Every time the nurse from our neighborhood, who happens to work at a pathology laboratory visits us to collect blood samples from my mother, Pari sits close to her grandmother, watching closely. Pari has never been disturbed by the sight of blood. Maybe, she has taken after me. Maybe, it is because ever since she was a baby she has seen her grandmother undergo many medical procedures for her diabetes and cancer treatment that fear of needles is fictitious for her.

On all these occasions, the minute the nurse steps out of sight, we’ve heard Pari wish to become a Nurse when she grows up. She wants to be the one who helps people stay aware of their health status, drawing blood painlessly unlike the many nurses who’ve traumatized her grandmother, leaving large bruises on her frail hands.

Over the years, everyone in the family has encouraged her to see the bigger picture of her yearning of becoming a nurse. My father, who is himself a doctor, lets Pari play with his stethoscope, sphygmomanometer, thermometer, glucometer and more to help her get an understanding on how they work while nurturing her dream to work in the medical profession.

While my parents have been at work trying to help Pari see the benefits of working hard to become a doctor (instead of a nurse) who works for the good of the society, her fascination with needles and painless injections has been her prime motivation.

On the other hand, Pari absolutely loves dancing and acting. Even in her playschool days, she was the only confident lass in her class who never needed a push to perform on stage. Stage fright is something that doesn’t exist in her world. I’ve seen her sing, dance, recite fearlessly in many programs much to her teachers’ dismay. Given the peace and joy Pari experiences every time she’s performing on stage, I am often left marveling if she’d love to take it up on a professional level once she grows up.

No matter what Pari shall choose to be, planning finances for the same, right from now is crucial. Being a single parent, let the truth be told, that I shall never have the luxury to go reckless in my financial decisions. Though it is a multi-layered reality, still I am conscious of the alarming rise in the inflation and cost of various courses in my area, let alone at premiere institutes in India and abroad.

This is one area where my parents and I are in consensus. Ever since I was a little girl, I have seen my parents plan my future meticulously. Not even once have I heard them say that I couldn’t take up any course (be it in India or abroad) because they weren’t prepared for it. I hadn’t realized the magnanimity of that gesture till I became self-reliant and learnt to support my family.

I wish to gift Pari a similar sense of security, the joy, the liberty, to fulfill her dreams, no matter how unconventional they may deem to be. After all, who can dare classify dreams as conventional or otherwise?  Dreams are as unique as we are.

I recently read Yes, My Accent Is Real by Kunal Nayyar where he narrates how he’d flown to US to pursue a degree in Finance (Bachelor of Science in Business) but midway through the course something in his heart said his true calling was acting and he wanted to switch his course to Master of Fine Arts (Acting). At that point, on a phone call when he shared his thoughts with his parents, not even once did they dissuade him from going after his calling. Instead, they encouraged him to pursue his dreams (despite how difficult it could be for the family), change his line of study and graduate to become an actor.

Kunal Nayyar credits that moment of support and encouragement by his parents to the phenomenal heights he has scaled in his career as an actor. The day I read it, something changed in my heart. I wanted to be a parent just like Kunal has. I want to see my child achieve the pinnacle in life and to be able to make this come true. I have started my planning and investing homework.

One of the platforms to do this is Do Your Homework.

In a world with innumerable career options, being on the same page with our kids is so important. I feel the following video portrays it wonderfully,

Have a look:

As we parents do our homework, planning finances for our children’s future, a reality check on whether we are working towards the right goals is crucial. The Do Your Homework plan not only helps planning our finances, but also encourages reading up to help parents see what drives their children while making kids aware of the endless possibilities.

There are children’s books available to inspire the children to explore the various career options by way of reading short stories on various professions, trying their hand with coloring or solving crossword puzzles on various professions.

The platform also enlists the Why, the How & the What for parents’ reference. The commendable bit is, it enables parents to find out education costs for various careers across various countries both in the current and in the future, and also suggests the ideal amount one should invest in order to meet the future requirements. All this is also available at finger-tips, thanks to the The Homework app.

What’s most important is to plan for any sudden devours our kids might take like Kunal Nayyar so that we have every surprise covered because at that age when we’ll be closer to retirement and our children closer to realizing their dreams, lack of finances shouldn’t be the spoil sport.

Don’t you agree?

Do you think you’re prepared to help your kids achieve their dreams?

The song on my mind: Que Sera Sera 

Disclaimer: Mutual fund investments are subject to market risks. Please read the scheme information and other related documents before investing.