Parenting Perspective 

While extracurricular activities are presented as valuable opportunities for personal growth, they can unintentionally widen the gap between children when they involve high fees or expensive equipment. Children who can afford exclusive clubs or lessons gain access to skills and social opportunities that others cannot, which can create a sense of division. 

Creating Feelings of Exclusion 

Children from modest families may feel left out when their classmates talk about private sports coaching, overseas trips, or exclusive music lessons. This sense of exclusion can lower a child’s confidence and reinforce any feelings of inferiority they may already have. 

Unequal Access to Opportunities for Growth 

Wealthier children often gain certificates, awards, and experiences that boost their confidence and open doors to future opportunities. Meanwhile, other equally talented children may feel that their abilities go unrecognised simply because their families cannot afford the same platforms for development. 

Putting a Strain on Friendships 

When certain activities become a status symbol, friendships can come under strain. Children may drift apart as wealthier peers bond over shared exclusive experiences, leaving others feeling sidelined and forgotten. 

Guiding Children Through These Gaps 

Parents can support their child by helping them find value beyond expensive activities. 

• Highlight free or low-cost opportunities that nurture skills, such as school clubs, library workshops, or community projects. 

• Encourage your child to take pride in their own creativity, effort, and resourcefulness. 

• Reinforce the idea that a person’s worth is not measured by certificates or expensive hobbies, but by their sincerity, character, and perseverance. 

By reframing success, parents can help their children value themselves for who they are, not for what they can afford. 

Spiritual Insight 

Islam champions fairness and warns against the arrogance and division that can be created by wealth. Opportunities for growth should be a means of uplifting everyone, not a tool for establishing superiority or excluding others. 

A Reminder of Islamic Equality 

The Quran establishes the bond of brotherhood between believers as the foundation of the community, a bond that should not be broken by worldly differences. 

Allah Almighty states in the noble Quran at Surah Al Hujuraat (49), Verse 10: 

‘ Indeed, the believers are brothers (to each other); so, make peace with your brothers…’ 

This verse reminds us that unity is paramount, and differences in wealth or opportunity should never be allowed to divide the community. 

Prophetic Warning Against Pride 

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught that arrogance, including looking down on others for any worldly advantage, is a spiritually destructive sin. 

It is recorded in Sahih Muslim, Hadith 91, that the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: 

‘He who has in his heart the weight of a mustard seed of arrogance shall not enter Paradise.’ 

This hadith is a powerful warning that feeling superior due to wealth-based opportunities is a path to spiritual ruin. 

By teaching children that Allah values humility, sincerity, and personal effort, parents can shield them from feelings of inferiority. This gives them the strength to find joy and purpose in their own unique journey, secure in the knowledge that real success lies not in expensive activities but in developing good character and a strong relationship with Allah.