Hi!
I’m Ritu Gupta, and I want to share my story with you.I come from India, a country known for its diversity, rich culture, traditions, and values.Traditional Indian parenting is rooted in values. Deference to authority in social relationships is an expected norm, and people are bound by their duty to family, parents, children, and society. Indian parents are always concerned about their children’s well-being, no matter how old they grow. They help their kids in all aspects of life. While this support always comes from a place of love, in today’s era, authority and concern may be perceived as control and domination by growing adolescents, leading to defiance and rebellion.
My better understanding of the feelings of children, adolescents, and youth has helped me connect with them effectively. My empathetic, non-judgmental approach and active listening provide a safe space for young people to vent and seek support. My intention is to understand them and leave them empowered, ready to take action towards their goals after each interaction with me.
On the other hand, what parents perceive as love can actually be control, possession, domination, and fulfilling their own expectations. This robs children of their sense of autonomy and self-worth. Additionally, India, being the most populous country, fosters immense competition, where survival of the fittest often prevails.
Comparisons among siblings, peers, colleagues, and spouses can lead to feelings of envy, inadequacy, and poor self-esteem. Parents want their children to excel in every area of life and often have unrealistic expectations, further pressuring their children and adding to their stress and anxiety. As a paediatrician, I have been interacting with parents and young people for more than 26 years, witnessing the changing dynamics between them—shifting from obedience, submissiveness, and compliance to defiance and rebellion.
Most importantly, I have experienced it all as a mother of two sons, who are now 29 and 25 years old. I have faced my share of challenges and made many mistakes as a parent, which impacted me, my sons, and our relationship. When I became aware of these gaps—understanding where I was making mistakes and how it affected my relationship with my children—it set me on a transformational journey.
This journey led me down a path of self-discovery, healing my inner child, and reinventing myself as a human being: who I was to myself, my children, my spouse, and the world. I became free—free to be and free to act. I gained the freedom to express myself, reclaimed my power, and was able to empower my sons too. My relationship with my children became stronger, healthier, and more fulfilling.This personal journey inspired me to become a parenting coach so that I could empower and help other parents build effective and fulfilling relationships with their children.
