Children don’t just listen to what their parents tell them; they also learn from what they see at home. The way a father treats his wife, behaves with his children, or handles his own problems can quietly shape a child’s understanding of relationships, respect and even what they consider “normal.” Dramas Aap Ki Izzat, Bas Tera Saath Ho and Dar-e-Nijaat have explored this in different ways, showing how a father’s behaviour can sometimes be repeated by the very children watching him.
Here are three dramas that show how children can end up reflecting, accepting or normalising their father’s behaviour.
Aap Ki Izzat
Beena’s daughter dismisses her and doesn’t pay attention to her, just as she sees her father, Tabish, treating her mother. Beena is not relevant or worthy of respect by her chilcfen because they have grown up watching their father dismiss their mother’s concerns or decisions. Hence, it is hard for her to discipline or even find a space where she is treated as a significant entity in the family.
Bas Tera Saath Ho
Shayan and Shehreen are cruel to Anas because that is what their father has always done to him. Anas has to deal with the unhinged, toxic behaviour of his cousins as he grew up in their house, because that is exactly how they saw their father behave with him. The cycle repeats itself in the new generation unfortunately.
Dar-e-Nijaat
Zaryab thinks it is okay for a guy to drink alcohol, even though his drinking is a sign of a deeper problem, because she sees her father doing it and she also sees her mother living happily with him. So, in her mind, drinking is never the problem.
What makes these storylines interesting is that the children aren’t necessarily born cruel or accepting of unhealthy behaviour. They are learning from the environment around them. When disrespect, cruelty or unhealthy habits are repeatedly presented as normal at home, children can grow up believing that this is simply how relationships work.
These dramas may tell three very different stories, but they all leave us with the same thought: children are watching, even when we think they aren’t.
