Sarwat Gilani's insightful guide to raising kind and respectful sons

Sarwat Gilani made an appearance on a YouTube talkshow and revealed her thoughts on raising children — particularly young boys — to empathise with others as they grow up.

Gilani, who starred in the ZEE5 drama series Churails, sat down with Momina Sibtain for her YouTube channel Momina's Mixed Plate. The host was curious to know about Gilani's perspective on how to raise young boys well. "What's that one value you want to instil in your kids?" she asked Gilani.

"I thought about how do I tell my kids to open a door for a girl or a woman and so I Googled it," the actor answered. "It's so easy now. You don't have to go through books and books to understand. There were some very interesting articles on Google that I went through and it is literally about the little things. The way they talk to their house help, their nannies — everyone has a nanny now. How do they address the nanny if there is a problem, how do they talk about the nanny to me. If they open the door for me or not.

"It's these little things we need to remind them. To not eat before everyone's at the table. To leave a chair or a place if someone is standing. These things need to start from home," she said.

The Churails actor also opened up about wanting to open an "educational entertainment space for children and parents".

"I did this art and crafts thing during quarantine and it was very well received," she said. "The kind of questions parents would ask me, I thought there's a huge gap in communication between a parent and a child, and we don't know how to talk to children. We teach them how to talk to us but we don't get down on their level and talk.

"I also felt there's a dire need for kids to get out and not just have entertainment but do something that is creative and their imagination needs to open. Covid-19 has put us all in a very small box, especially kids. My kids are socially awkward now. So I wanted to open up a place which catered to parents and children," she said.

"What's next for you [after Churails]? Sibtain then asked Gilani. "I believe you are working on some interesting projects."

"I am doing a web series with Mehreen Jabbar," the actor answered. "She's amazing. I also have a film coming up and that is also very artistic and independent kind of cinema. I don't think I am cut out for commercial cinema."