Parenting Perspective 

When work demands long hours, it can be challenging to maintain the one-to-one connection your child needs. However, with honesty, planning, and intentional effort, you can protect and nurture your bond even during the busiest of times. 

Acknowledge the Challenge and Reassure Your Child 

When your workload increases, children can interpret the shift as emotional distance. Begin by addressing this with them plainly and kindly: ‘My work is going to be heavier for a little while, but our connection is still the most important thing to me’. This prevents their worries from filling the silence. Invite them to share one clear wish by asking, ‘What is one small thing that would help you feel close while I am busy?’ Listening first lowers their defensiveness and helps you identify the small gestures that will mean the most to them. 

Protect Small, Consistent Rituals 

Connection is built on frequency and predictability, not necessarily on long stretches of time. Establish three non-negotiable anchor points that can survive even the busiest weeks. 

• The Morning Glance: Spend sixty seconds making eye contact and sharing a warm word at breakfast. 

• The After-Work Reset: Dedicate the first five minutes after you arrive home to be device-free for a hug and a single, open-ended question. 

• The Bedside Check-in: Share a two-minute tuck-in or make dua together before sleep. 

These small, scheduled moments of connection provide a reliable source of comfort and reassurance for your child. 

Schedule Meaningful One-on-One Time 

Choose one weekly pocket of longer one-to-one time and mark it on the family calendar with a simple title, such as ‘Saturday walk with Amina’. If work threatens this time, renegotiate a new slot as soon as possible, rather than making a vague promise. The goal is to create a consistent rhythm, not a grand event. 

Integrate Connection into Daily Tasks 

On particularly demanding days, combine your presence with necessary household chores. You can cook together by delegating real jobs, fold laundry while you talk about the highs and lows of the day, or invite your child to do their homework beside you while you finish an email. You could say, ‘Sit with me for ten minutes. You can do your reading while I finish this email, and then we can share one interesting thing we learned’. 

Use Clear Boundaries and Simple Language 

Children handle limits more effectively when the words are steady and the next point of connection is visible. 

• ‘I will be on calls from 4:00 to 5:00 pm. At 5:00 pm, we will have our five-minute catch-up’. 

• ‘I am closing my laptop in ten minutes. Please choose the bedtime question for tonight’. 

• If they persist in interrupting: ‘I can see you need me. Place your hand on my arm, and I will look at you as soon as I finish this sentence’. 

Simplify to Create Space for Connection 

Audit your week and identify two low-value tasks you can remove. Accept help that protects your connection time, not your perfectionism. This might mean simpler dinners or a shared chore chart. Explain the value behind these changes: ‘I am choosing this shortcut so we can make sure we have our story time tonight’. 

Acknowledge Their Patience and Repair Quickly 

When your child waits well or transitions calmly, notice their effort: ‘I saw you gave me those five minutes to finish my work. That really helped our evening feel peaceful’. If a day does not go as planned, repair the connection quickly: ‘I am sorry I missed our anchor time tonight. I will make it up at breakfast. Thank you for being so patient’. 

Spiritual Insight 

In Islam, work can be a form of worship when the intention is right, and caring for one’s family is a sacred trust. The faith teaches us to find balance through sincere effort, focused planning, and turning back to Allah Almighty between our worldly tasks. 

Allah Almighty states in the noble Quran at Surah Al Inshirah (94), Verses 7-8: 

‘ Thus, when you have finished (from ritual prayer) then (further) intensify (your supplication). And (We know that) to your Lord is your yearning.‘ 

Share this verse with your child as a guiding rhythm for your family: complete a task, then consciously turn your heart and attention towards what matters next, including them. Striving includes both focused work and focused presence. This turning of the heart brings barakah (blessing) into even the smallest pockets of time. 

It is recorded in Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2664, that the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: 

‘The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, while there is good in both. Be eager for what benefits you, seek help from Allah, and do not lose heart.’ 

Use this hadith as a family compass. Be eager for what benefits your home: rituals that protect connection, boundaries that maintain calm, and effort that preserves dignity. Seek help from Allah Almighty with a short, shared dua before bed: ‘O Allah, place blessing in our time, gentleness in our speech, and love in our hearts’. Do not lose heart when a day is messy. Islam values sincere striving and quick repair. In this spirit, your child learns that while your workload is real, your love is reliable.