A new YouTube series attempts to spark conversations between kids and parents, hoping that both generations feel less lonely
Nikhil Taneja
From how to potty train your infant to how to have the sex talk— the list of ‘How to’ content on the Internet in the Parenting category is endless. There are dedicated YouTube channels, blogs, experts and influencers, and even WhatsApp groups. If you are a new parent, the resources available are as vast as the depths of the Internet. But no matter what age we are, we still struggle to talk to our parents, no?
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From the same universe as Be A Man, Yaar! comes a new series, Be A Parent, Yaar!
In an attempt to bridge the generation gap and push conversations among parents and kids, We Are Yuvaa’s latest six-episode YouTube series is centred around a parent and child conversing on a tough subject. It tackles mental health, sexuality, love, dating, masculinity, career, and more.
In June 2023, Yuvaa conducted the Yuvaa Roadshow on which they connected with over 5,000 college students in 25 campuses in eight cities. This resulted in the report ‘Not All Gen Z’ which found that over 1,000 teenagers experience a gaping generational chasm between them and their parents, but don’t know how to bridge it.
Previously, the company addressed issues concerning parent and younger child through videos such as Dear Parents and Dear Children that went viral. The new series is a deeper dive into tougher conversations. “Yuvaa listens, not just speaks, to young people,” says co-founder Nikhil Taneja. “Our intention is baat karne se hi baat banegi,” he says, explaining that the idea for the series came about after discovering that young people feel lonely. And, the inability to talk to one’s parents further widens the generation gap. Taneja firmly believes that conversation can make everyone feel a little less lonely, which is what led him and his company to create a universe of shows, open-mics, and other events that encourage heart-to-hearts. He hopes that young people watch the series and share it with their parents, or that both watch it together.
While it’s hard to find someone who is not glued to YouTube these days, are parents programmed to watch such shows? For those whose offspring are 20-something, content with a parenting narrative can’t be helpful. “I used to read many books and other material, but did not find any resource for my particular problems,” says Jyoti Mulchandani, mother to a 23-year-old and a 15-year-old.
Shalvi Mangaokar Biswas, a millennial mom who is raising a three-year-old, turns to parenting content for “more daunting tasks. I would read about things such as potty training.” She adds that while resources range from moms sharing their experiences on WhatsApp communities to parenting experts, she has found that a lot of them are only preaching. “There’s no right or wrong way to parent,” she adds.
But can these resources be used to improve her own relationship with her parents? “I have actually never thought of it like that. [Becoming a parent] 100 per cent improved my relationship with my parents, but I go to them for more parenting advice than anything else.”
Perhaps that’s where shows like Be A Parent, Yaar! can help. “I watched the first episode with my mother, and it sparked a conversation between us,” says Taneja describing how wholesome the show has turned out to be. “Our parents did not have tools. They did not know how to reach out to the child, how to have a safe conversation,” he adds.
In the series, you will see actor Sheeba Chaddha with her daughter Noor, actor Roshan Abbas with his daughter, standup comedian Abhishek Kumar with his dad, among others, talk about various themes. Taneja tells us that people who came to the show needed help to start these conversations between themselves too. He adds that after recording the show, “Almost every parent or child messaged me saying ‘thank you’ and that the conversation in the show helped them forge a new bond.”
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