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Kareena Kapoor questions overprotective parenting and its impact on children

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The discussion began after Karan Johar revealed he discourages his children from joining the film industry because he fears he will not be around to protect them. Kapoor countered that excessive intervention prevents kids from learning to navigate their own careers, friendships, and setbacks. When guardians constantly resolve peer disputes or step in during academic struggles, youth miss critical learning moments. Developing independence requires adults to offer supportive guidance rather than immediately taking control of every difficult situation.

Key points

  • Adults should distinguish between shielding minors from genuine harm and protecting them…: Adults should distinguish between shielding minors from genuine harm and protecting them from normal, constructive discomfort.
  • Permitting young people to experience minor failures helps them realize what challenges t…: Permitting young people to experience minor failures helps them realize what challenges they are capable of handling independently.
  • Parents can foster lasting resilience by encouraging age-appropriate decision-making inst…: Parents can foster lasting resilience by encouraging age-appropriate decision-making instead of immediately taking charge of every issue.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Parents often want to protect their children from disappointment, failure and difficult experiences. They step in when a child struggles, try to prevent mistakes and sometimes make decisions on their behalf. But could this constant protection also stop children from learning how to handle life independently?

This question came up during a recent conversation on

Koffee With Karan, featuring actors

Saif Ali Khan and

Kareena Kapoor. Filmmaker Karan Johar spoke about his concerns over his children potentially entering the film industry, admitting that he was already trying to discourage them from choosing that career.

5 Oct 2026 | 12:06

Parents, when your child refuses to greet relatives, do you make them say hello or respect their choice?

“It's not an easy place. It's tough. I am almost dissuading my children from the business. And everybody says, ‘Why are you doing that? Why are you doing that?’” Karan said. Explaining his concerns, he added, “I am like, look, I will be too old to protect them at that time.”

Kareena, however, offered a different perspective, suggesting that a parent's instinct to…

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