There was a time when we didn’t ask our parents why. Not because we agreed with them but because it wasn’t considered an option. Authority came dressed in a white cotton saree or a rolled-up newspaper or a no-nonsense glance over spectacles. Questioning it was like challenging the laws of gravity. You didn’t do it. You just did what you were told, sometimes grumbling under your breath, often nursing the emotional equivalent of a stubbed toe, but always following the script.That script has changed. Dramatically. Today’s parents don’t just get questioned. They get counter-argued, fact-checked, emotionally guilt-tripped, and occasionally called out for being “unfair” because they dared suggest that three hours of screen time might be too much. We’re told we must explain everything. We must “have a conversation.” We must be mindful of tone. We must validate feelings. And we must do it all without raising our voices, slamming doors, or invoking “because I said so.”
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