It is heartbreaking how Indian parents raise their kids to bear the burden of their expectations. This pressure sometimes becomes so heavy that it leads to depression and suicidal tendencies in kids.
With our children reeling under extreme pressure to achieve something and make their parents proud, it is important than ever that parents start having the conversation about mental health and failures in life to fight TEEN SUICIDE!
One such parent is a single mom and a famous actor, Juhi Parmar. She recently shared a very important message on how she is helping her kid learn the importance of failures and how to handle them.
In her recent interview with Hindustan Times, Juhi spoke about why it is important for parents to teach their kids about failure. She shared:
“In school, we teach our children about achievers but they should also be taught about others who tried but failed. When we play any game, Samairra (7) always wants to win. But I told her she needs to fight for it. If she wins, good, if she doesn’t even after trying hard she’s still a winner,”
She also added how too many expectations can also bog children down:
“Samairra’s career choices change every week. Now she wants to become a baker. She recently asked, ‘You don’t want me to become an actor right?’ I told her if you become one, I’d be happy or else I’d love to eat cakes baked by you,” she smiles.
Juhi Parmar isn’t the first mother to speak about how there is a dire need to teach our kids about handling failures.
In one of her inspiring post, Twinkle Khanna also spoke about Teen Suicide and what parents need to do. She said:
“We teach our children to study hard, to strive to succeed but do we teach them that it’s okay to fail? That life is about accepting yourself? That there is no stigma in seeking help? Our Indian culture is based on worshipping our parents. We grow up listening to words like respect, obedience and tradition. Can we not add the words communication, unconditional love and support to this list?
Twinkle also offered the best advice that any parent can offer to their kids to give them the hope to live when things get tough. (Read Twinkle’s complete post on Teen Suicide here)
At IFORHER, we feel it is important for us to let our kids know that it is okay to fail; that it is okay to fall and find the courage to get back up. We know there are some hard-hitting and practical things, which every parent would agree to.
Do let us know how you ease your kid’s pressure and comfort them. We would share your parenting tips with other parents across the world.
