You’re probably wondering, what? How?  I will show you a few strategies that can help you obtain just that.  I will start off with, how they can graduate high school early.

1.    For students to take a placement test, and skipping 2-3 grades.  
2.    My favorite way is through home schooling.  

Plan number 1: skip grades.

Students taking a placement test and passing it to the next class is not as hard as many parents think.  The problem is that we don’t give our kids the benefit of doubt. All of our kids are geniuses, all we need to do is help them see it, and so they are motivated to excel on their own.  Without mommy and daddy always looking behind their shoulders.  How I suggest this gets done, is for all the busy people who have to work, they need to for the first 2 -3 years of their child’s education, is sit with them every evening and go over homework and also have the child explain it to the parents.  I know you’re probably thinking I don’t have any time for that, with dinner to serve, baths, etc.  I am telling you that if you want your child to excel and not worry about nagging them later, then you need to sacrifice some time and be there for them when it counts.  Like myself cook the whole weeks meal on Sunday’s and just heat and serve during the week.  Take the phone off of the hook and just focus on your child for 1-2 hours.  If you have more than one child, have all of them studying at the same time and spend a few minutes with each one.  Basically make rounds during that time, so they each get your full attention.  Again this will take some training and some pushing on your part, but remember the benefits are for you.  If you can get all of your children to get scholarships to College would that alone not be worth it?  If you have two to three children, that is saving a whole lot of money from your pocket.  If they get in a great school, each can save about $30,000- $50,000 from paying the University.  Is that not worth it for your time?  What’s sad is that most parents don’t even have that money to help their kids out with College, so everyone gets in debt for school.  I am just showing you that if you help them focus on themselves you will save time and money later.  It can’t be any easier than that.  Let’s just say that you really can’t due it, because of how your life is scheduled right now, what about hiring a tutor for just a few dollars an hour, a young teenager to help your child with what you want.  Believe me it will give your child confidence and skills that they didn’t know they had.  

Plan number 2: home schooling your children.

You know when they are home schooled, they are above average.  Those are the kids who Yale, Stanford and Harvard seek to recruit first.  For they are disciplined to learn and teach themselves.  You’re probably thinking, “I am too busy, I can’t home school.” That’s what I was saying; I used to be a corporate mom and enjoyed it too.  After I realized that no one cared as much about my kid’s education as me, I changed my lifestyle to make it happen.  However, I can hear some of you saying right now, “but I can’t do it, because of my responsibilities.”  I understand, and will not push you do it my way, but for all of those moms who are at home, they can home school.  Imagine spending about 3 hours a day with your child to learn and the rest of the time, they teach themselves.  They have to read books, do projects, explore.  Imagine if you had a curriculum that helped them graduate High School by the age of 14.  Which College would not want them?  If they are that smart, you will have schools fighting for them.  At that age I personally recommend a University close to home, so the parents can drop and pick them up.  

There are many systems set up to that does just that.  For more information email me  
at zohra@zohrasarwari.com

Imagine raising 2, 3, 4 great kids.  Who are smart, talented, well-educated and loved.  What can those kids do for us? Anything.  The problem with society nowadays is we all want to do everything and be great at it.  We simply can’t do everything as humans, something will suffer.  That’s just how it is.  Usually what suffer are our families.  Be it our marriage, or our kids.  We need to refocus and think about our lives, if we were to be alive 15 years from now, what is most important to us?  Is it our careers, being a CEO of a company?  Is it being the best lawyer?  Or is it raising super stars and working part time with it?  I am not saying ladies don’t have careers, all I am saying is that we need to focus on our families too.  Maybe the first 15 years teaching our kids manners, love, respect, haddiths of the Prophet (PBUH).  Most importantly Quran.  Every morning wake them up to pray and read Quran before they leave the house.  Instead of watching cartoons, TV, or doing homework which should have been done already.  I’m saying it is up to the mom’s how their children turn out to be.  They should be our first priority every moment.  And then everything else.  For once we lose them, we lose them forever.  We need to focus on our marriages again.  We need to build families and not just careers.  Allah (SWT) has put us on earth to test us.  One of the tests is motherhood.  Are we really doing what we should be doing, or are we westernized?  Want what the western women want?  Be honest, think about my questions.  I personally see more and more Muslim Women being more westernized than Islamic.  I am not saying we shouldn’t be modernized, just not westernized.  Remember who we are.  Remember that our families are our first priorities and should always be.  If we don’t take care of our kids, with love, knowledge and patience, why will they want to take care of us as we age?  Think about it.  Think deeply.  I will let you read this story to help better understand my point:

