Who said being a parent is easy? Dealing with cries in the middle of the night, diaper changes, temper tantrums, fevers, vomiting, spit-up, colloquy babies, leaving-home anxiety, postpartum depression, irregular sleeping patterns, bad eating habits, and much more all before our kids turn seven! Yet, despite all of this and more, everyone rejoices upon hearing news of a new member in the family. Have we lost our sanity? Or is there something really special about raising a child?

Parenting… Who Said It Was Easy? Understanding Your Child is an attempt to establish a discussion for current and prospective parents on their greatest concern: their children. This book aims to highlight key problems young and experienced parents face when raising their children, while providing practical tips on how to become better parents. With more and more children making the dreaded claim, “you don’t understand me,” our hope is to show parents that though times may be tough, there is light at the end of the tunnel and understanding our children is not as distant as it may seem.

Our children are the greatest assets that Allah has entrusted us with. We owe it to Allah and to our children, therefore, to invest our time and efforts into being the best parents we can be. Cherishing Childhood is a parent-to-parent handbook that outlines how to tackle the challenges (and reap the rewards) of parenting children from birth to pre-adolescence within an Islamic ethos in a pluralist society.

It covers the following topics:

• The concept of Positive Parenting
• How to welcome a child into the world
• The unique nature of a toddler and how to manage the most common issues in the preschool years
• Matters to consider when choosing a primary school
• How to support your child through primary school
• Creating the most nurturing home environment for children to flourish in
• Guidelines for discipline and dealing with difficult behavior
• Tips on how to build Muslim character

The objective of the book is to help parents save their teens from the negative impact of popular teen culture and succeed in raising them as strong, confident people who can contribute positively within their communities and to the North American society at large. The book starts by explaining what is meant by rebellion and how it relates to the life of a Muslim teen. It then covers three basic ideas: The first idea deals with the causes of teen rebellion in general and additional factors that contribute to Muslim teen rebellion in particular. The second main idea covers the signs of this rebellion and how it manifests itself in the behavior of our teens. The third and most important part of the book deals with a comprehensive solution consisting of the Prophet's (s) example in dealing with youth, and the role that parents can play complemented by community involvement. The proposed comprehensive solution cited in this book will be of great benefit to various communities in general and to Muslim teens and youth in particular.

This book is the first in a series that contains detailed answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the hot topic of parenting in North America. Because some of these questions have been raised more than once in recent years, we feel that they represent crucial issues of concern occupying the minds of many parents. Making these answers available in a written format will hopefully provide Muslim parents with the proper advice supported by the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh).
The methodology used in answering these questions draws heavily on verses of the Quran, teachings of the Prophet (pbuh), and events in his seerah, as well as the authors' wealth of practical experience, gained from their countless parenting counseling sessions over the years, and their knowledge of child psychology.

The Beshirs, a wife/husband team, who co-authored two best-selling books on parenting Meeting the Challenge of Parenting in the West, an Islamic Perspective and Muslim Teens and Blissful Marriage: A Practical Islamic Guide have conducted very successful workshops on parenting skills for Muslim families in North America and overseas. In this book they present the workable skills that parents participating in these workshops have found most rewarding. "Very professional, well researched, and pretty lively. Where were you 16 years ago? I wish I could start all over with the knowledge I gained from your workshop." An attendee from South Africa. "It was a very joyful experience. I learned so much more than I ever expected. An amazing and thought provoking workshop." An attendee from Toronto, Canada. Dr. Ekram is a medical doctor by profession, with a background in child psychology. She is the founder and principal of Abraar full time Islamic school and Rahma School, a weekend Arabic and Islamic school, in Ottawa, Canada. She is the recipient of the Director's Citation Award of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board for the year 2000 for her contributions in the area of education from among 7000 employees in the board. She has been very active with the Muslim community in Ottawa in the areas of study circles, children and youth camps, sisters programs, and marriage counseling. She has traveled extensively to various parts of the world to present parenting workshops. She has also authored other books for teaching Arabic to Muslim children living in Non- Arabic speaking countries. Dr. Mohamed Rida Beshir is an engineer by profession, with over 25 years of experience in Da'wa work in North America. He has held various positions with MSA and ISNA on both local and national levels. He is a member of the training and development department of the Muslim American Society (MAS). He is a regular speaker in ISNA, ICNA, MSA and MAS conventions. He is actively developing and delivering training programs to various Muslim communities all over the world. He is the recipient of The Ottawa Muslim Association and the Ottawa Muslim Community Circle recognition awards for years 1993 and 1999 for his volunteer Islamic work.

This useful book offers a positive approach to help Muslim teens coping with the difficulties of life in Western society. Just as in their first book Meeting the Challenge of Parenting in the West, this book is a family project. Wife and mother Dr. Ekram Beshir offers her experience in the field of medicine and pyschology and as mother of 4 girls.
Father and husband Mohamed Beshir adds his input and both are very active in Muslim community affairs in Canada. But what perhaps sets their books apart most is the input from their daughters who relate their various experiences, trials and solutions, failures and successes. At times it can be a bit intimidating for those of also struggling to raise our kids Islamically in western society to hear of so many success stories in one family. However, these books give us the courage to press on, that with patience and constant loving reminders, there can be a bright light at the end of the tunnel.

The Islamic tradition is rich with values that parents strive to imbue in their children: respect, responsibility, integrity, love, and more. Parenting is all too often filled with sleepless nights, tears, and anxiety followed by endless doubts: "Did I do my best?" "What could I have done differently?" "Am I responsible?"

An excellent guidebook and manual helping parents raise their children, offering sound Islamic principles coupled with child psychology. This refreshing and positive book offers parents practical advice about the upbringing of young children. Included are case studies and, what sets this book apart from others, the testimonials of the authors' children. The authors relate how the first wave of Muslim immigrants struggled to build Masjids and centers for their communities to establish a Muslim presence in North America. Now, however a much more complicated effort is required for parents to concentrate on the developing the Muslim personality in their children to assure the continuation of the practice of Islam. An easy and hands-on guidebook. Very uplifting and positive. “Meeting the Challenge of Parenting in the West: An Islamic Perspective is valuable on many levels, whether you’re currently a parent or not (which I am not). It allowed me insight into human relationships and how to prepare to be a good parent. I am not a Muslim, but found the practical illustration of relationship issues in this book to be universal in their directness and simplicity. Being able to look through the eyes of another culture at how to raise children in North America (my culture) has also offered me such a unique and valuable perspective on my own upbringing”. Jill Dowless Ottawa, Ontario, October 14th 1999 “This really is an awesome book for parents who have children or are thinking to have children. I myself am not married, and I still found it helpful, since raising good children starts even before marriage, with raising yourself first. I read this book cover to cover and memorized it. If every Muslim parent reads this book, then the next generation is going to be really awesome!” A reader from Chicago, IL September 11, 1999

Loving our Parents is a wonderful collection of stories from the lives of ordinary people on the rewards of treating our parents with honor and respect. It also has detailed and authentic accounts from both the Noble Quran and the Prophet’s Sunnah on our duties and obligations to those who have sacrificed so much to raise and educate us.

In addition, it provides clear warnings of the penalties from Allah Almighty in this world and the Hereafter for abusing and disrespecting our parents. This is an essential publication for those who want to know the divine injunctions on not only how to treat their mothers and fathers, but also their grandparents, close relatives, and elders.