Sharvil Srivastava asks parents to listen to teenagers before shaping them. He argues that "What do you want to become?" misses what makes teens feel alive, and that parental advice framed as motivation often silences their voice. When teens feel seen instead of compared, they develop the confidence to go farther.
So I will be starting on account of 3.
1, 2, and 3. People often ask teenagers, what do you want to become? But I wish someone would ask us a different question: What makes you come alive? Growing up, I always knew my parents love me. Every suggestion they gave came from a place of care. But between somewhere their love and their expectations, I felt my own voice getting quieter and quieter. Whenever I got excited about technology, building things, or stuff outside my textbooks, the response was usually the same: "Focus on your studies!" "Look at how well someone else is doing!" I know these words are meant to motivate us, but many times they do something more. They make us wonder. If who we are is enough. Here's something I wish adults knew about teenagers: most of us aren't asking you to have all the answers. We are trying to discover who we are, and that journey is already confusing enough without feeling like every choice has to match someone else's expectations. The world you are preparing us for is changing Faster than ever, new careers appear every year. Different talents matter. Success doesn't belong to one profession anymore. It belongs to people who become genuinely good at what they enjoy doing. Think of it this way: you wouldn't expect a rose to grow mangoes. Those delicious ones, but you would help it become the healthiest rose it can be, right? Children are no different. Each of us has different dreams, different interests, and different strengths, and that's okay. So today I have just two small requests for every parent out there. First, listen before you advise. Sometimes we don't need an immediate solution. We just want to know that our thoughts matter. And second, guide us without comparing us. Help us become a better version of ourselves, not a copy of someone else. Your guidance matters. Your experience is valuable. We need both. But when guidance comes with understanding, it builds confidence instead of fear. I believe every teenager wants the same thing. Not perfect parents. Not the parents who always agree. Just the parents who make us feel seen. Because when a child feels seen, they start to believe in themselves, and that belief is something that can take them further than any comparison in the world could. Thank you. Haritosh Srivastav.
