How do I read spikes around exam seasons, Ramadan routines or holidays? 

Parenting Perspective 

At certain times of the year, a child’s emotional temperature rises, not out of defiance, but from internal overload. Exam periods, Ramadan routines, and major holidays each introduce subtle but powerful shifts in rhythm, expectation, and pressure. What looks like random moodiness or misbehaviour is often the child’s nervous system adjusting to increased demands on energy, attention, and belonging. 

Understanding the Triggers 

The first step is to observe when and how the spikes appear. Do they happen before the change (anticipation anxiety), during the change (adjustment stress), or after (release exhaustion)? Each phase tells a different story. For example: 

• Before exams: restlessness, irritability, or over preparing as control strategies. 

• During Ramadan: lower patience or concentration due to altered sleep and nutrition. 

• Before holidays: clinginess or regressions caused by disrupted school structure. 

• After special events: fatigue, emotional dips, or uncooperative behaviour once the excitement fades. 

Rather than labelling these shifts as inconsistent, see them as signals of emotional bandwidth. When a child’s environment intensifies, their regulation weakens. It is not poor character; it is physiology meeting pressure. 

Reading the Pattern Behind the Peaks 

Keep a light observational journal. Write short notes such as, ‘Three days before exams: headaches, short answers, poor sleep’ or ‘First week of Ramadan: tired mornings, stronger empathy at iftar.’ Patterns over time reveal whether the spikes are situational or signs of deeper stress. 

If your child shows cyclical sensitivity, remember that predictability calms the brain. Pre emptive scaffolding helps them prepare rather than react. Before exams, plan review schedules early so revision feels paced. Before Ramadan, discuss new routines, bedtime adjustments, and hydration strategies. Before holidays, remind them of what stays constant: family routines, prayer, and rest. 

Your micro-action is to name transitions before they arrive. Saying, ‘Exams are coming up, how can we make it feel smoother?’ or ‘Ramadan means some routines will change, what helps you when things change?’ gives your child ownership. Preparation transforms overwhelm into participation. 

Supporting Stability During Peak Seasons 

Each period challenges a different layer of regulation: 

• Exams test cognitive endurance and self worth. Keep messages of effort over outcome visible. 

• Ramadan tests stamina and emotional patience. Model calm, not pressure, and encourage gentleness in fasting goals. 

• Holidays test flexibility and routine recovery. Protect rest time and maintain small rituals like family du‘a or gratitude lists. 

Children internalise balance through what they witness. When parents keep tone steady, rest intentional, and expectations kind, the child learns that rhythm is a choice even when life intensifies. The goal is not to erase stress, but to prevent it from defining identity. 

Spiritual Insight 

Every spike of stress or fatigue is an opportunity to teach perspective: that rhythm itself is an act of worship. Allah Almighty does not ask perfection in every season, only sincerity and effort that rise and fall like tides. 

Allah Almighty states in the noble Quran at Surah Al Inshirah (94), Verses 5–6: 

‘Thus with (every) hardship there is facilitation (from Allah Almighty). Indeed, with (every) hardship there is facilitation (from Allah Almighty).’ 

This verse reminds families that strain and comfort travel together. A child struggling to balance fasting, exams, or change is not failing; they are learning resilience under divine design. Parents who normalise fluctuation, who say, ‘Some days are harder, and that is part of growing,’ teach trust in Allah Almighty’s timing rather than fear of human pressure. 

It is recorded in Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2609a, that the holy Prophet Muhammad `ﷺ` said: 

‘The strong man is not the one who is good at wrestling, but the strong man is the one who controls himself in a fit of rage.’ 

This Hadith reframes stress control as inner strength. When parents model calm during hectic seasons, they embody that prophetic teaching, showing that emotional regulation is a form of spiritual discipline. 

Each year’s rhythm, with its exams and celebrations, trains the heart to adapt without breaking. Children who learn this early enter adulthood with balanced souls, knowing that faith, rest, and responsibility can coexist. The message parents can leave etched in their hearts is this: life will always bring intensity, but Allah Almighty always sends equilibrium alongside it. When children see parents meet every demanding season with steadiness, they learn the art of sabr not as waiting for ease, but as walking through challenge with grace. 

In that understanding, every spike becomes a signal of growth: proof that even when life surges, divine balance is never lost.