Soni says son-in-law Ranbir is a wonderful father to Raha, a big support to Alia

Soni Razdan has witnessed a noticeable shift in the way parents approach raising children, with fathers today playing a much more active role than they did in her generation. The actor, who will next be seen in ‘Om Ka Hari’, releasing in theatres on September 18, believes parenting has become more shared, patient and intentional over the years.Soni said in an interview with News18 Showsha, “I feel parents of today, this generation, seem to me to be far more patient, far more evolved as parents, and far more able to somehow manage."Reflecting on how things were when she was raising her children, Soni said spending maximum time with children was not necessarily considered an important aspect of parenting. “In my generation, taking out that maximum amount of time for your children was not really looked upon as some sort of virtue.

It just wasn’t given that importance. It was almost like parenting was either dumped on the woman, or I don’t think parenting was shared as much as it is today.

"She believes the biggest positive change has been the idea of parents sharing the responsibility rather than leaving most of it to the mother. “And I think that is the best part of today’s generation. They really know how to share parenting, which makes all the difference."

Soni is particularly impressed by the way fathers have embraced their role as active parents. She pointed to the men in her own family as examples of how much things have changed. “Fathers are—I’m sometimes gobsmacked when I see the way fathers are. Anshuman, what a wonderful dad he is. My son-in-law, what a wonderful father he is. You know, and he’s such a support to Alia. So I can see that, and even my husband is the same.

"The actor also revealed that her husband has perhaps come to realise, in hindsight, that he could have been more involved with their children. “You know, he is realising perhaps how little he actually gave to his children. And at that time, he had the excuse, ‘I was working very hard.’ But everybody is working very hard now. So, haan, it was just not that."According to Soni, the change cannot simply be attributed to parents having more free time today. Instead, she feels parenting itself has gained greater importance among the younger generation. “It was not given that importance. I don’t know why. Some things get better with generation, some don’t."For Soni, however, parenting is one area where she feels the change has been largely positive. “In the sphere of parenting though, it has gotten a lot better."