How Your Parenting Can Change the World

[00:00:00] Welcome to the unconventional journey of modern parenting. This is The Meaningful Space

[00:00:20] a podcast where we dive into the deep ends of racing tweens and teens. You are not just

[00:00:26] any parent and this isn't just any other podcast. I am SURAJ KUMAR A S and together we are

[00:00:33] going to challenge norms, scatter the barrier, redefine success for our children. You might

[00:00:38] be tuning in from blustening cities across the globe, from United States to Australia

[00:00:43] or from New York to New Delhi. Each of you juggling with the complexities of work, life

[00:00:48] and ever evolving digital landscape. As parents, you are the architect of the future, shaping

[00:00:55] minds that are not just academically brilliant but emotionally intelligent and resilient

[00:01:00] and compassionate too. So, are you ready for the transformation? The way you connect with

[00:01:06] your teens and twins to forge stronger bonds in the digital era or to balance the scale

[00:01:12] of mental well-being and academic pressure or say to help your teens have a resilient mindset

[00:01:19] that can understand things better or faster than us who had struggled when we were stepping

[00:01:24] into this game called life. If your answer is just to all these, then let's embark on

[00:01:30] this journey together. In every episode, we will tackle real issues with

[00:01:35] real solutions from navigating to digital dilemmas of building a family culture where every

[00:01:41] member thrives. So, what's waiting for you? Let's grab your headphones and let's unravel

[00:01:45] the beautiful and complex world of parenting, one episode at a time.

[00:01:51] As I am recording this, I am reminded of a profound tooth that shaped my journey. Parenting

[00:01:59] isn't just about raising children, it's about raising the future. Each one of us at some

[00:02:04] point of time, dream of changing the world. We imagined inventions, movements or milestones

[00:02:10] yet as the time passed, our focus shifted. But today, I want to bring us back to that

[00:02:15] pivotal dream, not through the act but through the act of parenting itself. You see, our world

[00:02:20] doesn't need any flying cars or aeroprints that can swim. It needs compassionate kind-hearted

[00:02:26] leaders and that begins at home with our children. But again, their goal is never to raise

[00:02:32] a perfect child, but the goal is to raise a whole child because it is a whole child

[00:02:37] that can really make a difference. So, three things that I want you to get. First thing

[00:02:41] is, you have to know who your village is. We say it takes a village to raise a child

[00:02:46] and the first thing is to know who your village is. Let's dive deeper into this idea of

[00:02:52] your village. It's a concept we often have heard but do we truly understand its depth?

[00:02:58] I remember a story that perfectly illustrate this. There was a young boy, let's call him

[00:03:05] Suraj. Suraj was a very bright, energetic kid but struggled with math and academics and

[00:03:10] that brought his confidence down every time. His mother tried everything from tutors to

[00:03:16] beating him up with anything she could find but nothing seemed to click. Then they had

[00:03:21] a conversation with his sports coach, Mr. Dilip Diggie. He was not a math teacher, he

[00:03:26] was a basketball coach but he had a special bond with Suraj. He understood Suraj in

[00:03:32] ways others didn't. One day Mr. Dilip decided to integrate math into basketball coaching.

[00:03:37] He used geometry to explain the angles of throws and follow throws and guess what? Suraj

[00:03:43] started to understand math's concept in a way he never did before. You see, the concept

[00:03:48] of it takes a village to raise a child is not just the same. It's a powerful truth and

[00:03:56] we often overlook it. Let me share an experience that beautifully illustrate this. I was once

[00:04:01] working with a group of teenage girls on a project. The task was very simple or organized

[00:04:06] a charity drive in the neighborhood. I was expected to plan, discuss and execute and that

[00:04:11] what I told them but here's the twist. Instead of driving straight into the task these

[00:04:15] girls spend the first hour just talking, sharing stories about their lives, about their

[00:04:20] fears and about their dreams. At first I was very impatient thinking when will they start

