Have you ever made a mistake that made you feel extremely guilty? But more than that, you learnt from it and promised yourself to be more careful next time?

Well, I don’t know about you, but I have definitely experienced this. Here is what happened.

One Saturday, a few minutes before Maghrib prayers, my dad asked me to sit in the office while he went to the mosque. He gave me instructions to answer phone calls and tell callers to ring back after 15 minutes. I agreed.

As soon as he left, the phone rang. My hands felt clammy, I had never answered calls this professionally. What if I messed up? What if someone misbehaved? I kept worrying.

Well, it did not happen that way. The man was pretty sweet. It boosted my confidence. Around five minutes after that, I answered another call, quite confidently. The man on the other end said that he was speaking from the department responsible for shipping orders, and he asked for the office Gmail.

I wasn’t really paying attention because I was busy playing a game. Without thinking much, I gave him the information he asked for. I even felt I had handled the call well.

The next moment, I was jumping with joy because I had won the game. Just a few minutes after that, my father also returned. Happily, I told him that I had answered two phone calls. He praised me, but then something happened.

As my dad sat on his chair, ready to work, he yelled, “Maimooonahh!?!”

A shiver ran down my spine. It was not a sign of something positive. It sounded like, “What in the world did you do?” but in a very furious tone. I wanted to dig a hole and bury myself. I am not exaggerating when I tell you I was embarrassed and frightened at the same time!

Frightened and freezing, I said, “Yes, Dad.”

He was boiling mad. He said, “You gave away the Gmail password.”

I froze. I was scared and ashamed. I got scolded, and honestly, I deserved it. I cried for hours, then decided to apologise. I stood in front of him quietly, my head down, while he was on a call.

Then I heard my dad say, “Thank you so much, sir. I am really grateful.”

After he hung up, he told me the password had been changed and, with some help, the account was recovered. I felt so relieved.

This wasn’t just a mistake — it was a lesson I will never forget. Never share personal information, no matter how harmless it may seem. If I had been more attentive, I wouldn’t have made that mistake.

So, to everyone reading this, please make sure you’re always careful and attentive to what others are sweetly asking. You might naively give away some personal information, which could have serious consequences. This world is full of scammers, but it’s up to us to stay alert!

Published in Dawn, Young World, April 11th, 2026