I was watching a series Out of Love on Disney Hotstar and one particular scene caught my eye. The protagonist’s teenage son’s female friend confided in his mother that he was trying to touch her inappropriately despite her asking him to stop. The boy’s mother was extremely apologetic and profusely apologized to the girl for her son’s behavior. She even asked her to tell this to her mother. She rebuked and counseled her son regarding the same.

In most Indian homes, the parents of boys either deny their son’s such behavior or try to pinpoint what the girl was wearing or in general tarnish her character. Instead of doing that, its always important to talk to the son about the unacceptable behavior, if he is at fault.

Mistakes or unacceptable behavior, of any kind, by any gender, needs to be tackled with maturity rather than denying it or trying to put the blame on someone else. The earlier the better.