Some children don’t grow up loving books. Some avoid them. Some run from reading like it’s something shameful. This is a story about one of those children—a little girl we’ll call Tutee Z—and her mother, Umm Z, who was trying to figure it all out, overwhelmed and unsure, but quietly determined to give her daughter something better.
The Early Days
Reading wasn’t just difficult for Tutee Z—it was uncomfortable. She avoided it, squirmed when asked to sit down, and carried a quiet shame she couldn’t put into words. Writing was no better. She would resist, hide from it, do anything to avoid the page.
Umm Z had never taught phonics before. Her older children had attended Islamic schools, where the foundation had already been laid for her. But with Z, she was suddenly face to face with something she had never had to do before: teach her own child how to read from scratch.
“It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy the time with her,” she told me once. “It was that I didn’t know how to teach her—and she was getting frustrated because of it.”
She tried YouTube videos. Twinkl worksheets. She even considered sending Z back to school, though her heart wasn’t settled about it. “Would it even help? Or would it just be a waste of time?” she wondered. In Qatar, quality tutoring was hard to find—and often came with a price tag that didn’t reflect the experience. She wasn’t looking for business; she was looking for barakah.
Why She Chose to Keep Going
Umm Z’s reason for homeschooling was never just about academics. It was about presence. Being there. Spending time with her children while she still had it. “I’ll never get this time back,” she said. “And I want them to be close to their deen. I want them to memorise the Qur’an.”
She believed in education—but not in grades alone. She wanted her daughters to thrive the way she expected from her sons. Not for the sake of career. But so that, if life ever required it, they could stand firmly on what they knew.
The Shift
Over time, something started to shift. Tutee Z didn’t just tolerate reading anymore—she started asking for it. She wanted to go to the library. She started writing stories at home. She began remembering the phonics, even if she needed reminders after breaks.
Umm Z noticed. “She comes home and writes. She writes on the lines now. I remind her about capitals gently. And Alhamdulillah, she’s doing okay.”
Even her older sibling, K, would sneak into lessons, sitting beside her sister just to join in.
It wasn’t perfect. There were off-days, forgotten lessons, seasons of disinterest. But the confidence that began to grow in Z was real.
And more importantly, the bond between mother and daughter—one built not on pressure, but presence—was stronger than ever.
Final Thoughts from Umm Z
“I think it’s worth the investment,” she said. “At first I thought the price was high… but what you get out of it—it matters. Especially the way you engage they children.”
To any mother feeling unsure, overwhelmed, or like she’s somehow failing because her child doesn’t love reading yet: know that you are not alone. It’s not about pushing. It’s about creating a space where learning feels possible.
Because even the children who avoid books at first, who whisper “I hate writing” and run from phonics—even they can find their way to the library.
And sometimes, all it takes is a mum who refuses to give up.
