Family Matters
Sometimes I have to take my children out of school because of family matters.
It is not something I do just because I don't care about school.
First, my husband works shifts. Usually, he works on Saturday and Sunday. So during weekends, the children mostly stay at home and play.
But when do we get to go out together?
When can we go for a walk, go to the beach or just bring the kids to the park?
On weekdays, the children have school in the morning and then KAFA in the afternoon. They come home around 6pm. They play for a while, then it is already Maghrib.
At night, some days are free. Some days they have mengaji. Some days they have silat.
So again, when do we have time to go out?
That is one thing.
The second thing is going back to our hometown.
Our hometown is about 9 hours away. My husband works shifts, and when he gets 5 days off, usually it is during weekdays.
So yes, sometimes I have to take the children out of school to go back to our hometown.
Some people might say,
“Don't go back. School is more important.”
But is school really more important than family?
My husband's father has passed away. His mother is already old. My own parents are also getting older.
So when are the grandchildren supposed to go back and see their grandparents?
After the grandparents are gone?
After the children become adults?
If we don't bring them back when they are young, how will they become close with their aunties, uncles and cousins?
I believe family relationships also need to be built from a young age.
Bring them back. Let them meet everyone. Let them know who their family is.
School is important, yes.
But family is important too.
The children go to school almost every day for many years. Going back to our hometown happens only once every few months.
So does taking them out of school mean we don't care about their education?
I don't think so.
Education is important, but school is not the only place where children learn.
Home is also a place for education.
They learn how to talk to people. They learn about family. They learn how to behave. They learn about life.
So I don't feel guilty taking my children out of school for 5 days every 3 months to go back to our hometown.
I also don't feel guilty taking them out of school once a month to go to the beach or the park.
Because our hometown is far away.
Because our parents are getting old.
Because our family is not here.
And because my husband works shifts, so we don't get the same weekends and holidays like some other families.
Every family has different circumstances.
Sometimes, there is a reason why a child is absent from school.
Sometimes, it is because of family matters.
And for me, family matters.
Because family is important.