‘Parents sometimes have to don the hat of umpires’

Ensuring that your child gets the best education is a tough ask. So parents do a lot of research and ask family and friends to find out the best possible school. After all, they want to give make sure that the child ends up with skillsets that will make it possible for him/her to face real-time challenges.

 The same could not have been truer for Sudhakar S and his wife. Living in Navi Mumbai and looking for a school that would suit their pocket and provide holistic development is what they were looking for.

“After looking in the Navi Mumbai area and talking to a lot of family and friends, we were told that if we were looking to give my son an education that will contribute to his overall growth, then Apeejay was the best place. My wife and I knew that just academics won’t help, our son needed personal growth as well. And here we are. My elder son is in Class XI and the younger one in Class IV,” Sudhakar said who is a Chief Manager Systems with SBI.

In an impromptu interview here is what he had to say about parenting, schooling, and his professional journey.

Why did you choose Apeejay School in Nerul for your children?

There were so many things that this school offers to those who study here. As parents, we wanted our children to learn moral values as well. We are old school and South Indians. Preserving our culture and traditions is important for us. The good part is that Apeejay focuses on other aspects of education too. Kids also get an opportunity to take part in extracurricular activities; participating in them inculcates self-confidence.

What have been the changes that you have seen in your son and teaching methodology?

My elder son was lucky; he directly joined KG at Apeejay. So, from KG to Class IV he studied at Apeejay in Nerul. Then my job took me away from Mumbai. So for three years, my son was in different schools. The difference was stark. None of the subsequent schools that he attended for three years came even close to the teaching methodology that Apeejay has. Luck for us, we are back in Mumbai and both my sons are once again at Apeejay School, Nerul.

My sons are definitely more confident. The extracurricular activities they participate in have added to their personality; they have become independent and think for themselves and a choose profession on their own rather than take my advice.

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“Morality, honesty, and being truthful are the most things that each parent must teach their child”

–Sudhakar S Chief Manager Systems, SBI, and parent of students from Apeejay School, Nerul

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Parenting is tough and loving your children comes naturally. How do you not spoil them?

With two boys in the house, we sometimes have to don the hat of umpires from time to time. We can’t afford to be biased when you have two children. Earlier, kids had no say in family matters. Today, no decision can be taken without involving them. This works vice-versa; we have to be just as involved in their lives as well. We can just keep our fingers crossed that our kids turn out good citizens.

Whose work is tougher as a parent – mothers or fathers?

I would say mothers’ have a tougher time when it comes to bringing up their kids. Most fathers are away at the office. It is the mother who has to deal with the daily nitty-gritty of parenting.

Tell us about your professional journey.

I did all my education in Chennai. I completed in BSc from Loyola College and MCA from Madras University. I started my career by working in the private IT sector. Then I got an opportunity to work with the State Bank of India. I immediately took up the opportunity.

What is your work here?

I am the Chief Manager Systems. I have to ensure that we comply with all the regulations that have been issued by Reserve the Bank of India. There are several challenges in this sector. Technology keeps changing; this means that we have to keep up with all the new changes – in software and hardware. We have to invent ourselves all the time. You can call this either a blessing or a bane since we are constantly learning.

What is the most important lesson each parent must teach their child?

Morality, honesty, and being truthful are the most things that each parent must teach their child. To be truthful means that the child must be true to himself and not be governed by what others have to say.