Actor Kajol lately opened up about her expertise with motherhood and the way her youngsters have taught her shocking life classes in sudden moments. Chatting with Bollywood Bubble, she shared how arguments together with her children, particularly round meals, changed into moments of non-public progress and introspection.
“Let me inform you, a lot of the fights between me and my children have occurred on the eating desk,” she mentioned. Reflecting on one such disagreement together with her daughter Nysa, Kajol shared, “So many occasions there have been cases the place, you realize, typically I look again and particularly in the case of meals… At one level, I realised, Nysa checked out me and mentioned, ‘Mother, simply loosen up. I do know what I’m doing, and I’ll eat once I’m hungry.’ And I checked out her and thought, sure, she is going to eat when she’s hungry. She’s lived in a boarding faculty, gone to London. And she or he’s nonetheless alive and doing advantageous. She’s completely satisfied, she’s thriving, so clearly, she’s accomplished one thing proper.”
Kajol additionally admitted how her youngsters challenged her views and altered her in methods she hadn’t anticipated. “I’m a really opinionated individual… and to alter my opinion, you would wish to debate with me and persuade me that what you’re saying and considering is correct. I believe the true shock got here when my youngsters might try this to me with out saying an excessive amount of… only one line or one look. I don’t imagine I’m being boastful once I say I’m an excellent mom. However sure, to be a greater individual, typically I’ve develop into a greater individual as a result of my youngsters have taught me tips on how to be higher.”
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Why accomplish that many parent-child energy struggles occur round meals and mealtime, and the way can dad and mom handle these conflicts?
Sonal Khangarot, licensed rehabilitation counsellor and psychotherapist, The Reply Room, says, “Dinner is normally the one time households pause every little thing, to return collectively. That pause makes the desk an area loaded with expectations. For folks, feeding is an act of affection. For kids, it will probably really feel like strain or management. So when a baby refuses to eat or insists on decisions, it’s hardly ever nearly starvation; it’s about asserting autonomy.”
She continues, “As a therapist, I usually counsel shifting the main focus from ‘how a lot’ or ‘what’ a baby eats to ‘how’ the meal feels. Create rituals round meals, laying the desk collectively, and sharing a excessive and low of the day. Supply decisions inside the construction. When mealtimes are protected and versatile, the ability battle fades, and connection takes centre stage — precisely what we’re all craving.”
What does it take for a guardian to be taught from their baby genuinely?
For a guardian to genuinely be taught from their baby, Khangarot notes, it takes humility, curiosity, and a willingness to let go of the concept that age equals authority. As youngsters develop into younger adults, they start forming identities, opinions, and values of their very own — and this may problem long-held parental beliefs. But it surely’s additionally an invite to develop collectively.
When dad and mom practise actual listening, not simply listening to, however receiving and responding with presence, they create area for honesty and connection. “Psychology defines listening as an energetic means of absorbing and making which means of what’s being mentioned. Receptive listening, particularly, permits youngsters to really feel seen reasonably than corrected. This shift — from parenting as instructing to parenting as relating — helps the connection evolve. It nurtures mutual respect and creates an surroundings the place each guardian and baby can proceed studying from each other, strengthening their bond by means of the transitions of life,” says the knowledgeable.
