At just 21, Shahen Pardiwala is a published author, positive psychology coach, scriptwriter and a public speaker.
Although his book has been quite popular in schools, being a writer was never in his plans.
From tennis, dance, journalism, advertisements to coding, his career goals changed at various junctions just like every other kid.
The only difference was he tried his hand at all of them before zeroing in on his current profession.
Calling it the ‘process of elimination’, Shahen had the liberty to fail and make mistakes without being under pressure to quickly hop onto his definite career ride.
It might come as a surprise but Shahen chose to drop out of school in class seven and was homeschooled ever since.
Meanwhile, his brother, Shahaan, studied in school till class two. For the last eight years, he has been homeschooled as well. He wants to become an animal conservation expert.
His parents — Sonnal and Nozzer Pardiwala are tutors by profession. They share insights on everything about homeschooling.
“Make your kids take public exams at key junctures like 10th and 12th boards. The NIOS board allows the same,” they said.
Have a vision about what the kids will do at home and allow them to develop interests at their own pace, the couple advises.
Trust children to own their mistakes and do not resort to silent treatments, passive-aggressive behaviour, punishments, beatings or shouting, they suggest.
They advise parents to let children make their own daily schedule. This way, they will not slack away and you will not have to monitor them. Involve children in household chores and daily errands to impart life skills. As parents, be ready to learn, adjust and compromise.
Shahaan and Shahen are always encouraged to pursue their interests whether it is directing movies, acting, dancing or adopting a dog.
“There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to parenting or homeschooling. It is a constant process of learning and unlearning keeping the children’s interests in mind,” the couple says.