[00:04:26] working? But then it hit me. This was their way of building their own village. They were

[00:04:31] creating a support system in network of trust and understanding which was crucial for them

[00:04:36] to succeed not just in this task but in life itself. This is where we say as parents, we

[00:04:42] need to understand who formed the part of your child's village. It is not just about

[00:04:47] immediate family or the usual maths or science teacher. It's about identifying those unique

[00:04:52] individuals who connect with your child at a deeper level. We eat the art teacher who

[00:04:56] can appreciate the creative streaks, the cricket coach who can teach them about teamwork

[00:05:01] or resilience or the neighbor who comes across after travelling and shares the stories of

[00:05:06] the adventure across the world. These individuals play a crucial and critical role in our child's

[00:05:11] development. They provide different perspectives, nurture various aspects of personalities and

[00:05:16] offer support in areas where as parent we might not be able to but here is another crucial

[00:05:21] aspect. As parents, we need to actively engage with this village. It's about creating a dialogue

[00:05:27] system, understanding their influence and working collaboratively with that for instance

[00:05:32] a conversation with your drama teacher might reveal the incredible talent of public speaking

[00:05:37] or a chat with your music teacher can uncover the struggle of perfectionism which your child

[00:05:42] is having. Now you might wonder how does this help in changing the world? Here is the thing.

[00:05:49] By knowing and engaging with our children's village, we ensure that they are not just well-rounded

[00:05:55] individuals but also empathetic, open minded and collaborative. These are the future leaders,

[00:06:00] innovators and change makers of the world. They learn to value different viewpoints, collaborate

[00:06:06] with diverse groups and build communities based on mutual respect and understanding. So as we move

[00:06:12] forward, let's ask ourself. Do we truly know our children's village? Are we engaging with them

[00:06:18] effectively? Remember in shaping our children's future every voice in this village matters.

[00:06:23] Now having understood the importance of village, let's go to the next pillar, intentional

[00:06:29] in parenting where every actions and words shape the future of our children, having understood

[00:06:34] the crucial role of children's village, let's come to an imperative focus on being intentional

[00:06:40] in our parenting journey. Intentionality in parenting means consciously guiding our children,

[00:06:45] not just in what they do but in who they are becoming us. Let's picture this scenario. It's a

[00:06:51] regular evening at home and you are sitting with your team who just came back from the school.

[00:06:55] They are talking about their day about the small setbacks or small achievements at school

[00:07:01] and here in these everyday conversation lies the crux of intentional parenting. It is how we

[00:07:07] respond to those stories. The questions we ask and the value we weave into those interactions.

[00:07:13] For instance, your teenage daughter comes home about winning a school debate. It is easy to focus

[00:07:18] on the win and say I am proud you won but intentional parents dig deeper. Tracing, I am proud how you

[00:07:25] stood up for your belief and respected the opinion of others. This shift from celebrating the

[00:07:30] achievement to acknowledging the character traits will instill values beyond just winning. It's not

[00:07:36] just about raising a child who is a cadmically brilliant or gifted sportsperson. It's about

[00:07:40] nurturing a child who is kind and resilient. It's about raising someone who when stepping into the world

[00:07:46] as an adult enriches with their characters, being intentional means recognizing that we are not

[00:07:51] racing kids, we are shaping future adults, preparing them not just for the college or a job but

[00:07:57] for the life itself. It's about helping them develop a moral compass that guides them in making

[00:08:02] the world a kinder and more compassionate face. And this extends to how they interact with their

[00:08:07] peers, how they face the challenges or even how they perceive themselves. For example, if your son

[00:08:13] comes home disheartened by a poor test school instead of focusing solely on the scores talk about

[00:08:18] the effort, the learning process, encourage resilience, say it's great to see you challenging

[00:08:23] yourself what did you learn from this experience and trust me I have seen this within the family,

[00:08:27] I have seen one of my in-laws doing this with his son. Remember every word we say, every action