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law and four-year old grandson.  The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred and his step faltered.  The family ate together at the table.

But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor.  When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess.  “We must do something about father,” said the son.  “I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.”

So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner.  There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner.  Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl!

When the family glanced in Grandfather’s direction, sometime he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone.  Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence.  One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor.  He asked the child sweetly, “What are you making?”  Just as sweetly, the boy responded, “Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up.”  The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless.  Then tears started to stream down their cheeks.  Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.
That evening the husband took Grandfather’s hand and gently led him back to the family table.  For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family.  And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

I will leave you with this; your child can become anything, but needs your support with it.  Your child needs your love, compassion and patience to teach him or her.  Be the best parent you can be, so that you don’t have regrets later!

For anyone who wants more information on home schooling, or how to make this process happen for them, please email me at zohra@zohrasarwari.com

What are the things parents and kids commonly disagree on? For younger kids, it is usually the lack of discipline. Children aged 5 and up are usually found tied to the TV, the computer or their gaming consoles. Rooms are left messy, they refuse to eat their meals and refuse to sleep early. Good news though, all of these can easily be solved!

How about teens? Now there’s a truly PROBLEMATIC stage! Not only is there a lack of discipline but seemingly a lack of purpose as well. During the teenage years, the body and the mind is in turmoil, all sorts of adjustment and growth is happening and there is a tremendous amount of energy available. Think of a fireman’s hose spitting out torrents but with no one to hold it down.

Raising a kid is pretty much like tending a bonsai tree. A lot of things are obviously parallel. First, it takes time, a WHOLE LOT of time. It will surely take years, decades even. Secondly, It is hard, tedious work. Like the branches of a plant, you will have to train it consistently, applying the wires of tough love every step of the way. Neglect it for just a while and it may grow in an unwanted fashion. Force it back after it has grown and the branch will just break. Finally, to achieve the desired result, you will have to start as early as possible.

Now bending your child into shape sounds like military school! Not necessarily. There is a way to instill discipline and purpose into your child, a way that is not only fun and rewarding but will also bring you closer together as well.

Get him into sports!

Now how does this work?

Sports is undoubtedly fun, I would like to think that it was created mainly for the fun factor. One of it’s main, if not primary objectives would also be to exercise the body and mind. The objective in most popular sports would be to win, which gives it it’s “thrill”. To win of course, you will have to better than your opponent. This will involve practicing and honing skills which are previously unnatural, which in turn will require patience, perseverance and dedication.

Does this sound like what the doctor ordered? Sports has proven to be beneficial to most people and I would recommend that it be something that you and your kid partake of together. However if you do not have the time, it is quite alright that your child go at it by himself. Just make sure that you will always be there to support him otherwise he might lose interest in the endeavor.

There’s a lot to be gained by participating in sports. Improvement in health and overall physical well-being is always a given. As mentioned earlier, the participant will learn discipline, perseverance etc. Aside from achieving a sense of purpose and accomplishment, there are also surprisingly good bonuses. Lots of scholastic and career opportunities await those who are physically gifted and talented (perhaps to a lesser extent, those who are ardently persistent). Lots of universities offer “sports scholarships” to those who are exceptional in their chosen sport, obviously so because sports like football, basketball, soccer (futbol) is big business both for the school and the athlete. We need not mention how much Shaq made playing in college alone, aside from all the endorsements and whatnot.

