Parenting Perspective 

Start with curiosity, not criticism 

When your child plucks flowers from someone else’s garden, their act is often innocent, driven by curiosity, play, or a desire to gift something beautiful to you. Responding with harshness may suppress their natural wonder, but ignoring it teaches entitlement. The key is to find a balance. Pause before reacting and ask warmly, ‘These flowers are lovely. Where did you pick them from?’. This opens the door for reflection rather than guilt. 

Once they answer, explain calmly that flowers, like toys or other belongings, belong to someone, even when they are growing outside. You can say, ‘Just as we would not take someone’s toys without asking, we do not pick flowers without permission’. Avoid calling them “naughty”; instead, highlight the value of respect: ‘We enjoy beauty better when we care for it, not when we take it’. 

If possible, return to the spot together. Encourage your child to say sorry if it was a neighbour’s garden or to help tidy the area. Repairing small mistakes helps to build accountability. Later, you can nurture the same curiosity in approved ways, such as planting a few flowers at home, visiting a park where picking is allowed, or taking photographs of blooms instead of picking them. This helps to transform an impulse into stewardship, fostering the desire to protect beauty rather than possess it. 

Teach appreciation through care 

Children often take things because they love what they see. You can channel that love into responsibility. Give them small tasks like watering plants, trimming leaves, or arranging flowers bought from a shop. Praise their effort and explain, ‘When we care for something instead of just taking it, we make Allah happy’. Over time, your child learns that respect for nature is part of kindness and faith, not just a rule to be followed. 

Spiritual Insight 

Islam teaches harmony between humanity and the natural world. Every tree, flower, and creature is part of a trust from Allah Almighty, a sign of His artistry to be admired, not exploited. 

Allah Almighty states in the noble Quran at Surah Al An’aam (6), Verse 141: 

‘And (Allah Almighty) is the One Who has produced gardens that are cultivated, and others that are growing wild…eat of its harvest when it bears fruit, and donate the due (portion to the poor) on the day of its harvest, and do not be extravagant (wasteful of resources in any of your actions); indeed, (Allah Almighty) does not like those who are extravagant.’ 

This verse reminds believers to take from the earth responsibly, with gratitude and moderation. Even in matters as small as plucking a flower, restraint reflects an awareness that every blessing is part of a divine balance. Teach your child that leaving flowers to bloom for others to see is also a form of worship, an act of self-control that honours the creation of Allah Almighty. 

It is recorded in Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 1739, that during his Farewell Sermon, the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: 

‘Indeed, your blood, your property, and your honour are sacred to one another like the sanctity of this day of yours, in this month of yours, in this city of yours’. 

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ declared all forms of ownership sacred, including land, produce, and possessions. When your child learns not to take flowers without asking, they are practising this sacred respect on a small scale. It teaches them that everything created by Allah Almighty or owned by others must be approached with care and permission. 

Next time your child admires flowers, teach them to say a prayer: ‘SubhanAllah, how beautifully Allah has made this!’. Encourage them to take photos or draw what they see instead of picking the flowers. End each outing with gratitude: ‘Allah lets us see so many beautiful colours, let us protect them’. 

Through these gentle routines, admiration transforms into Amanah, which is the responsible care for what Allah Almighty has created. Your child learns that true beauty is not in taking but in preserving, and that every act of restraint brings them closer to the humility and grace that Islam calls Ihsan: excellence in conduct before the Creator and His creation.