Children Without Parents
New houses, rows of luxury cars — at first glance, everything seems perfect. The family looks happy, birds are singing joyfully, as if thanking life itself. Inside one of these grand houses lived two children. To their friends, they seemed like the happiest kids in the world. After all, when your parents work in powerful state companies, when you live in mansions with servants who cook and wait for you after school — isn’t that happiness?
Their friends were still too young to understand that wealth, position, and luxury don’t define happiness. Maybe they just believed the lies those rich children told them. It was said that the family often dined together, played games, and went on trips every week. “Really?” thought their neighbor Khadicha, who knew the truth. The children could hardly remember the last time they saw their parents or ate together. Every morning at five, Ali and Lola woke up hoping to see their parents — but their father was away on another business trip, and their mother had gone out to meet friends or organize new events.
Even when she was home, she would tell the servants,> “If the kids ask, tell them I’m at work. I want to sleep in peace today — I have no time for their endless chatter.” The servants were shocked — so many people yearn for children, while these parents can’t spare even five minutes for theirs. Last Monday, the situation worsened. Ali won first place in the national stage of the “Young Reader” competition and even received a Chevrolet Cobalt as a prize. He wanted to gift it to his father and stayed up until 2 a.m. waiting. But his father never came.
When he finally returned in the morning, the driver excitedly told him the news. The father just smirked:> “A Cobalt? I could buy a thousand of them along with that silly contest. They chose him because of my wealth and influence.” The driver snapped:> “No, sir. They chose him for his knowledge and intellect — even officials’ children couldn’t win.” But the boss had already gone to bed, tired from his trip to Turkey. The driver was disgusted.
Those parents traveled the world, while their children were forgotten — no relatives visited, no love from their own parents. Only kind neighbor Khadicha sometimes took them to the park so they wouldn’t feel so lonely. In their parents’ eyes, the children were nothing but a burden. Life is cruel — some people long for children, while others take them for granted.> “If only kids could choose their parents…” thought the driver sadly.“
When we fail to appreciate God’s blessings, He can take them back.” He sighed, hoping:> “May this story end well.” But the truth remains — real wealth is peace, love, and family unity. When there is harmony at home, everything else can be earned later. No child should grow up deprived of love, forced to mature without ever feeling what childhood truly means.
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Do All Stories End Well?
Since childhood, I loved one fairy tale my mother used to tell —> “There once lived a snake and a cat. The brave cat always fought the snake, but in the end, the snake devoured the cat.”
Every night, I asked my mother to tell it again, hoping that one day the ending would change — that the cat would win. But it never did.
That’s when I realized — not every story ends happily. Life is like an exam: the more you fall, the higher you can rise. One of my teachers once said:> “Life is like boiling water. Whether you want it or not, you’re thrown into it every day. If you don’t endure and trust the process, you’ll face even harder trials. Those hardships are gifts — they wash away your sins and test your patience. The more patient you are, the sweeter the reward.”
I understood — like gold purified by fire, humans too are refined through challenges. Gold must be heated thousands of degrees before it becomes beautiful jewelry — and we must face pain to become stronger. When I was younger, I couldn’t understand why adults got upset over small things. Now that I’m older, I finally do. Life is temporary, and stress causes most of our illnesses. Even our physical pain often begins with emotional pain. The human body is a miracle — everything inside is connected like clockwork.
A few years ago, I underwent laser eye surgery. After years of studying day and night for exams, I had strained my eyes and partially lost vision. When the surgery succeeded, and I saw the world clearly again — distant trees looked like they were right before me — I realized how little we value our blessings until we lose them. Whenever I feel sad, I remind myself:> “I can see, I can walk, I am healthy — I should be grateful.” Even hardships can be blessings in disguise. When something doesn’t go as planned, maybe it’s because something better awaits. We just don’t see it yet.
For example, when I was trying to get my driver’s license, I failed twice during the practical test. After months of preparation and money spent, I almost gave up. But on the third attempt, I passed. That’s when I learned — what’s truly yours will find its way to you, no matter how long it takes. In conclusion — every person faces such tests. What matters is not what we get from society, but what we give back to it. The key is to value what we already have — because if we don’t, it can be taken away.
And as for that childhood fairy tale —Not every story ends happily, because sometimes failure itself is the happiest ending — it’s what helps us grow. If you fall, rise again — stronger than before.