“Ughh! Come on, Mum, it’s only been 15 minutes,” Amir exclaimed.

“No,” came the firm response from Mum. It was a normal Saturday and the Abbasi children had nothing to do. “Enough screen time for you,” Mum said gently. Defeated, Amir trudged off to the backyard.

The Abbasi family was from Pakistan, but they had shifted to Texas, USA, and had been living there for nearly four years now. They had a 12-year-old daughter named Naba, a 10-year-old son, Amir, and a seven-year-old daughter called Kinza. Despite their unique blend of nature, they always had a strong bond, full of tantrums and love.

“Hey Amir, did you see my Harry Potter series books? They’ve vanished since Mum had a look at my report card,” Naba asked as she saw Amir approaching.

“No, aapi. But can you please help me out?” Amir said and told her his own story.

A few minutes later, Kinza tottered towards them, sobbing. “Aapi, Dad hid my piano keyboard toy because he said I was making a lot of noise. This is so unfair!” she cried.

“We need a way out of this,” announced Amir, and he and Kinza gazed hopefully at Naba.

“Okay, I’ll think this out,” she sighed.

Towards evening, Naba suddenly exclaimed, “I’ve got an idea!”

“What?” Kinza and Amir said in unison.

When the plan’s details had been explained and night had fallen, the children made their way towards their parents’ room.

“Is something wrong?” Mum enquired.

“Of course something is wrong! Your rules for us are too strict. So, we have decided that we will switch roles with you for one day. And we mean it,” Amir said.

“You mean we’ll be children and you will be parents?” Dad gulped.

“Yes, and we will start this at 8 am sharp tomorrow,” Naba announced.

“All right,” replied their parents nervously.

The next morning, Naba, Amir and Kinza woke up at 7 o’clock. Naba and Kinza took over the role of Mum, Naba being the cook and Kinza handling other responsibilities. Amir was ready to take on his father’s role.

“Wake up, sleepyheads! Your new parents are here,” said Amir and Kinza when it was time to wake their parents. They led their parents to the dining table, but before that, they made the drowsy pair brush their teeth and change their clothes.

In the kitchen, Naba was busy preparing bowls of cereal for Mum and Dad, and pancakes and smoothies for themselves. The parents ate their breakfast scowling, while the children had the time of their lives.

After breakfast, Dad got up to watch a movie on TV, but Amir stopped him, “No, you need to study.” Dad had to bury his head in the world of mathematics. Mum was also going to watch her drama series, but Kinza forced her to help with chores.

Near noon, Kinza finally let Mum watch what she wanted, and Dad was also let off the hook.

Dad then came up with a plan to make the kids feel regret this “role switching”, and sat down to watch TV. Soon, a deliberate fight broke out between Mum and Dad about channel selection. Amir took the opportunity and banned watching TV for five hours.

“Great plan,” grumbled Mum; Dad looked at her with a fiery glare.

At lunch, Naba served chicken sandwiches and mac and cheese. “Finally, a proper meal!” the parents mumbled.

At 5 p.m., Amir allowed them 15 minutes of screen time.

“What! So little time?” the parents exclaimed.

“Got to listen to us, or else time out!” remarked Amir.

During their time as children, the parents realised how strict they were on their kids. Naba, Amir and Kinza also got to know how hard it was to handle tantrums and manage the house.

Before dinner, Amir picked up Dad’s phone and got really busy. The girls also joined in; only the parents were left out. Soon the bell rang. The kids rushed out and came back carrying two pizza boxes. Naba was holding a big box of cake. Mum and Dad grinned.

That night everyone slept peacefully.

“Mum, Dad, I’m sure you liked last night’s surprise, and you also got to know how hard your rules are sometimes. So, if you made occasional leniencies, I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt us,” Amir said to his parents the next morning.

“Of course it will, you’ll empty my wallet!” Dad joked.

“Yes, we will. Now we know how you feel,” Mum replied.

The children smiled and hugged their parents, but this time it was warmer and closer.

Published in Dawn, Young World, November 22nd, 2025