3 ways Indian parents are ruining their children's lives

I've often seen many Indian parents discouraging their children from following their dreams. I feel almost all Indian parents have some unfulfilled desire which they want to realise through their kids.

Often parents want them to study in the best educational institutes, find a high profile job and eventually get married; basically do exactly what they did.

1. Unreal expectations: Today, kids are overburdened with their parents' expectations and end up feeling cornerned. The kind of pressure they deal with today is unimaginable and it is their health that takes a beating. They develop obesity, and it makes things worse when parents refuse to acknowledge that their kids need help.

But, why should they pay for our shortcomings with their passion? How can parents be so selfish and compromise on the health of their own children?

I feel, in today's day and age, parents need more education than kids. Parents need to come out of their "know-it-all, been-there-done-that" attitude. Our kids are putting on so much weight that India has become one of world's most obese countries.

2. Negative attitude: "All work and no play" is exactly what Indian kids are about today. If at all they realise that they need to lose weight, sometimes parents can be a bit unsupportive.

Our kids are only told to study and score good marks, so that they can find a job. What parents probably don't understand is how they are putting their children into grave danger. To make things worse, when obese kids realise they need to lose weight, and would want to follow a healthy lifestyle, they are often faced with a different situation.

I remember when I realised I was fat, I went up to my father and asked him for money so I could buy some weight loss products. I was appalled and disappointed at his immediate reaction when he said he didn't want me taking any "steroids". And this is the story of many Indian kids struggling with obesity, with parents simply conditioned to disagree with whatever the children have to say.

3. Cricket fever: Parents are often star-struck with the money and glamour that the field of cricket overflows with. Cricket being the wealthiest sport in the country, parents often push their children into taking up the game as a form of employment. Often, it's just an excuse for them to brag about their children's annual income. The child may be physically fit but do parents even stop to think how it affects their psychology? They forget that not every child can be a Sachin Tendulkar.

This is a sad state, which needs immediate change if we want our kids to be healthy, irrespective of the profession they choose.