Moana, Ria Ricis's Only Daughter, Starts Learning to Fast from a Young Age

Regarding the technical aspects of fasting itself, Moana is still learning gradually. If the child feels hungry in the morning, Ricis allows Moana to eat and drink. For her, the most important thing right now is for Moana to understand the basic concept of enduring hunger and thirst.

"But for sahur, we do wake up a bit earlier, sometimes I like to wake her up. But if she whines wanting to sleep, I don't force her. But if she wakes up, we try to eat a little bit," said Ricis.

"But if she's fasting, she can't make it until the afternoon; sometimes by noon she already wants to eat, sometimes by 10 she already asks for food, and that's okay too. The important thing is to learn from the smallest things first," added Ria Ricis.

Ricis admitted that she did not encounter significant difficulties in teaching this to her daughter. The only challenge was when Moana innocently asked for food or drink during fasting hours. Ricis considers this to be something normal given Moana's young age.

"The difficulty isn't really there, it's just that she's still very young, only three and a half years old. The most challenging part is that she sometimes accidentally asks for food or drink, and that isn't a big deal for me because of her young age. So if she asks for food or drink at the right time, that's completely fine. The important thing is that she understands the meaning of fasting," said Ria Ricis.

Unlike some parents who promise rewards if their children fast, Ricis has a different approach. She prefers to instill the understanding that every act of worship will receive rewards from the Almighty. She wants Moana to learn to be sincere in fulfilling religious obligations without expecting material rewards.

"Not really, because when it comes to fasting with Moana, I always say that the reward will be given by Allah SWT later. Okay, maybe through her mother, but her mother doesn’t always fast and sometimes there are rewards for her. Because every day at school, she always has tests or exams or whatever she can achieve at school, I definitely give her a reward," concluded Ria Ricis.