Hassan was a seventh grader and one of the top students in his class. He always had to deal with a lot of homework, assignments and extra tuition work daily. Even though he was a good student, sometimes this extra workload exhausted him, and the way his father guided him also made him feel irritated.

Hassan’s father was a college professor. Being a teacher, he knew how to guide his son so that he could perform well in almost every test or examination. However, this well-meaning guidance often felt like a heavy burden on Hassan’s shoulders. Sometimes, he did follow his father’s instructions, which earned him praise in class, yet he still felt that he should be allowed to study on his own, as he had grown old enough to manage his studies independently.

Hassan’s friends spent a lot of time playing different games in the neighbourhood and on the playground, but Hassan had little time to play because his father insisted that he needed to study daily; otherwise, he would face many problems during tests and examinations. Sometimes, Hassan’s friends laughed at him and made fun of him for being a bookworm. This often made Hassan feel dejected.

Looking at his long study hours and his father’s strict guidance, Hassan felt that his father was being overly possessive about him and his studies. He believed that he should be allowed to do everything like his friends, who spent their time freely, even if wastefully.

One day, Hassan came home with his monthly test results and happily showed his father that he had scored better marks than in the previous tests. Feeling that he was improving, he decided to ask for permission to study on his own without any help. His father realised that Hassan still needed support and guidance, but his son insisted strongly, feeling overconfident and influenced by his friends, who often mocked him.

His father knew that Hassan was going through peer pressure, so he decided to show him how important the role of guidance is in a child’s life.

In a few weeks, it was time for the mid-term exams. Hassan’s father told him to prepare on his own, but remained a silent observer. Hassan created his own study schedule and timetable without his father’s help and began his preparation. He felt happy and independent. Soon, he realised that no matter how good he was at studies, he still needed guidance, but he kept the thought to himself.

To relieve stress, he spent more time playing games and watching TV, just like his friends, rather than studying. His father did not stop him from these time-wasting activities, and Hassan was very happy with this freedom. He began doing almost everything his friends were doing and enjoyed spending time with them. In this way, the mid-term exams ended and he waited for the results, confident that they would be good.

When the results came out, Hassan was shocked to see that he had failed in so many subjects: English, science, maths and social studies. At that moment, he realised that these were the subjects in which his father had guided him.

Hassan came home but did not show his result card to his father and remained silent in his room for a couple of hours. He kept thinking about how he should talk to his father and what he should say.

The next day, his father entered his room and asked about the reason for his sadness. Overwhelmed, Hassan burst into tears and shared his result with his father, who was already aware of the consequences of his son’s mismanagement and carelessness. Hassan felt ashamed and apologised to his father for being misled by his friends, who had wasted his valuable time. As a result, he faced failure, which not only made him feel inferior in class, but also disappointed his teachers and his father.

From that day onwards, Hassan made a firm decision to follow his father’s guidance in every way, which helped him not only in his studies, but also later in his career decisions. He also decided not to pay attention to the mockery of his friends, who always wasted their time.

Published in Dawn, Young World, December 27th, 2025