Parenting does not come with a set of rules. We, each of us moms, know what works best for us. And yet, it is nice to find validation, especially from women who have successfully set an example for others. I like to read about the parenting styles of other successful moms, especially Bollywood and Hollywood mommies. And it was a pleasant surprise to find many similarities in my own parenting style and theirs! Here are my top 5 parenting mantras that even celebrity moms, both in India and worldwide, swear by.
1. Pay Attention to Your Health – Shilpa Shetty
It took me a while to figure out that fitness and weight loss are two different things. But the uber fit celebrity mommy Shilpa Shetty has it all figured out from the start. I read her book on the Great Indian Diet and was super impressed. It was published around the time that I had begun to realize that dieting to lose weight was not making me fit or active. I needed to shift my focus from losing weight to gaining my lost flexibility and increasing my stamina.
Shilpa Shetty insists on the same, for all moms out there. A fit mom ensures a fit family! Moms tend to let motherhood push back their health goals. Nothing could be worse. You wouldn’t half the person (and parent) you have in you to be, without first taking care of your own health. And consequently, you will be more aware of the health and fitness needs of your family.
2. Follow Strict Routines for Kids – Kate Winslet
Everyone likes organization in their lives. Even those who say they don’t, love things to be organized around them. And more than anyone – Children love routine. They might not know it themselves, but they do. Beautiful Celebrity Mom Kate Winslet is of the same view! She is a big supporter of making routines for kids.
From fixed eating and sleeping times, to studies and even weekends out, kids like to know the order in which they can expect things to happen. Routines help kids feel safe, secure and form good habits. Bollywood celebrity moms Sonali Bendre and Karishma Kapoor are also known to endorse strict routines for their kids!
3. Love Thy Body – Aishwarya Bachchan
Many a times have I cried over my lost slender frame, failed diets and increased clothing sizes. For many years, I was reluctant to buy new clothes in the hope of ‘dropping a size’. But gone are those days! I have finally found peace with my body. The weight loss will come eventually. I focus on keeping good health, being a good mom and embracing clothes, cuts and trends that flatter my current size and shape. Even when I launched this blog, I was very determined to push forward only real fashion for real women. I am no longer a college going teenager and I certainly don’t need to act like, or compete with one.
Former Miss World Aishwarya Rai Bachchan seems to have understood with one childbirth, what took me 3 children to register. To quote her, “Weight gain can happen at any point in time and it is something that you are dealing with anyway and it is OK. It is not the outside that defines who you are.” We all know how she bravely faced the criticism surrounding her weight, but what we do not see is her internal struggle accepting her own self in a different body and a different role. How well she has handled it all!
4. Insist on Proper Education – Gauri Khan
I have been infamous for surprising other parents with my supposedly crazy views on education. I have no wish to bring up children who are ‘all work and no play’ and who end up missing out on life. In fact, I try to promote every extra curricular activity as much as possible and simply don’t understand the big obsession with overly-studious children that many Indian parents have. In fact, I secretly wish for them to enter more creative fields of work.
That said, I am very clear about one thing. I am going to insist that all 3 of my kids need to complete their college and professional studies. If they do not want to pursue a profession in that field, they can then decide to pursue whatever it is they are interested in. But they have to have a solid degree in their hands first.
And in spite of the fact that celebrity kids have so many more options open to them, I was pleased to find that Celebrity supermom Gauri Khan insists the same! She is very clear about the fact that her kids complete their schooling and college before they choose their profession – acting or any other.
5. Stop Comparing and Judging Other Parents – Sarah Jessica Parker
If you really, really, truly want to be happy – stop comparing and judging the choices made by other moms. Sarah Jessica Parker puts it rightly when she says that we should not judge one another or the choices we make. Whether or not we had a natural birth or a c-section, if we breastfeed or bottle-feed, if we feed our children organic or not, it does not matter.
I couldn’t agree more! I am proud to have breastfed all my babies, but I do not judge others who don’t/can’t. Two of my babies have grown up on ‘Cerelac’ – Don’t judge me… it worked well for me and they are doing just fine! Let us stay focused and prioritize our families instead of wasting time and energy thinking negatively about other moms. Until we can completely step into their shoes, we have no right to judge their choices. And suffice it to say that every mom will do what she thinks is the best for her family. Her decisions or choices might not (and don’t need to) be the best choice for your family!
Leave a Reply