How to Create Quiet Time Without Your Kids Feeling Rejected 

Parenting Perspective 

Protecting Your Emotional Health Is Not Selfish 

It is natural for you to long for quiet moments, especially when family life is loud and demanding. Needing this space does not mean you love your children any less. In fact, protecting your emotional health through short breaks allows you to be more patient, more engaged, and more affectionate with them. What matters is how you communicate this need, so that your children do not mistake it for rejection. 

Frame Quiet Time as Positive and Predictable 

Begin by framing quiet time as something positive and predictable, not as a withdrawal. You can explain in simple words, ‘Mummy is going to have ten minutes of quiet time, and then we will read together.’ By pairing your pause with a clear promise of reconnection, your children learn that your stepping away is temporary and followed by presence. 

Introduce Family-Wide Quiet Time 

It also helps to introduce the idea of family-wide quiet time. Give your children activities they can do independently, such as reading, puzzles, or drawing, while you rest. This normalises the idea that everyone benefits from stillness and creates a rhythm where your needs are respected alongside theirs. 

Consistency Builds Security 

Consistency is key. If your children know that after a short break you return to them reliably, their sense of security will grow, and they will not interpret your absence as rejection. Over time, they will come to understand that your self-care is part of the way you care for them. 

Model Balance and Self-Respect 

By being intentional and gentle with how you set boundaries, you can create space for yourself while teaching your children that balance and self-respect are part of a healthy family life. 

Spiritual Insight 

Self-Care Is Part of Your Trust From Allah 

Islam guides us towards moderation and balance, reminding us that we cannot give endlessly without renewal. Caring for oneself is not selfish; it is a way of preserving the trust Allah has placed upon us as parents. 

You Are Not Expected to Exceed Your Capacity 

Allah Almighty states in the noble Quran at Surah Al Baqarah (2), Verse 286: 

‘Allah (Almighty) does not place any burden on any human being except that which is within his capacity...’ 

This Verse reminds you that even in your role as a parent, you are not expected to go beyond your capacity. Taking quiet time to restore your strength is in line with this mercy, ensuring you can meet your responsibilities with calmness and clarity. 

Honour the Rights of Your Body and Mind 

It is recorded in Sahih Al Bukhari that the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: 

‘Your body has a right over you, your eyes have a right over you, and your wife has a right over you.’ 

[Sahih Al-Bukhari, 67:133] 

This Hadith shows that even within devotion and responsibility, self-care is a duty. When you step back briefly to honour your emotional health, you are not neglecting your children but respecting the rights of your own body and mind so that you can continue serving your family better. 

By framing quiet time as temporary, reliable, and rooted in mercy, you create a space for yourself without leaving your children feeling rejected. In doing so, you model for them the Islamic principle of balance, showing that caring for oneself and caring for others go hand in hand.