Tag: parenting tips

Young Lives, Heavy Pressure: Listening to What Our Students Are Carrying

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

Trigger warning: this post discusses suicide and self-harm. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services or a mental health helpline immediately. In Pakistan, national helplines and crisis support services are available to offer confidential support.

In recent months, we have seen a painful pattern repeating itself across Punjab: university students, bright, young people who should be building futures, are taking desperate steps or attempting to take their lives. These are not isolated tragedies; they are a mirror reflecting pressures that many families do not see clearly until it is too late. Recent reporting from Lahore and elsewhere has linked some of these incidents to academic pressure, failed relationships, and family conflicts, and universities and families alike are asking hard questions about what went wrong. (The Express Tribune, AAJ TV)

As a parent, it is natural to react with shock and guilt: ‘Kiya mein jaan sakta tha? Kiya mein pehlay qadam utha sakta tha? (Could I have known? Could I have acted sooner?) Those are painful but familiar questions. We also need to step back and look more critically at the systems surrounding our children, at what we ask of them, what schools expect, and how families respond when a child shows signs of pain. This is not about assigning blame to any single person. It’s about noticing patterns and changing them.

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Teen Academic Burnout: A Growing Crisis We Can No Longer Ignore

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

I’ve been thinking a lot about the quiet exhaustion I often notice in teenagers today, the way their shoulders slump under the invisible weight of expectations, or how their eyes lose a little of their spark as exams approach. Sometimes, when I’m mentoring students or talking to parents, I find myself asking: When did learning become so heavy for our children?

In Pakistan, where grades are tied to prestige, opportunity, and sometimes even family honour, academic pressure doesn’t just sit in school bags; it follows students into their homes, their sleep, and their identities. And whether we admit it or not, teen academic burnout has slowly become a national concern.

What Exactly Is Teen Academic Burnout?

Academic burnout is more than just being “tired of studying.” Psychologists describe it as a state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion caused by long-term academic stress (Schaufeli et al., 2002).

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Nomophobia: Understanding the Rising Digital Addiction Among Students

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

How parents and teachers can help children balance their digital lives

Have you ever seen your teen panic when their phone battery dies or when there’s no Wi-Fi signal? Recently, I came across a research article on ResearchGate that introduced me to the term “Nomophobia.” To my surprise, it perfectly described a growing issue I often observe among students: an emotional dependence on their mobile phones. Among high school and college students, what’s the one thing they can’t seem to live without? You guessed it, their mobile phones. In fact, research shows that many adolescents would rather lose a pinky finger than their cell phone! This bizarre attachment has led to a growing number of students who prefer texting or tweeting instead of face-to-face conversations.

This irrational fear of being without a mobile phone is called Nomophobia, a short form for “no-mobile-phone phobia.” It’s the fear of being disconnected, whether because of a low battery, no signal, or simply leaving the phone behind.

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