Children do not always see their parents the way they do as adults. What once felt like unnecessary advice, restrictions or interference can look very different years later, especially after becoming a parent oneself. Ajay Devgn spoke about this change in perspective while talking about his father on Bear Grylls’ show in 2021. During the conversation, Devgn opened up about losing his father, his father’s health problems and the injuries he suffered during his years of working on film stunts. Bear Grylls began by referring to Devgn’s father’s death and said, “You have lost your dad recently. Yes, two years ago. So the last two years must have been very difficult.” Devgn agreed that losing a parent is difficult and then spoke about how a person’s understanding of their parents can change with age. “It’s tough to lose parents,” he said. “Because you don’t care about them till the age of 20 in your life. You think they are stupid. They don’t know anything. You know everything.”He then pointed to a stage in life when that attitude can change. “Then when you have your own children, then you understand what parents are,” Devgn said. “They want the best for you. By then, it takes a lot of time to understand this.”
5 Oct 2026 | 12:06
Parents, when your child refuses to greet relatives, do you make them say hello or respect their choice?
Ajay Devgn on his father’s illness
Ajay’s father had Alzheimer’s disease.
Grylls then asked Devgn what had happened to his father. Devgn said his father had Alzheimer’s disease. He also spoke about the physical injuries his father had suffered while working on stunts. “Yes, he had Alzheimer’s,” Devgn said. “He had a lot of injuries due to stunts.” He recalled one particular incident from his father’s work. “Once during the shooting, he had to go across the glass. He had an injury on his head and it cost him 45 bucks.” Devgn explained that the type of glass used in stunt sequences was different at the time. “Because at that time, they used real glass. Now we use toughened glass. It also hurts. But the real glass hurts a lot.”The conversation then moved to Devgn’s own experience with stunt-related injuries. Grylls pointed out, “You have also had a lot of injuries.” “Yes, I have also had a lot of injuries,” Devgn replied. He described the physical pain he continues to experience. “I have pain in every joint. In my whole body. Every morning when I wake up, I feel like I have become old.” Grylls responded, “Me too.”
What changes when children become parents themselves?
Devgn’s observation about understanding parents only later in life raises a simple parenting point: children may not always understand the reasons behind a parent’s decisions when they are young. His comment was specifically about his own experience. He recalled a time when, as a younger person, he felt that he knew more than his parents. Later, after having children himself, he said he understood more clearly that parents want the best for their children. That does not mean children will agree with every parental decision. But parents can sometimes explain the reason behind a rule instead of expecting a child to accept it simply because an adult has said so.
Explain the “why” behind a rule
One small change parents can make is to explain the reason behind important rules, particularly when a child is old enough to ask questions. Instead of only saying, “Because I said so,” parents can briefly explain what they are trying to protect, prevent or teach. A child may still disagree, but knowing the reason gives them something concrete to understand. The explanation does not have to be long. “I am asking you to be home by this time because…” can start a different kind of conversation from simply giving an instruction. As children grow older, some of the rules they question may eventually make more sense to them. Devgn’s own reflection was that becoming a parent helped him understand his parents in a way he had not been able to when he was younger.
