For parents, it can be difficult to watch their children start small. We often want them to get the best job, earn a good salary and choose a career that looks successful from the beginning. But sometimes, children need the freedom to explore, make their own choices and learn by doing.Bollywood star Akshay Kumar recently shared an example from his own family. In a podcast conversation with Shubhankar Mishra, he said his son Aarav does not want to enter films. Instead, he is interested in fashion.
28 Jul 2026 | 16:22
How do you teach children about money and financial responsibility?
“He is also into health, I am also into health,” Akshay said when asked whether he and Aarav were different. “He is a tall boy and very much focused. He also loves his work.”But there is one major difference between father and son. While Akshay built a career in films, Aarav does not want to enter Bollywood. “He doesn’t want to be in films. He doesn’t have a plan there. He wants to be in fashion. And he is working for Rs. 4,500,” Akshay said.That immediately surprised the host. “Akshay Kumar’s son is working for Rs. 4,500?” he asked the veteran actor.Akshay replied, “Why wouldn’t he? It’s a good thing.” He explained that Aarav travels for his work and even goes to villages to learn about fashion, including different kinds of prints. “From villages, to learn all kinds of prints and everything,” Akshay said.
Your child does not have to choose the path you built
Akshay Kumar, Twinkle Khanna with their son Aarav. (Picture credit: Yogen Shah/Mid-day)
One of the hardest things for parents to accept is that their child may not want the life they imagined for them. In India, if a child is good at studies, the family starts thinking about engineering or medicine. A child is good at speaking, so someone suggests law or management. If the parents have built a successful family business, the expectation may be that the child will eventually join it.For celebrity children, the pressure can be even greater. Aarav could have easily chosen films simply because his father is one of India’s biggest actors. Instead, he has chosen fashion.That does not mean parents should stop guiding children. It means guidance should not quietly become control. A useful question for Indian parents is: “Is this what my child wants, or is this what I think would be best for my child?”
Rs 4,500 may teach a lesson that Rs 4.5 lakh cannot
The interesting part of Akshay’s story is not really the Rs 4,500. It is that he appears comfortable with his son starting small. For a young person learning a profession, the first job does not always have to be impressive. It can be about showing up, travelling, observing, doing basic work, understanding the industry and discovering whether the chosen field is actually right for them.This is something Indian parents can borrow from the story. A child does not always need to start with the “best” opportunity.If a teenager or young adult wants to explore photography, fashion, design, food, filmmaking, sports, animation or any other field, parents can encourage them to spend time learning how the work actually happens. Let them intern. Let them assist someone. Let them travel for a project. Let them start with modest pay.
Don’t confuse a modest beginning with a lack of ambition
Parents can sometimes worry when their child chooses a less conventional path. A well-paying corporate job may look safer. A prestigious college may look better. A familiar profession may feel more respectable.But a child who is genuinely interested in something can learn much more by doing the work than by simply talking about it.
Give children room to become different from you
Akshay Kumar, Twinkle Khanna with their son Aarav. (Picture credit: IANS)
Akshay also said that he and Aarav are “hardly” different, pointing out their shared interest in health and their focus on work. But being similar does not mean a child has to replicate a parent’s career.In fact, healthy parenting may sometimes mean giving children the freedom to take the similarities they share with their parents like discipline, work ethic and curiosity and use them in completely different fields.
What Indian parents can actually do
The practical lesson is not to suddenly tell your child to quit studies and take a low-paying job. It is about creating space for exploration without immediately judging the outcome. Parents can start with letting children try before deciding for them. If they show interest in a field, give them a short period to explore it seriously.Ask about the learning, not just the money. Instead of “How much will you earn?”, ask, “What will you learn there?”Allow a career experiment. A few months spent exploring a genuine interest can help a young person make a more informed career decision.Do not use your success as a measuring stick. Your child does not have to achieve what you achieved, in the same way or at the same age.Keep expectations around effort, not status. Parents can insist that children be punctual, responsible, respectful and committed without insisting that their career look impressive to others.Perhaps that is the bigger parenting lesson in Akshay Kumar’s story. The real privilege a parent can give a child is not simply money or a famous surname. It is the freedom to discover what they are good at, the confidence to start small and the assurance that their parents will not measure their worth by the size of their first paycheck.
