Namita Thapar

“The first time I liked myself and felt good about myself was at 21 when I became a chartered accountant. For 21 years I did not like myself”

“The goal of sharing my personal stories is to demonstrate how all of us are flawed and need to find the inner strength to love ourselves and be forgiving to ourselves as we continue slipping and failing”

“The atmosphere in the house was like someone's died then the whole house would like go into mourning”

“There were nine grand children in the house during summer vacations and the results would be declared during that time, eight of them would have ranked first and I ranked second which was fantastic but no one congratulated me”

“If we choose to bring a child in this world, let’s ensure we give them TIME… that we have work life balance to catch these signs early and course correct. Say NO to 70 hour weeks or if you want that life say NO to being a parent”

“Confidence is the best gift you can give your child. The minute you see signs of low confidence, course correct, get professional help”

“Detach. Stop trying to fix things you feel they lack or could do better at... But over communicate … over communicate … over communicate how proud you are of them and how you are always there for them… the ‘I’m proud of you’ part being most important”

“Bottomline, 2 good parents, great intent but their actions led to years of low self esteem”

“My mom got worried, made me take singing classes, kathak classes, walk with a book on my head in an attempt to make me more ‘feminine’… perfectly sweet soul, perfectly good intent but it left scars”

“Parenting is about being available for your kids, not just physically but emotionally too. Adolescence is a wake-up call for all of us”

“Perimenopause is full of mood swings, and what can be better to lift your mood and fitness than dancing with a dear friend?! My kids are named Vir and Jay after Sholay (A Bollywood classic that released in 1975) – so you can only imagine my love for Bollywood. So, I mix in Bollywood dance with my gym, yoga and Pilates to ensure I’m never bored and always motivated to move and keep that attitude of 'I’m 48, I’m going to be selfish and take care of myself, to h""" with the world, you do you girl'”