R Madhavan On Parenting Tip From A Canadian Woman: "Teenage Pregnancy Was Rampant, Drugs And Alcohol Were Part Of The Town"

R Madhavan has often expressed how proud he feels about his son Vedaant Madhavan, who is a professional swimmer and has represented India at several international competitions. In a recent conversation, the actor spoke at length about the values he wants to instil in his son. He also spoke about a parenting tip he once got from a woman in "wild Canada", where teenage pregnancy, drugs and alcohol were a "part of the town".

On The Conversation He Had With The Canadian Lady

In conversation with Radhika Gupta on the YouTube channel 100 Year Life Project by ACKO, the Dhurandhar actor shared a parenting tip he got from a lady in Canada when he was studying there.

He shared, "I lived in a town in Canada, which was pretty wild for those times because, you know, teenage pregnancy was rampant over there, and drugs and alcohol were part of that town. I found one family that I stayed with whose children were absolutely normal as can be, very well brought up, not into any of these issues."

He added, "And so I happened to ask the lady of the household many years later, I said, 'How did you manage to do this?'"

Recalling her response, he mentioned, "And she gave me advice which I followed to the hilt, and it really worked for my son. And she said, 'Don't give your child free time.' She said, 'You know, indulge him or her in whatever they want to do, as long as they're doing it with passion. The interests will change, the level of commitment will change, but make sure that they don't have free time till they're 15-16 years old. Make it a habit to make sure they go from one activity to the other. And it could be fun. It should be fun. It shouldn't be a chore, or the child is going to hate it.'"

On The Values R Madhavan Wants To Inculcate In Son Vedaant

R Madhavan further spoke of the important life lessons he wants to teach Vedaant, terming the most important as "attitude for gratitude".

He said, "I realised there are two things I needed to tell Vedaant. One is this attitude of gratitude, which is very, very important for them to know: that they are privileged because of somebody else's work that has helped get you this."

"And therefore, sometimes just telling him the salary of my cook, saying, 'Hey, you know what? What a pair of shoes that have been gifted to you cost this much and this man has to work an entire year, living in that kitchen, to earn enough to afford a bit of that,'" added the actor.

The second thing that he taught his son was never to differentiate between people based on societal hierarchies, and to treat everyone with the same respect.

"The second thing I made sure that Vedaant did was to acknowledge, maybe not as much as my friends, but most certainly acknowledge the liftman, the guard, the drivers, you know, and not call them aayas and stuff like that. Call them didis instead," revealed R Madhavan.

He added, "And I made sure that if the watchman came and said, 'You are a very polite child, he always says namaste to me,' I thought my job was well done."

R Madhavan married Sarita Birje, a former air hostess and a trained fashion designer, in 1999. They welcomed their son Vedaant in 2005. The actor was last seen in Aditya Dhar's blockbuster Dhurandhar: The Revenge.

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