By Kashif Shamim Siddiqui
Every year, Global Day of Parents reminds us to pause and reflect on the unmatched sacrifices of our parents. But for many, this day passes unnoticed—just like the silent struggles parents endure their entire lives for their children. From the moment a child is born, the journey of a parent begins—a journey full of sacrifices, sleepless nights, worries, and an unending commitment to provide the best for their children.
Especially in poor families, the story is even more painful. Parents often skip their own meals just to feed their children. They wear worn-out clothes but ensure their children have decent ones. With limited income, they juggle rent, utilities, education fees, and medical expenses. They fight every hardship with love in their hearts and hope in their eyes—that their children will grow up to be successful and respectful human beings.
But sadly, as time passes and children become independent and financially stable, many forget the path that brought them to this success. They forget the sacrifices, the sleepless nights, the struggles behind every achievement. If we look at old age homes today, we see them filled with parents whose children have abandoned them—not because they had no space at home, but because they had no space in their hearts.
Many sons, after marriage, distance themselves from their parents. They rent a separate place for them—far away from their own family life—believing that the presence of parents is a burden, a disturbance to their “freedom.” Others, while keeping parents at home, emotionally isolate them. These elderly parents are confined to a room, not spoken to, not asked about their health or needs—just given three meals a day as if they are a responsibility to be managed, not a blessing to be cherished.
Even more tragic are stories where parents face emotional or physical abuse from their own children. Cases have emerged where sons raise their hands on the very people who once held them in their arms with love. What kind of success is this, where one’s achievements are built on the broken hearts of their parents?
The worst is happen when many children, whose actions after their parents’ death shake the soul. When their mother or father passes away, they don’t shed a tear, nor do they sit by the body in silence or whisper a prayer for the soul that once gave them life. Instead, they quietly call an ambulance, open the main gate of the house, and hand over the lifeless body to a welfare organization—along with a handsome amount of money—to take care of all the funeral arrangements. And then… they shut the door. Just like that. No final kiss, no shared grief, no memory honored. The same door that once opened countless times to welcome them home with love, now closes on the final chapter of the ones who brought them into this world. For some, it becomes just a transaction—neatly packaged grief, outsourced to strangers. A heartbreaking end for the people who once gave everything they had—just so their children could live.
Yet, amidst this darkness, there are rays of hope.
There are children—blessed children—who never forget their parents. They stand by them in every phase of life, fulfilling their responsibilities with love and gratitude. Daughters, in particular, even after marriage, often remain deeply connected to their parents, caring for them with tenderness and respect. They remember the Hadith that “Heaven lies under the feet of the mother”, and the Quranic verses that command kindness and honor towards one’s parents.
These sons and daughters are not only rewarded in this world with peace and prosperity but are promised a high rank in the hereafter as well. For they understood the value of their parents, and honored them as their first teachers, caretakers, and supporters.
As we move forward into a new age where technology connects us, let us not forget the human connection that matters most—the bond between a child and their parents. The new generation must be taught the value of this bond. Dramas, films, social media campaigns, school programs, and community seminars can play a vital role in awakening the sense of responsibility and love for parents among today’s youth.
Because no success is truly a success if it is achieved by hurting the hearts of those who made it possible. Real success is when your parents pray for you with tears of happiness in their eyes.
On this Global Day of Parents, let us not just celebrate our parents for a day—let us commit to honoring them every day. Let us promise that their old age will be filled not with loneliness, but with love, care, and the same warmth they gave us when we needed it most.
