It is a truth universally acknowledged that a mom is her little boy’s BFF. This we saw up, close and personal, not once but thrice, when three glamorous moms, actors and entrepreneurs Shilpa Shetty, Mandira Bedi and Tara Sharma, and their rambunctious sons Viaan Raj Kundra, Vir Kaushal and Kai and Zen Saluja respectively, let us into their homes to capture their love this Valentine’s Day.

Curated from hindustantimes.com

The excitement is palpable from the moment we enter because the moms have told their sons they are being photographed for a magazine. Tara hurriedly picks out clothes for Kai and Zen from their cupboards because she needs to get into hair and make-up – and that’s going to take time. Kai spontaneously reveals the reason why he thinks his mom loves him (see box) and Tara stops in her tracks, eyes wide and jaws open with a slight smile. “Don’t I say I love you?” she questions Kai, who laughs naughtily. 

Shilpa saunters in with Viaan by her side, both looking utterly adorable, colour coordinated in white shirt and blue jeans. When she sits down to talk about her feelings for her son, Viaan repeatedly interrupts to show her the creative ways he is going to ride his quad bike. Like butter melting, she happily gives in to him before his nanny whisks him away and lets his mom attend to work. Mandira asks Vir the questions we need answers for and they chat like long lost friends. 

When the moms and sons step in front of the camera, a magical, unspoken camaraderie between them lights up the lens. They are buddies, guides to each other, and they’re learning from each other. 

Here, the moms talk about how their sons changed their lives.

Actress Tara Sharma, mother to two adorable boys Zen and Kai, candidly admits that they teach her many practical things about life, including cooking! In addition to her Bollywood stint, Tara’s started The Tara Sharma Show, as her kids inspired her to continue working. Over to Tara…

My teachers

Zen (8) and Kai (6) force me to look at things in a simple way. They showed me that I have a temper and I’ve to be patient. They keep me grounded. 

Reinventing my goals

I stopped getting roles once the kids were born, but I wanted to continue working. So I thought of creating a show about being a mum. I’ve become Such A ‘Mom’! I never thought I would have such strong maternal instincts. They’ve made me such a ‘mom’!

On my toes

Once, the boys asked me, ‘Mama, where do babies come from?’ I was not prepared for this! I had to think on my feet.

Bringing me joy

I keep saying to the kids, ‘I love this show, but if I get to act again I’d do it too.’ And my six-year-old says, ‘But mama, why do you have to wait for an offer? Why don’t you make your own movie?’ I love this simple advice. My boys also teach me cooking. I can’t cook, but they are good at it thanks to my mom!

We have all seen and loved Mandira Bedi as an actress and television presenter. And, it’s not hard to see her as a super fun mom to a cute little boy. She says the most beautiful thing she’s learnt from her son is not to overthink. Looks like we could all take a leaf from Vir’s book, literally! Here’s what she has to say about her little one…

Unconditional love

What I feel for Vir (6), I know my parents feel for me… And he doesn’t have to express it, I know he feels it too. It makes you value your parents and everyone you love, more.

Keeping it simple 

The most beautiful thing to learn from a child is not to overthink. I am a serial overthinker. For Vir, it’s happy or sad, good or bad.

Learning to be centred

Helping me let go

When Vir first went to pre-school, I had more separation anxiety than he did. I had to learn to let go just a little bit that day.

Ahead of the game

Fear is a learnt emotion. Kids don’t think about the unknown. Vir has showed me what patience is. 

Introspection

He is currently reading a beautiful Dr Seuss book called The Places You’ll Go. This is the biggest learning we’re both having together. I’ve learnt a lot from the book.

Shilpa Shetty, actress and entrepreneur, had Viaan when she was 34. Her son has taught her to be aware of what she says in front of him. She believes that motherhood itself has softened her and made her more considerate. Shilpa also feels her life experiences prepared her better for parenthood. She shares her experiences…

Relearning values

Both Raj (Kundra) and I come from middle class families. We grew up with certain values. Our son Viaan (5) has made me aware of how important it is to value our values. He makes me aware of what I say in front of him so he learns to be a good person.

Power of empathy

After Viaan came into my life, I have become more empathetic and emotional. When I see a young mum struggling with her child, I want to give her a hug. Earlier, if there was a child screaming on an airplane, I would get irritated. Viaan has melted my heart.

Gift of time

Viaan has taught me to value time. Earlier, my life revolved around me. I didn’t know what it was like to wake up two to three times at night to attend to the baby. Nothing can prepare you for parenthood and it is exhausting. But I also realised that having a child at a later age (34) prepared me better, because I had lived life a lot more. 

Fear no one

My son is teaching me to be more accepting and open. As a kid, I had a lot of fears. Viaan doesn’t. We want him to make his own choices.

Feature image source: Hindustantimes.com