What script helps my child wait and listen at clinic or pharmacy queues? 

Parenting Perspective 

Waiting in clinics or pharmacies can test any child’s patience. The long queues, unfamiliar smells, and quiet spaces can be challenging for a little one who is wired to move, not to stand still. Learning to wait calmly, however, is a foundational life skill that builds patience, empathy, and emotional regulation. 

Prepare Them Before You Enter 

Children cooperate much better when they know what to expect. Before you step inside, explain the situation simply: ‘We will have to wait quietly for our turn. When we wait patiently, it helps everyone here.’ This calm, advance notice is more effective than a sudden ‘Shh!’ once you are already inside. For younger children, you can establish a short, repeatable phrase to use every time: 

‘What do we do in a queue? We wait, we listen, and we stay close.’ 

Rehearsing this rhythm at home helps them to recall it automatically, even when they are feeling bored or restless. 

Engage Their Mind and Body 

Stillness does not have to mean inaction. It can be helpful to keep a small ‘quiet kit’ in your bag to occupy their hands. This might include: 

• A simple book or notepad 

• A soft, silent fidget toy 

• A small tasbeeh counter 

You can offer gentle praise when they are managing to wait patiently: ‘You are doing such a great job of waiting quietly.’ This positive reinforcement helps to keep their motivation high. For older children, you can involve them in the process by asking, ‘Can you see who is before us in the queue? When they go, it will be our turn next.’ This gives them a sense of progress and control. 

Model Patient Behaviour 

Children naturally mirror the energy of the adults around them. If you sigh, tap your foot, or complain about the wait, they will copy your restlessness. Instead, try to soften your own tone and slow your movements. When you demonstrate a calm patience, they subconsciously learn that it is a sign of dignity. You are not only managing their behaviour in that moment; you are teaching emotional regulation through your own example. 

Spiritual Insight 

In Islam, patience (sabr) is not a passive state, but an active form of strength. Waiting with grace, especially in public places, is a reflection of humility, compassion, and an awareness of the needs of others. A queue can become more than just a line; it can become a small arena where a child learns the art of composure. 

Patience as a Shared Virtue 

The Quran reminds us that patience is a shared virtue, something we must teach and support in one another. Helping a child to wait calmly in a queue is not a trivial matter; it is a way of training them to handle the slower pace of life with respect and faith. 

Allah Almighty states in the noble Quran at Surah Al Asr (103), Verses 2-3: 

‘Indeed, mankind shall surely (remain in a state of) deprivation (moral deficit), except for those people who are believers and undertake virtuous acts; and encouraging (cultivating within themselves and with one another the realisation and dissemination of) the truth and encouraging (cultivating within themselves and with one another the realisation and accomplishment of) resilience.’ 

The Strength of Restraint 

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught that true discipline is found in the ability to restrain our impulses for a higher purpose. When a child learns to wait and listen instead of reacting to their boredom or frustration, they are practising this very discipline. 

It is recorded in Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 4816, that the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: 

‘Whoever restrains his anger while able to act upon it, Allah will fill his heart with peace on the Day of Resurrection.’ 

A gentle waiting script, rehearsed with warmth and modelled with calm, teaches more than just good manners. It builds emotional intelligence: an awareness of others, a respect for order, and a control over one’s own feelings. 

Spiritually, it transforms an ordinary wait in a queue into a lesson of grace. You are teaching your child that patience is not just about waiting quietly, but about waiting beautifully, with kindness, awareness, and gratitude. In these moments of quiet restraint, your child is learning one of life’s greatest strengths: that calmness is a form of faith, and that listening is an act of respect before Allah Almighty.