Parenting Perspective 

When neighbours constantly boast about their wealth, lifestyle, or achievements, it affects more than just the adults. Children who listen to these conversations absorb the underlying messages and begin to form their own ideas about what it means to be successful. If boasting is a common feature of their community, children are at risk of confusing material possessions with true accomplishment, which can leave a lasting mark on their confidence and worldview. 

The Emotional Impact on Children 

Children from more modest homes may feel inferior if they cannot match what is being celebrated around them. This can lead to feelings of shame and frustration. Even children who are well-provided for can be negatively affected, as they may develop a sense of arrogance, believing that success is defined by having more than others. 

Distorted Priorities and Peer Relations 

This environment can shape a child’s values in a harmful way. 

• Shallow Measures of Worth: Success may become equated with owning the newest car or having the most luxurious holidays. 

• Peer Tensions: Children might be drawn to others who ‘show off’, while looking down on peers with less. This damages sincerity in friendships. 

• Loss of Contentment: Even children who once felt grateful may begin to compare themselves constantly, becoming unable to feel satisfied with their own blessings. 

The Long-Term Risks 

Over time, this culture of boasting can raise children who struggle with envy, feel constant pressure to prove their worth externally, and chase material gains without balance. This creates a fragile self-esteem that is dependent on possessions rather than on inner confidence. 

Supporting a Balanced View of Success 

Parents can counter these effects with a strong and consistent message at home. 

• Talk openly about boasting, explaining that it often reflects insecurity, not genuine achievement. 

• Celebrate non-material milestones, such as effort in studies, acts of kindness, or consistency in prayer. 

• Share stories of respected individuals who lived simply yet achieved greatness through their character. 

• Model humility in daily life, so children learn by example that dignity is not tied to outward display. 

With steady guidance, parents can help their children to separate community chatter from the principles of true success. 

Spiritual Insight 

Islam defines success not by wealth or social comparison, but by a person’s faith, righteousness, and humility. The culture of constant boasting by neighbours can blur this vital distinction for children, pulling them towards a sense of material pride instead of encouraging their spiritual growth. 

A Quranic Reminder on True Success 

The Quran establishes that true, lasting success is rooted in qualities of faith, such as humility in prayer, which no amount of worldly boasting can replace. 

Allah Almighty states in the noble Quran at Surah Al Mu’minoon (23), Verses 1-2: 

‘Indeed, success is for the believers; Those people who are focused in their prayers with true humility.‘ 

This verse confirms that real success is tied to one’s devotion and inner state, not their possessions. 

The Prophetic Teaching on Humility 

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught that humility is a divine command and the foundation of a healthy community, free from arrogance and oppression. 

It is recorded in Sunan Abu Dawood, Hadith 4895, that the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: 

‘Allah has revealed to me that you must be humble, so that no one oppresses another or boasts over another.’ 

This hadith shows that boasting is a destructive social behaviour, while humility is what elevates a person’s rank with Allah. 

By grounding children in Islamic teachings, parents can ensure that their idea of success is not shaped by neighbourly boasting. Reminding them that wealth is temporary while good deeds are eternal, and that Allah values sincerity, not possessions, helps to build a faith-based resilience. This ensures they grow with a concept of success that brings peace in this life and honour in the next.