Is It Too Late to Change the Story? 

Parenting Perspective 

You do not have to worry as this is the stage when the memory of your child is still being written every moment. This means you are not late for being remembered in this way. 

Children do not record our parenting as a single image which is limited to a certain time. Their memories are shaped by repeated emotional tones, and those tones can shift. Even if stress or fatigue has existed for many past days, what will endure most is the feeling of being loved, being seen, being safe. 

When you realise you want to shift that emotional imprint, you are already in motion, not away from your child, but towards them. 

How to Change the Emotional Narrative, One Small Moment at a Time 

Focus on micro-moments, not major shifts

You do not need to become a playful, high-energy parent overnight but you can offer one sincere smile. One moment of uninterrupted eye contact. One ‘Tell me more’ instead of ‘Not now.’ These fragments of connection are what stitch together a new emotional story. 

Narrate your intention

Children understand more than we assume. You might say: ‘Mummy has been tired and worried a lot lately. But I am trying to be more here with you. You matter to me.’ You are not confessing weakness, you are modelling accountability and emotional honesty. 

Let presence be your anchor

Even when your energy is low, being emotionally present is what nourishes a child. Sit beside them and stroke their hair. Let them see that they are not an interruption to your life, but the heart of it. 

Reframe guilt as a signal

Your guilt is not your enemy. It is a signpost showing that you care.However, once it has pointed you toward what matters, let it go. Your child does not need a parent buried in shame. They need a parent who chooses them today, even if yesterday was hard. 

Spiritual Insight 

Islam does not ask for perfect performance, it asks for sincere return. Our entire faith is built on the principle that change is always possible, and that who you are becoming matters more than who you have been. 

A Reminder That Allah Replaces Evil Deeds with Good 

Allah Almighty states in the noble Quran at Surah Al Furqaan (25), verses 70–71: 

“Except for the one who sought repentance, and believed (in the truth), and enacted virtuous deeds; so for those people, Allah (Almighty) shall substitute (and extinguish) their evil deeds with good deeds; and Allah (Almighty) is All Forgiving and All Merciful…. And whoever (sincerely) repents, and undertakes virtuous deeds; then indeed, (sincerely) repented….”  

This Verse is not only about major sins. It is also about emotional missteps, patterns we regret, and the days we let stress speak louder than love. Even those can be replaced with good, not erased, but rewritten. 

The Prophetic Model: Repentance Erases Sin 

It is recorded in Sahih Muslim that the holy Prophet Muhammadﷺsaid: 

“The one who repents from sin is like one who did not sin.” 

[Sahih Muslim, 2750] 

It is better to start from today and let this day be one of those days your child remembers, not because you were full of energy, but because you were emotionally there. Because you smiled and whispered to them: ‘I love being your parent, even when I am tired.’ 

That is enough, all that a child needs and this is powerful. That is how the story changes.