Parenting can be demanding, says Rocketry star Madhavan

Amritsar, July 11

Parenting can be extremely demanding, especially if you have a 16-year-old rising champion, who does not want to live under the shadow of a famous actor father.

But R Madhavan and his son Vedaant seem to have a set of rules that they follow as the actor shared how he treads the path of parenthood cautiously and practically.

The film Rocketry: The Nambi Effect star was in Amritsar to attend the event organised by the FICCI FLO city chapter titled Raising A Champion.

“The first advice I want to give to parents is that always underplay your child’s achievements to keep them grounded and check your ambitions as a parent. I never let what’s in my head get into Vedaant’s head. He is getting all this attention maybe because of me, but his own achievements are by far his own and that speaks for him,” he shared.

Vedaant’s seven-medal haul at the Danish Open 2022 earlier this year created waves and the country hailed its next swimming sensation. But Madhavan said his advice to his son was to know the difference between his success and failures. “I always share with him how I dealt with my success and failures. He needs to understand that they are not connected. For most parents, our child’s achievements feel like our safety mechanism. You need to let them understand that they do not have to be at the top of everything at the age of 18 or 19, which is the case in today’s world.”

During the interaction, he also mentioned how he learnt the lessons of life from his father. “My father once told me that if I make any mistake, I tell him about it first as he will try to help me mend them through his experience and that he will always be in my team.”

Another advice that he gave to the parents present there was to verify their facts before they pass it on to others. “As a parent I believe it is very important to verify whatever you hear before you believe it to be a fact. There is so much information on WhatsApp and the Internet that you can fall prey to misinformation as I have to. And that algorithm sticks to you. So, authenticity is something I aim for as a parent, as an actor,” he said.

Meanwhile, he seemed impressed by the performance dedicated to him by a group of children comprising Gargi, Dishita, Devyansh, Rudransh, Dhananjay, Ayaan and Arhaan. He also shared fond memories of his visit to Amritsar during the shoot of Tanu Weds Manu.

Chairperson, FLO, Amritsar, Shikha Sareen said this event was to get insight about parenting, especially fathers. “Raising a child is a collective effort of both mother and father. Fatherhood, it seems, is still considered an easy job as compared to motherhood. But Madhavan’s insight was quite a revelation for many of us.”