How to Make Space for Your Children Without Compromising Work 

Parenting Perspective 

When your days feel full, yet your heart feels divided, it can create an ongoing tension in which you think that you are providing for your children but worried you are not present with them. This is not a sign of failure, but it is a sign of care. You want to be available, not just responsible. You want to give them more than provision, and you want connection. 

Make Your Time Meaningful 

Barakah in time does not always look like having more time. It often means making the time you do have meaningful. The first step is not to overhaul your schedule, but to work with the time you already have. Look for the natural brief time periods in your day, even if they are brief, and ask: can I be fully present here? 

That may mean giving your child undistracted attention at breakfast, walking them to school without checking your phone, or setting aside five minutes after work for just you and them. These small, predictable time slots of focused presence are more precious than a full day of distracted availability. 

Set Boundaries Where You Can 

Also, set boundaries where you can. While some work demands are fixed, others expand because of unchecked habits. Reflect honestly: is there time going to tasks that could be simplified, delegated, or delayed? Barakah grows when we protect what matters, and presence with one’s child is worth protecting. 

Involve Your Child in Your Rhythm 

Involve your child in your routine and try coworking where possible. Let them help you prepare dinner, sit beside you as you send an email, or hear you make Dua aloud between tasks. Presence is not only found in ‘quality time’ which is planned but in shared life, lived with awareness. 

Lastly, remember that your children do not need constant attention. They need consistent connection. If they sense that they matter to you, even amidst your responsibilities, they will feel secure, not because you gave them all your time, but because you gave them your heart. 

Spiritual Insight 

The desire for Barakah in time is a deeply spiritual one. It reflects Tawakkul, trust in Allah, and a yearning to live with balance and purpose. But Barakah is not something earned by effort alone. It is opened through alignment with values, sincerity of intention, and conscious stewardship of what Allah has given. 

A Reminder to Find the Middle Path 

Allah Almighty states in the noble Quran at Surah Al Furqaan (25), verse 67: 

‘And it is those people that do not spend extravagantly, nor miserly; and (act in such a way) that is a balanced format between these two (extreme characteristics).’ 

Though this Verse speaks about wealth, it applies equally to time. Barakah arises in the middle path, not in overextending to prove your worth, nor in withdrawing out of guilt. Rather, you strive to spend your time with Ihsaan, giving each responsibility its due portion with intention and balance. 

The Prophetic Model: Measured Distribution 

It is recorded in Sunan an-Nasai that the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: 

‘Your body has a right over you, your Lord has a right over you, and your family has a right over you. So give each their due right.’ 

[Sunan an-Nasai,22:302] 

This Hadith reminds every parent that fulfilling their role requires measured distribution, not giving everything to one duty at the expense of another. Work is noble, and so is parenting. Neither should be abandoned. Instead, a parent is called to balance, with awareness and Dua. 

So, continue to ask Allah for Barakah but also trust that part of His response may lie in your own choices: setting firmer boundaries, being more present in small time slots, and letting go of the idea that more time equals better parenting. Sometimes, it is not about having more time, it is about being more in the time you already have, and the quality of time overpowers the quantity of time.