law. Just prior to his hanging, he was asked for his last wish. He sa id , “I woul d like to see my mother. ” When she arrive d , he use d the excuse of whispering something in her ear and invite d her to come close r, at which point he bit her ear. When asked why he bit his mother , he replie d , “I f she was not my mother, I would not be awaiting my death. It is s he who transformed me from a person into a Satan. ” Mothe rs do not necessarily intentionally teach their children bad habits or incorrect behavior. Rather, it is a mother’s carelessness and lack of attention which can lead to bad habits or behavior s with in children. However , the responsibility still falls upon t he mothers. There are many among you , who would say , ‘I do not care if my child cannot recite the Kalima , as long as he stays alive. ’ How many of you would say , ‘Let my child recite the Kalima and then if he must die, so be it. ’