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Ira Khan explained how her therapist helped her understand the importance of seeing parents as individuals with lives.
Ira Khan said that during her depression she learnt a lot of things she wished had been taught earlier. (Photo Credits: Instagram)
Aamir Khan’s daughter Ira Khan, who has always been vocal about mental health and emotional well-being, recently opened up about her relationship with her parents and how therapy has helped her cope with emotional challenges. Ira, married to Nupur Shikare, is the daughter of Aamir Khan and his first wife Reena Dutta.
She has consistently spoken about her struggles with clinical depression. In a recent conversation with actor Ahsaas Channa, the 28-year-old discussed the “complicated” parent-child relationship and emphasised building a relationship with one’s parents, just like “working on a marriage”, an aspect which is often overlooked.
Ira said that during her depression she learnt a lot of things she wished had been taught earlier. She said, “For a few years, you have heard that marriage is a compromise, and you have to work on your marriage and things like that. But that’s the same with your parents also. Like in any relationship, you have to work on it. Nobody tells you that you have to build a relationship with your parents,” she said.
She went on to explain how, as an adult, your connection with your parents changes and becomes more complicated. She said, “Also because you’re a child and at some point, you turn into an adult where you are supposed to no longer see your parents as parents.
“You are supposed to see them as people. But that shift never happens, which means they (parents) are not allowed to make mistakes, which they will, and they will keep babying you, not intentionally. It’s just very complicated.”
She explained how her therapist helped her understand the importance of seeing parents as individuals with lives beyond their roles as parents, making her realise how open communication is a must in a relationship, especially as you grow up.
She said, “When my therapist said, ‘So what do your parents like?’ I was like, I don’t really know them as people. I only know them as my parents. And how can I have a relationship with someone if I don’t know them as them? And it’s really weird and interesting to get to know your parents as people.”
Aamir Khan and Reena Dutta got married in 1986 and have two children together, Ira Khan and Junaid Khan. Aamir and Reena separated after 16 years of marriage.