[00:08:33] we take as parents is a building block in our child's development, we are not aiming for perfection

[00:08:37] both in ourselves or in our children, we are aiming for growth and for our own us. And as we embrace

[00:08:43] the power of intentional parenting, shaping our children's future, let's move to third being,

[00:08:48] healing, a journey that is much about our children as it is about us as parents. Having explored

[00:08:55] the power of knowing your village or our village and the importance of being intentional in how we

[00:09:00] raise our children, we now come to a crucial aspect that often remains unspoken. The need of healing

[00:09:07] in parenting, this is where the truth transformation begins. There is a profound truth in the saying

[00:09:15] hurt people hurt others, healed people heal others. As parents, our journey is not about guiding

[00:09:22] our children but also about confronting and healing our own past wounds because believe it or not,

[00:09:28] our unresolved issues, fears and unhealed scars directly impact how we parent. Consider this scenario,

[00:09:36] you are having a conversation with your teenage son and suddenly there is an emotional outburst

[00:09:41] over something. It is easy to ask why are you reacting but often what we are seeing is a reflection

[00:09:47] of our own un-unresed emotional responses. Our children act as mirror reflecting not just to

[00:09:53] our words and actions but also to our emotional landscapes. Healing as a parent means

[00:10:00] recognizing and addressing these reflections, it's about acknowledging that sometimes the

[00:10:05] frustration we see in our teams might be the echo of our own suppressed emotions. It is about

[00:10:11] understanding that our approach to discipline might be colored by our own experience of authority

[00:10:17] from when we were young. Healing is not an overnight process and it is certainly not about

[00:10:23] achieving perfection, it is about being honest with ourselves seeking help when needed and by being

[00:10:30] open about our struggles and our achievements with our children. It's about showing them that

[00:10:35] making mistakes, learning and growing is a lifelong journey and in this process of healing,

[00:10:42] we gift our children something invaluable. The model of a parent who faces challenges learns

[00:10:48] from them and grows. We show them that it's okay to be vulnerable to seek help and to heal.

[00:10:53] We empower them not just to carry forward our strengths but also to learn from our own vulnerabilities.

[00:11:00] In essence, by healing we are not just addressing children I will repeat again,

[00:11:04] we are nurturing future adults who are emotionally intelligent, empathetic and resilient.

[00:11:11] We are contributing to a world that values emotional well-being and personal growth.

[00:11:16] So, as we are near to conclude today's forecast, remember the journey of a parenting is not just about

[00:11:23] shaping future of our children. It is about healing our past and nurturing our present. It's about

[00:11:29] creating the legacy of emotional health and resilience that transcends generations. In closing,

[00:11:36] I would echo Muhammad Ali's word. Service to others is the rent you pay for your room on earth.

[00:11:43] Our ultimate service, raising children who illuminates the world with their kindness and compassion.

[00:11:51] And so, as we conclude today's forecast, please remember the journey of

[00:11:56] parenting is not just about shaping the future of our children. It's also about healing our past,

[00:12:01] nurturing our present. It's about creating a legacy of emotional health and resilience that can

[00:12:07] transcend generation. I am Suraj Kumar As and it has been an honor guiding you through these

[00:12:12] essential discussions. And with that, I invite you all to join my upcoming forecast where we can

[00:12:17] continue to explore the complexities of parenting with empathy, right intention and with lots

[00:12:22] and lots of insights. Please, please share this journey with others who you think might get

[00:12:28] benefited as we collectively strive to raise a generation that can change the world one heel hard

[00:12:34] at a time. Thank you for joining me today and keep creating those reports of positive change

[00:12:39] through parenting. And yes, your voice matters. Let it be heard. Join our community survey with

[00:12:44] the link shared below and share your unique parenting experiences on which we can make another

[00:12:49] episode for you if you want it. Anyways, don't forget to follow us on social media handles given below.

[00:12:54] Thank you. Bye bye. See you next time.