Now certainly not all kids can be like Mike but I know you do get the picture of the potential harvest in sports. Disadvantages are clearly outweighed, but we’ll talk about that later.

Now what are some sports that you may want to get your child into? Here are some popular suggestions as well as some “pros” and “cons” that you will have to take into consideration.

SWIMMING

Pros: Swimming can very well be considered the “ultimate workout”. The 4 strokes or styles of swimming, namely Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke and Butterfly utilizes all the parts of the body simultaneously. Water gives ample resistance to provide a low impact workout, meaning that it does not strain the joints or the muscles too much while providing great cardio training. Swimming is also an invaluable skill to learn, the difference between knowing and not knowing how can very well save one’s life. Pretty cheap sport, all one will need would be a pair of good goggles, a bathing suit or trunks and a flotation device (if required by the instructor) and access to a pool, Olympic size preferably. Highly recommended to kids with asthma or bronchial conditions.

Cons: Fun factor medium at best, since there is no “game” element to the sport. There is a risk of contracting some ear and skin infections (swimmer’s ear) when swimming in a public pool. There is also risk of drowning, although very very minimal.

Sports of similar vein: Cycling, Running (sprint, marathon), Rock climbing.

BASKETBALL

Pros: Very popular sport, has a high fun factor. It is a team sport which can help your child make friends and learn how to be a team player. Has a cerebral factor to it and will train the player to strategize under pressure. Lots of sports scholarship and career opportunities for those who wish to pursue it professionally.

Cons: Height is a huge determining factor, although a lot of small players throughout history have found their way and prospered in the NBA. There is medium risk of injury as it is a rough sport. The training and the sport itself focuses mainly on the development of the arms and calves, there is considerably high impact on the ankle and foot joints. It being a team sport is a double edged sword. If he happens to be physically inferior, there is a possibility that he will lose interest in the sport as he may not be able to get picked into games.

Alternatives you may wish to explore: Baseball, Pro football, Futbol (soccer), Ice Hockey.

LAWN TENNIS

Pros: Pretty enjoyable sport, usually learned first individually. Pro tennis is enjoying a resurfacing popularity worldwide and is one of the most lucrative sports today, it is another sport which can be a great professional career option. Can be played indoor or outdoor. Provides very good training for stamina.

Cons: An expensive sport. A decent, entry level tennis racquet costs around $60 up, owning a backup racquet is advisable. Balls around $10 which have to be replaced almost every other 3 games. Bags, playing uniform shoes are a must. Probably the one you will have to shell out the most for would be the tennis court, which is usually situated in a country club. Instructor fees, court rental fees, accessories (strings, grips etc) might make you reconsider. However if you are the type who has a membership to a country club, most probably money would not be a problem.

Like flying solo? Check out: Badminton, Table Tennis, Squash.

MARTIAL ARTS

Pros: There are a lot of martial arts to learn but for children to teens, I would like to suggest 3 types as of now: Judo, Aikido and TaeKwonDo . By far the cheapest sport among those I have already mentioned, as it only requires a “gi” or whatever uniform is prescribed, aside from the lessons. I would definitely recommend this for girls and women as it is a good way to learn how to defend oneself against rape or any kind of violence. This is possibly the only sport which requires its students to adhere to a certain “code of conduct” if you will, as the almost any martial art is inextricably tied to a philosophy. I would go as far as to say that the martial arts is not merely a sport or a way of self defense, rather it is a complete mentality and way of life. By far this is the best way to instill discipline, especially to kids who are somewhat incorrigible. Great way to build flexibility and conditioning.

Cons: Fun factor quite low. Judo and Aikido come from Japan and TaeKwondo is from Korea. Lessons are held in a “dojo” where the mood is pretty somber or reserved all throughout the sessions, which is very characteristic of temperaments from the country of origin. Teachers or “sensei” are very strict. High risk of injuries if the students are required to spar. Frustrating to learn at first, especially Aikido.

If you’re pretty somber yourself, try: Archery, Equestrianism, Ballet.

21 Days To A Happy Child Guide – Turn Misbehavior Into Great Behavior.