Mumbai, April 17 (NationPress) Actress Kalki Koechlin has emphasized the significance of seeking assistance in parenting, revealing how therapy aided her and her partner in resolving disputes and gaining a deeper understanding of their child's needs.

When asked about the evolution of her relationship with partner Guy Hershberg since becoming parents, Kalki shared with IANS: “It's a continuous process; it's always changing. I believe people often overlook how much support parents truly need and how crucial it is for them to access that support. We are fortunate enough, privileged enough, to afford a therapist or psychologist.”

“There were instances where we disagreed on our approach to raising our daughter, and we would argue about whether she should face punishment for certain behaviors or consequences for her tantrums.”

“We had intense disagreements. However, after consulting a child psychologist, the psychologist became the voice for our child, expressing what she couldn’t articulate. It transformed our perspective, especially during COVID, when we had to juggle roles as teachers, parents, and everything else,” said the actress, who welcomed her daughter Sappho in February 2020.

Kalki discussed the importance of teaching children how to express their emotions healthily, suggesting that activities like pillow fights can help them manage their feelings early on. She also reflected on how her teenage brother was “truly struggling.”

“At that time, my daughter had just been born, but my teenage brother was living with us, and we noticed he was facing difficulties. One of the essential tools our therapist provided us was a straightforward one: the pillow fight,” she added.

“She suggested, 'If your child is feeling angry or frustrated—often, a child might return from school with such emotions—and they feel the urge to throw something, or act out, you can say, ‘I see you're experiencing big feelings. Let’s release it with a pillow fight.’ You can establish rules, like avoiding hits to the face. It effectively helps them release that pent-up energy.'”

Kalki noted that children require self-regulation and must learn how to manage their feelings.

“Typically, we tell them, 'That’s not nice. Don’t be angry. Don’t act aggressively. Such behaviors are wrong.' However, if they suppress those feelings, they still experience that anger internally, which can lead to unpredictable outbursts,” said the actress, a passionate supporter of the P&G Shiksha campaign.

She continued, “Thus, it’s vital to allow them to experience these big feelings, to let them feel anger, but to guide them in expressing it positively—like as adults, we might jog to release anger, thinking, 'I need to blow off some steam.' You literally have to let that steam out and go for a jog. Teaching self-regulation from an early age is crucial.”