What is important is not how long your father’s shadow is but how long yours is…

As a journalist’s daughter, I literally grew up with a love of writing. Wrote my first article at the age of five for the Mihira newspaper for children. As far back as I can remember, I was typing away, discovering the magic of my father’s typewriter (we didn’t have computers back then) and also discovering my love for writing.

As it blossomed, I was keen on developing my own writing talent and not merely being my father’s daughter. I may have inherited my father’s love of the written word but my claim to fame is my own style, my own talent. For me, what is important is that I am recognized for what I am capable of - not what my father is although I have benefitted tremendously from his advice and guidance.

Too many sons and daughters live in their parents’ shadows - it is worse if they are the children of famous parents. There are many examples living out there in the showbiz world - Elvis Presley’s daughter thought the famous last name was a ticket to fame but found failure in entertainment instead. So many rich and spoilt darlings of world famous movie star dads and moms think the same but find that unless you are talented and committed to hard work, you cannot last forever even in the very cushy shadow of a famous and rich parent.

For today’s children used to indulgence in one way or another, it is important to learn the right lessons. No amount of money can replace talent - but then again, talent alone is rarely enough. It must be backed by dedication, commitment and perseverance. It would help to have both feet planted on the ground too. While having famous parents will open doors unopened to most, those doors will close fast if you don’t prove your worth.

Elvis Presley

Lisa Marie Presley

On the other hand, we do see children who are determined to make it big on their own merit, even though having famous names and access to preferential treatment helps. That usually turns out to be a good combination. And it can go a long way if they are truly talented and are able to handle the pitfalls and the obstacles along the way.

It is ideally a parent’s role to guide the children towards making their own triumphs early on in life. They are best encouraged and gently nudged towards making their own mistakes and learning from those mistakes. They learn the best lessons in life when given the opportunity to do so.

Princes William and Harry, although heirs to the British throne in their own respective order, are not expected to behave as though the world owes them one - that’s why they are frowned upon when caught partying wildly. The British princes are expected to have leveled heads and have been brought up without the ‘frills’ - the Royals know that then and only then can they truly rule as Royalty.

Too many misguided children of rich and well-to-do parents end up becoming nobodies and non-entities merely because they thought they could live their lives depending on the family name or wealth. While having wealth will get you friends fast, those friends vanish when the wealth drains away.

What usually happens when you have a successful parent is that you assume there is enough room for the whole family under the successful parent’s umbrella, not realizing that the room lasts as long as your parent’s success lasts. There are many sons and daughters around us with famous last names but very little credit to their own success - some pathetic failures while others are struggling to make it on their own now.

There are many crowns to wear when it comes to self-sought success. One of course is that of success itself but there is also that of self-satisfaction, not to mention that of knowing you have made something of yourself and given something to the world, created jobs, created a business or a concept and actually achieved something. Merely having a famous last name or impeccable connections cannot come closer to that kind of achievement which truly becomes a legacy, as we have often seen.

I believe it is up to each of us to empower our children, privileged background or otherwise, to stand on their own two feet and achieve their own dreams and objectives in life. My 14 year old son who is a student at the wonderful school by the sea has a flair for the word, as I have discovered, but I am not going to tell him to become a journalist or a writer just because his grandfather and his mother happen to be in the trade. He says he likes the law, taking after his father but that will be, eventually, on his own terms, creating his own story. It must be. After all, it is not how long the father’s shadow is but how long the daughter’s or the son’s shadow is.