"Rim… Rim… wake up, dear! Why are you still sleeping? Your history exam is next week! Only five days left! Just because it's a holiday doesn't mean you'll sleep all day!"
I called her again and again until she finally opened her eyes, slightly irritated but still my calm, soft-spoken girl.
While serving her breakfast, I reminded her, "You have four chapters for history. I'll take a test on the first two chapters. Finish revising them by tomorrow. You've already studied them once, so two days are enough for revision."
She looked at me and replied gently, "Not two days, Mom. I have only today. Tomorrow I'll be back at school."
"Alright," I said, "then try to revise as much as you can today."
She nodded but didn't respond further. That silence felt unusual. Rim always speaks up when she has something to say. A small doubt crept into my mind, but I brushed it aside and got busy with my work.
After breakfast, she went into her room and closed the door. A little later, I knocked and reminded her about the test again. Silence.
Time passed.
Curious, I went to check on her. To my surprise, she was practicing math.
I smiled and said, "Great! So you've finished revising history? I can take the test this evening then!"
She looked a little worried. "Mom… can you please take the test the day after tomorrow?"
That made me upset. "Why are you delaying things? Please be serious, dear. I'll take the test tomorrow evening. Be prepared."
"Mom…" she hesitated.
"What is it? Tell me clearly," I insisted.
She lowered her eyes and said softly, "I'm sorry, Mom. I won't be able to give the test tomorrow… because my history book isn't with me."
I was shocked. "What? How can you be so irresponsible? Where is your book?"
Very calmly she explained, "One of my friends was absent for a few days because she was ill. She couldn't mark the important parts the teacher pointed out in class. She looked very helpless. So I gave her my book to mark everything properly. You always tell me that we should be kind and help others. She promised to return it tomorrow. Don't worry, Mom. Four days are enough for me to revise."
Her words silenced me.
In that moment, my anger melted into something far more powerful — pride.
Here I was worrying about chapters and tests, while my daughter was practicing something much bigger than academics — humanity.
I pulled her into a tight hug.
I realized that education is not only about marks, exams, or revision schedules. It is about values. And my little girl had understood the lesson far better than I had.
Four days were indeed enough for her to revise history.
But in just one moment, she taught me a lesson I will remember for a lifetime. 💛