Introduction to the Book

The author, Mr. RamG Vallath, was born in Kerala to a humble family, had a compassionate and progressive set of parents who infused the same qualities into both their sons. The author had an enviable education from the most premier institutions of the country followed by a successful corporate career. He had all his boxes ticked to be called a ‘Success’ until he suffered a serious physical illness which brought his otherwise very dynamic life to a standstill.

It was only through his sheer resilience and inner strength, which was nurtured in his younger days that he overcame every hurdle that came his way to live a life that is complete in every sense and with happiness never evading him even in his darkest days. He credits his parents and their parenting technique for all that he has managed to overcome and accomplish in his life. This book is an ode to his parents for unleashing his potential and strengthening his resilience to face life as it comes.

Exploring Parenting

In the book, the author explores the different aspects of parenting and provides the readers a deep insight into how through active parenting one can encourage and enhance the potential that lies within every child. Parenting is a process that is ever-evolving and personal. The author through this book attempts to bring objectivity into the parenting process, which if adhered to, may enable its readers to make tangible changes in their approach that will consequently yield desirable outcomes. The book categorically elucidates certain key aspects that as parents we need to swear by to raise healthy kids. A few pointers to ensure the overall well-being of the child – emotionally, mentally as well as physically. The book highlights the novel aspect of parenting which is extremely relevant to the times that we live in, wherein the child is considered as an equal individual.

Reaching Out to Your Child

Mr. Vallath talks about certain pertinent issues like befriending our children rather than just parenting them. Also, respecting them as individuals, an approach that questions certain conventions that traditional parenting demanded. The book eulogises values like kindness, compassion, ownership, self-discipline which need to be infused into a child’s personality for him to grow into a responsible and resilient individual.

As a mother, the intent of the book resonated with me as it helped me gain more clarity and perspective. It appealed to me the most when the author writes about the trait of not taking oneself too seriously and the ability to laugh at oneself. In the kind of stress-driven and competitive society that we live in; humor is probably the only anecdote that will help our children to sail through in life with ease.

The author talks about critical thinking, growth mindset, aspiring creative solutions to problems at length. These are certain core values which as parents we need to inculcate in our children from the onset. The pragmatic approach coupled with real-life illustrations makes this book interesting and relatable to the readers. However, I do feel that though the examples that the author drew from his colleagues, and family was well-intended, most of them happen to be about overachievers. There is a fair chance that parents might get influenced to set unreasonable benchmarks that consequently might exert pressure on the children, which we are constantly trying to refrain from. Overall the book has been a good read which puts forth certain important issues with distinctive fluidity.

Language and Tone

The language particularly is very readable and easy to understand and hence extends the reach of the book even to that set of audience who are not avid readers. The author very pragmatically manages to explain and bring in a structure to a very convoluted concept that is ‘parenting’, which is highly commendable from a reader’s perspective, more so being a mother myself.

About the Author

RamG Vallath (www.ramgvallath.com) is a bestselling author, a much-sought-after motivational speaker, a life coach, and an international parenting coach. After completing his BTech from IIT Madras and his MBA  from XLRI, RamG had a highly successful career, becoming the youngest COO in India’s telecom industry. However, he was forced to reinvent his life after an incurable autoimmune disorder crippled him. Not one to give up, RamG wrote 3 bestsellers and went on to deliver over 120 talks — both in corporates and in schools. Active Parenting is RamG’s endeavor to help parents bring up children to be happy, resilient, positive, and successful. The book is the culmination of 40 months of research and has been a no.1 bestseller every week since its launch 14 weeks back. It is available on Amazon, Flipkart, and other retail shops.