Parenting Perspective 

When a child interrupts you while you are in the middle of a task or conversation, it is natural to react with a frustrated, ‘Wait!’. While this might buy a moment of silence, it can also sting a child’s heart and make them feel dismissed. A better approach is to use calm and consistent strategies that defer their request without making them feel unimportant. 

Step 1: Create a Polite Holding Phrase 

Instead of a sharp ‘Wait!’, try using a gentle and reassuring script. This affirms their value while still preserving your focus. Examples include: 

• ‘I really want to hear what you have to say. Please give me two minutes to finish this.’ 

• ‘That looks important. Hold that thought, and I will come back to you as soon as I am done.’ 

Step 2: Use a Physical Cue 

Younger children in particular benefit from tangible signals. You could try raising your hand with a warm smile or placing a finger on your lips while making eye contact. A physical cue like this feels more like, ‘I see you and I will be with you shortly’, rather than, ‘Go away’. 

Step 3: Establish a Return Ritual 

It is crucial that you always circle back to your child when you said you would. You could say, ‘Okay, now it is your turn. What was it you wanted to tell me?’ Keeping this promise trains your child to trust your words and to wait more patiently in the future. 

Step 4: Anticipate Busy Periods 

If you know you are about to be preoccupied with a work call or while cooking, give your child a pre-warning. Saying, ‘I am going to be busy for the next half an hour, but after that, I am all yours’ can prevent their frustration from building up and reduces the chance of you snapping in the first place. 

Spiritual Insight 

Islam places great emphasis on kindness in speech and patience in our interactions, especially with our own family. Even the briefest of words carry significant weight and have the power to either nurture or wound a child’s heart. 

A Quranic Reminder on Gentle Speech 

The Quran reminds us that using the best of words, even in small moments of frustration, helps to protect our relationships from misunderstanding and discord. 

Allah Almighty states in the noble Quran at Surah Al Israa (17), Verse 53: 

‘And inform My servants that they should speak in only the politest manner (when they speak to the extremists in disbelief); indeed, Satan is (always ready for) infusing anarchy between them…’ 

This reminds us that gentle words protect the love and unity in a family. 

The Prophetic Teaching on Good Manners 

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught that our character is of immense importance and that even small courtesies have a great reward with Allah. 

It is recorded in Jami Tirmidhi, Hadith 2003, that the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: 

‘Nothing will be heavier on the Day of Resurrection in the scale of the believer than good manners.’ 

This teaches us that small acts of kindness, like deferring a child’s request with gentleness instead of sharpness, are a weighty part of the good character that is rewarded by Allah. 

By adopting this gentle and consistent plan, you can transform moments of potential tension into lessons of patience, respect, and trust. Your children will learn that while they may sometimes need to wait to be heard, your love and attention will always return to them with gentleness.