STRADA PLACIDO - Jeeran Blogs

Salaamaleykum,

For the past few weeks,I've been spending time with kids younger then me.So much younger that,I'm as a guardian for them at the park.

http://www.thewe.cc/thewei/&_/images7/afghanistan/children_play_soviet_tank.jpe

    Its either desperate boredom...or just love of children that lead me to this new found leisure time activity. Of course, I've to mention this in precaution, you wont find me jumping on top of the slide, or swinging at top speed, or playing tag or hide-n-seek...or any of those sort for that matter.
    Rather, I'ill be sitting at the seats near the community park under my Condominium.Sometimes call the kids make fun with them...or other times just help them get back their toys stuck at high places or fix their bike...or Play cards with them.......or just simply -well...have a fight with them.Of course...they will be offensive while i remain defensive.
    (oh! for the records, all the kids are family friends, since we South Asians share a close knit relationship in this Condo.)
    Anyway, the activity content of the time spent is not an issue that i wish to bring forward to your attention.Rather,i'm overwhelmed by an incident that I witnessed.

    Last week, in my daily routine, I sat the the seat near the park at the exit of the Masjeed after Salaat al-Asr'. I carried a kid onto a monkey bar...and out of the blues...2 other kids started kicking and pounding each other. There were intervals of insults and name calling between the poundings.I tried to break them up...truce last for 30 seconds...2nd truce last a bit longer...3rd truce lasted for some time...as least as far as physical assault is concerned.

    then the brothers of the 2 fighting kids came to the scene.There were more show of strenght...'i can beat you up easily' 'beat me! beat me! i'm nto afraid'...etc. I was there, praise to God, they acted mature.Then one of the kid threw a burfee (a pakistani sweet made from milk and ghee) at another guy, what a waste of a perfectly tasty treat:(...

    Anyway, situation was tense, but not dangerous, until finally one ofthe kid's mom came and heard the issue and dissolved it...without anyone facing any punishments.

    I continued to be there...and blink blink blink...the two kids that were earlier killing each other are best of friends now...laughing and playing together (along with the brothers)...and no sooner...they were off fighting with another kid.Ya Allah!

Anyway..this incident of fight-cooldown-forgive-forget and laugh together astonished me alot. I'm an adult, well, almost...and i know, in the world of adults...such incident is rare. A single fight can last for years of bitterness...which sometimes go on for generations.
Its time the grown ups learn something from the children for a change.