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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Genuinely curious non- Muslim here. I am not trying to be snarky or xenophobic, but I have a couple of questions I don't feel comfortable asking the Muslims I know IRL.

First, I can see not eating anything during daylight hours (I grew up Catholic and did a more limited fast). But i do not understand the logistics of no water.  I drink several quarts a day, because if I get at all dehydrated, it triggers debilitating  migraines. So going 12-14 hours without water seems impossible.  I would also worry about kids doing PE and not drinking in hot weather. How does that work? No water period?  Are there exceptions?

Also, we have late elementary and middle school aged kids in our neighborhood and in my kids school who fast. Their parents also say that they enjoy it and want to. When I was that age and older and fasted as part of being Catholic, I absolutely did not enjoy it-- I did it because my parents made me.  Do kids really "enjoy" fasting and want to do it?  If so why?  Or is that just something parents say?[/quote]

I was worried about the water thing too. Technically, no water. People who take medications usually don't fast, but some will just drink water with their meds and still fast (depends on the issue). People who get migraines or other issues when fasting are not required to fast. Illness is an excuse from fasting. There are other ways to observe Ramadan, do good, give to the less fortunate, etc.

I definitely enjoyed it as a child. My parents didn't let me do full day fasts until I was 11 or 12 and even then I wasn't allowed to do it everyday because they thought it would be too much. A lot of kids do "half day" fasts, fasting after lunch or something like that, so they can participate. The month is so much about sharing your experiences that you feel left out when you're not fasting, so I can understand the enthusiasm children feel. I remember having a hard time getting into the spirit of the month when I wasn't fasting due to pregnancy/nursing.[/quote]

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