My child cried the next morning after a late-night argument. We never even mentioned it to them. Should we have? 

Parenting Perspective 

Yes, you absolutely should have. If your child was crying the next morning, it is a clear sign they were still carrying the emotional weight of the argument. Even if you did not directly involve them, a child does not need to witness every detail of a conflict to feel its impact. When a child senses tension and no adult addresses it, they are left to fill the silence with their own fears. Their tears are rarely just about sadness; they are often a tangle of confusion, guilt, and worry. Without a gentle acknowledgement from you, a child may start to believe that strong emotions are inherently dangerous, or that becoming silent and invisible is the only way to stay safe. 

Why Silence Feels Unsafe 

• It leaves children alone with big feelings they do not yet have the words for. 

• It teaches them that emotional pain should be hidden, not healed. 

• It makes love feel dangerously unpredictable, warm one moment and cold the next. 

Children do not require lengthy explanations; they require the calm truth. You could approach them and say, “Last night was a difficult moment for us. We had some big feelings, and we are so sorry you heard that. It was not your fault at all. We are okay now, and you are safe.” This kind of direct reassurance does not burden a child; it lifts a weight they were never meant to carry. It teaches them that even when love seems to falter, it can also be repaired. It shows them that nobody, not even a parent, is above apologising and making things right. 

Spiritual Insight 

Islam places immense value on emotional honesty and the protection of people’s hearts, especially those of children. The holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ never left pain unacknowledged. He was known to comfort those who grieved, notice unspoken distress in others, and respond to every emotion with his deep and calming presence. Even when children made mistakes or felt uncertain, he met them with warmth, never dismissal. 

Allah Almighty states in the noble Quran at Surah Al Baqarah (2), Verses 286: 

‘Allah (Almighty) does not place any burden on any human being except that which is within his capacity… ‘

Children, in their innocence, are not meant to carry the weight of emotional ambiguity. For a heart that is already overwhelmed, silence can feel far heavier than a difficult truth spoken with love. 

It is recorded in Jami Tirmidhi, Hadith 1924, that the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: 

‘Be merciful to those on the earth and the One above the heavens will be merciful to you. ‘

This mercy includes the act of seeing your child’s hidden tears and responding with gentle words. It means showing them that in your home, love is not just about providing for their needs, but about noticing, naming, and mending what was quietly broken. This is precisely how emotional safety is built: not by pretending that difficult moments do not happen, but by ensuring that love is always louder than silence.